It was in the Casualty Department at CMC Vellore that I was asked to see a young 16-year-old girl, who came with discomfort, pain and an uneasy sensation in the inner aspect of her left thigh. On examination, I found absolutely nothing and having just finished my posting in Psychiatry, I grandiosely formulated many theories to fit in as to why a young 16-year-old would have symptoms related to her thigh. I told myself I needed to go into the psychodynamics of this problem and looked for those non-existent clues. I told her to come on the next day so that I could spend time talking to her to find out the psychological causes. I was shocked when I saw her the next day with clear-cut eruptions of “Herpes Zoster” lesions. Needless to say, I felt foolish and embarrassed and realised the pre-eruption presentation of what exactly what she came with the first time. Lesson: Never jump to psychological conclusions in a hurry, however tempting it may be.
Dr. S. Kalyanasundaram
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Bengaluru
(The above article has previously appeared in Volume 2 Issue 7)
