This morning I spoke with folk and, as usual, was struck by the rich tapestry of life.
One patient has had a fascinating career working in bomb disposal. Not a vocation for the faint hearted.
One patient has an engaging and encyclopaedic knowledge of greyhounds. Breeding, racing, everything.
One patient knows incredible amounts about tapestry and needlework. She returned from France where she travelled, alone, to visit a convent where some nuns could teach her a particular style and stitch.
People have such interesting lives, some days you're shaken in to realising it's a real privilege to share this.
9 comments:
Wish I could imagine the psychiatrists I have seen taking the trouble to find out about me in that sort of detail. But they don't.
Good for you, though!
and yet they are ill? I always have the simplistic notion that those with passions in life won't succumb as easily to mental unwellness. Too simplistic for the real world!
This is such a lovely entry. You're right - it is indeed a privelege to have this rare insight into someone else's world. Hopefully I won't forget this when (if!) I graduate and finally start practising medicine.
Very interesting! Getting such an insight into peoples lives really is a privilege.
Wonderful post. I think we all forget what a privilege it is to be privy to such things. One thing that never ceases to amaze me about medicine is that once you step into the hospital, people tell you things that they wouldn't dream of telling you outside the guise of doctoring.
"and yet they are ill? I always have the simplistic notion that those with passions in life won't succumb as easily to mental unwellness. Too simplistic for the real world"
I've found that many people under psychiatric care have fascinating lives. Perhaps more varied and unusual than the average person.
"I always have the simplistic notion that those with passions in life won't succumb as easily to mental unwellness."
1 in 4 of us will experience mental illness. I expect that more than 1 in 4 of us have a passion for life. Like you, I'd like to believe that doing "the right thing" would be protective, but I'm not sure how true that is, in the really real world.
I have plenty of interests and passions. I'm still mentally ill. Agree with you, Shrink. Wish it were the case that mental illness can be warded off by doing the "right things" - but it ain't so.
A woman I used to look after in my days as a clinical nurse had the following CV:-
Glassblower
Bunny Girl
Housewife and mother.
Just the coolest.
Vicky, that's just precious :-)
Post a Comment