Down the memory Lane

Volume 4 Issue 5 May, 2014 A RURAL ENCOUNTER After my post-graduation I was working in a rural health project ‘Major mental morbidity survey’ at a village. I hadto go on my bicycle to hamlets around for door to door survey. I had an updated list of all households in thecatchment area with the name […]

Volume 4 Issue 3 March, 2014 The “Art” of Interview On a busy OP day my resident reported that the patient, a bank employee, he was allotted for detail work up was not co-operative. He was reluctant to give family history and wanted to talk to me. After making him wait for some time I […]

Volume 4 Issue 2 February, 2014 Blunted Affect There was a patient admitted to the ward, may be 3rd or 4th time by then. He was around 45 years, married and without an offspring. During the rounds on several occasions I had commented about his shallow affect and even told my students that he has […]

Volume 4 Issue 1 January, 2014 The Accompanying Person A woman in her 50s was regularly visiting me for follow-up, accompanied by a man of around same age, for nearly a year while I was doing my postgraduation. She was handed over to me by my senior for the purpose. She was diagnosed as having […]

Volume 3 Issue 12 December, 2013 Stirring up a Hornet’s nest While doing my post-graduation, I had an interesting interaction with a person in the campus. He was an elderly man, probably in his sixties, who was running a small shop in the campus near the old psychiatry OPD, clad in khadi shirt and mundu […]

Volume 3 Issue 11 November, 2013 The Idiosyncratic Abbreviation During the PG days at NIMHANS, once we, my friend and I, were discussing some academic stuff in the ward. There was a junior PG sitting along. The junior remarked that she was unable to understand our discussion as we were using many abbreviations. We started […]

Volume 3 Issue 10 October, 2013 Wisdom to crosscheck the medications!! I think it is a common experience of most of us that our patients take lesser dose than prescribed. Most of them appear to believe that we prescribe higher dose than required. Once a patient of mine wanted me to suggest a substitute brand […]

Volume 3 Issue 9 September, 2013 The confused patient who convinced me! This incident happened sometime in early part of 1980’s, after I started working inManipal. When I left the OPD after the day’s work there was this gentleman waiting outside the OPwhom I had seen as patient that day. When I looked at him […]

Volume 3 Issue 8 August, 2013 Presence of Mind I was called to attend an emergency in the ward one evening with regard to a patient affected with Bipolar Disorder in mania. On entering the ward the patient was seen standing on a chair meddling with an electric switchboard. All other patients & staff were […]

Volume 3 Issue 7 July, 2013 Symbol of hope Few of my contemporaries may remember this long time inmate in the female ward of pavilion 3. She was in her thirties and was always found moving around carrying a bundle wrapped in a cloth. She held it on the left side of her waist hugging […]