Sunday, September 1, 2013

Mind Block

The Year Level 5: ICC Year blog posts - stories and anecdotes, patient encounters and hospital drama, and the many colors of UP med school from the perspective of a third year. Here's the fifth entry, under our two-week combined rotation with the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Where did the week go? And why do I feel like I didn't learn anything?

Newsflash to self: One week down for this NeuroPsych rotation. Brother told me it's a useless rotation - not even worth talking about. I know what he means. This is turning out to be some sort of quasi-vacation. For both the body and the brain. Talk about mornings-only everyday for the last week.

Which should explain my relatively long absence. As to what we've been up to: Eating. Watching movies. Sleeping - lots of it. A few encounters with crazy patients and crazy doctors.

Photo by Gellai Ursabia. Originally posted in Instagram.  

Saw "On the Job" today, "Mama" last night, "Now You See Me" the night before, "The History Boys" on Thursday night, and "Superbad" on Wednesday night. The last two were second viewings - "History Boys" because it's the kind of high school education I wish I had, "Superbad" because it's unabashedly nastily funny. "Mama" is stylish crap, but then again, the things I do for my love Jessica Chastain. "Now You See Me" is very entertaining, a festival for the eyes, but Vishnevetsky (Chicago Sun-Times) just about summed up my thoughts - look up his review. Go see "On the Job" now!    

And there's the summary of the first week of NeuroPsych, taddah!

Here's another photo of another leisurely lunch. That cut is Mr. Waiter's finger.

Finally, words of wisdom (verbatim) from a great psychiatry consultant:

On dealing with psychiatric patients: "You must learn to be comfortable in doing funny things. It does not spare the brightest."

"A non-sexist person equalizes men and women? Not always."

On methods of the patient interview: "... ANOTHER way of doing things, not a BETTER way - bakit ba kailangan may perfect o mas magaling?"

On interviewing psychiatric patients: "Please do not listen na parang may tama o mali sa pamumuhay ng tao. Try to find coherence to what's going on."

On crazy moments in his life: "I quit premed. My parents asked, 'Really? What do you want to do?' I want to swim everyday!"

"There is nothing special with psychiatric patients. It's more difficult to deal with our friends - or lovers."

This is from a high school classmate's sister's 18th birthday last Saturday (not yesterday) at the Makati Sports Club. That's the classmate (semi-drunk and daring), letting the bartenders do a making-fire-from-alcohol trick in her mouth.

And a final thought on this peaceful Sunday night: Another Palanca year gone, and life goes on. 

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