Many of the patients benefit more from “bedside manner” than from the medications. I enhanced my ability to recognize which of my patients required this extra attention. Counseling anxious patients and working one-on-one with people in tough situations was the most rewarding part of my work. I also learned about different psychotropic drugs, their significant potential medical side effects, and drug interactions. My brief experience in research, exploring the effect of environmental factors in SZ and ASD pathogenesis, in particular mediators of the immune response, exposed me to the huge potential of neuroscience applications in mental health and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Every day I meet different kinds of people, learn about their unique stories, and cultivate a relationship with them and their families which I feel has added much to the quality of my life. To me, the cornerstone of psychiatry is continuity of care which helps to foster strong interpersonal relationships. Continuity of care enables us to treat the patients based on their whole personality rather than just their illness. It also enables us to institute and maintain changes in the patient's life, and potentially aid in life-shaping issues. This is one of the reasons I feel Psychiatry is my higher