Volume 7 Issue 5 May, 2017
Menders of Mind
It happened during my PGCET preparations and I had been in a confusion deciding as to what subject take up for my specialization. I was keen to take up OBG to make a name and fame. It was a sunny day when my friend invited me to accompany her to Mysore for a medical camp at Vivekananda hospital, H D KOTE.
I was more than willing to accompany her and after the medical camp, we visited a place for the homeless mentally ill. This place changed my destiny. The place had 30 inmates who were wandering mentally ill, treated and relocated to their families. Then a female mentally ill was brought, she was in rags, ill-kempt and about 30 years of age. Her face was with black patches of dirt. Her hair was brittle, dirty and knotted. Her saree was dirty, torn and stinking. The patient
was talking to self and also shouting at and scolding the people around. The staff after bringing her gave her bath and trimmed her hair and gave her food and clothing. The psychiatrist there made a diagnosis of schizophrenia and gave her an injection and medicines.
After seeing this it felt great to treat a person as human being and make a person as a normal being. I realized then and there how noble this profession of psychiatrists is. So with this change in my destiny I, till today feel very fortunate to be a psychiatrist, who happen to be the menders of the mind!
Dr. Kasthuri. P, Associate Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, Bengaluru. drkasthurip@gmail.com
