Psychology In Action

Yes, once again I digress from the point of this page which is my stories, but I need to share this to get it out my head.

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I've literally just got back from spending a day with a mental health nurse, while most of the day was irrelevant to what I want to do with psychology (Back ground info: I'm in my last year of secondary school, hence the lack of stories due to way too much work, and I'm looking to do psychology at university then become a clinical psychologist.) but three things were useful.
the first of these was a Q&A session with a psychiatrist which highlighted what the team does and how they help 'service users' (patients to you and I) and the differences between psychiatrists and psychologists.

Next was a Q&A with a Psychologist who gave me ideas for routes into the job and has volunteered to act as a contact for me in later life, which is majorly cool.

The last useful thing is what has been plaguing my mind constantly. My nurse had to do some ward visits, which due to patient doctor confidentiality, so I was left in her office with a pile of files to read. Honestly it was the most eye opening and genuinely interesting experience of my life. Most were basic accounts of service users that that has one or two psychotic episodes and I was given details of their condition and how they were treated. It was amazing to see the psychology I've been learning about put into practice. There were cases of bipolar disoders, schizophrenia and a few depression. It was amazing to see the small things that caused extreme disorders and the major things that caused small things.

The most interesting case was two folders full and it was of a girl who at 16 had been raped( I won't go into detail about anything personal if I can help it) and had then suffered depression and attempted suicide. She had failed and was then referred to the NHS for treatment. It went well and she seemed to be gettign over her depression, but she was then raped again this time by some one she trusted. Her condition then deteriated and she became bipolar and paranoid and believed people were watching her and had bugged her house. She began to exercise to much and go days without eating or sleep. It was fascinating to read so much about this person I'd never met and have insights into how they thought and see tests they'd written. It was oddly humbling, but strange because i began to feel for this woman who at only a few years older than me had been through so much and had so little support and have so many people take advantage of her and not help.

The file went up to March this year when the woman had just bought a flat and had a good full time job and seemed to be doing ok. The last entry however was dated two weeks ago and she had seen a man who was the brother of the second rapist and that had sent her into a downward spiral.

It made my goal of being a psychologist seem all the more worthwhile, if I can make a difference to one person like her and let them lead a normal life, then I'll have done something to be proud of.

This experience had also given me new prospective on my life and my problems, and also given me some solutions for my own psychological problems like my insomnia and my occasional minor depression. Problems those around me have or have had too have become more real and not just stories and I can empathise more with them and understand more of what they felt.

All in all I'm so glad I went today and can't wait for my return visit in January.