Career path in psyche
I’ve always loved both psychiatry and psychology. This does seem like a common trend in people of our background. As a teenager, most of my friends wanted to read a book about it at some point or study it seriously. This deep desire to understand what makes us tick stems, I think, from a culture that encourages us to disregard the self. Bundled with our moral inheritance is the teaching that the self is insignificant. Religion encourages us to like for one’s brother what one likes for himself, to please one’s parents before pleasing yourself, to know that pleasing the self is slippery slope to sinfulness, and to sacrifice once self for the happiness of others. Indeed above all is the fundamental teaching that this life is a mere passage to the other where self-restraint will be rewarded with self-indulgence. (that is not just Islam teachings that but the teaching of every other major religion). Our culture then re-enforces this attitude in two ways: 1. By extending the role of religion and adding more to its rules as a measure of preserving society and a defence mechanism against the hardships of life that our people encountered before oil and riches became abundant. 2. It prohibits maturation of the “self” and external manifestation of its desires. An example that comes to mind public shows of affection which is not just frowned upon but is still to a certain extent illegal.
Of an interesting note is that our generation and the subsequent generations, for better or worse, found alternative outlets to get to know and exercises their control over their psyche. Pre-marital relationships, although no one would admit it, are a 100 fold more abundant than they were at the times of our forefathers. Even older people are now venturing into vibrant love relationships often sacrificing the happiness of those around them in the process. People who strictly stick to out-dated cultural norms are being left behind. People who have no alternative but to stick to out-dated cultural norms attempt to enforce their view on those around them to preserve the integrity of their world. Women driving, women cinema visits, divorcee marriages are other examples of current cultural norms that were evil less than two decades ago (15 years ago, u hardly saw a women driver on the street or a female in a movie theatre in UAE)
Enough drifting from my original topic. I loved psychiatry and enjoyed working in it. It has always been an option for a long term career path. As I once mentioned, the ability to destruct the complex human psyche and restructure it in a way that makes sense has been a complete fascination. Yet when I look back, I remember one incident in particular that discourages me from pursuing a career in that field. About a year ago, I was doing a night shift and was bleeped to go to A&E to see someone who has attempted suicide. We get on average about 3-4 per night. I splashed some cold water over my face to help me wake up and dragged my feet from our side of the hospital to the main building. I was shown to where the patient is and immediately noticed two large police officers stood by his side. “I need you to step outside please - patient privacy”, I asked them. After a brief introduction and a hesitant start, he started telling me how his girl-friend recently left him and how his dog died and the way this aggravated his drug problem and brought his world to a complete halt that he decided to end it all. I was having an out-of-body experience at the time. While a part of me was listening and taking notes, an other part was drifting in an out of a semi conscious state looking at my self in this interview and questioning why the universe exists and where my life is going and what I am doing in small room guarded by two police officers talking to a complete failure of a man that can not even succeed in killing himself. Then, I vividly remember hearing my own voice inside my head saying loudly: “I D-O N-O-T C-A-R-E!”
At the time, I thought I was too sleepy and had no keen interest in saving a fellow human from active suicidal thoughts (we ended up admitting him). But when I look back at the incident, I can not help but think that perhaps going down the path of psychiatry is not the best thing to do.
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:58 pm
mr7ba 5ouyeh..
really glad to hear from you again.. been quite a while..
u know.. i was always interested in the field of psychology, that back in university i made sure to complete all my social science requirements and any other open elective by taking pysch,, only..! it helps me understand my loved ones and myself better, it really clears up alot of issues to me.. anyway.. i wasn’t able to pursue a degree in it, yet i never stop reading anything related to psych,, very very helpful in life.. really.. but to me i like it to myself but not as a career.. so i may understand what ur talking about..
take care w lateg6a3 3adeh..keep in touch
alla y7fa’6k
e5tek, 3alya
December 2nd, 2006 at 4:01 pm
btw,,2day is the national day of the U.A.E.,, 35 years of prosperity.. alla y7fa’6 bladna w ydeeem 3ezz-haa yaa rabbb… w yn9er el moslmeen wen maykonon.. ameeeeen ya rab el 3alameen…
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:08 pm
it has been “well said” before that ..
in Internal medicine .. they know everything and do nothing
in Surgery .. they know nothing and do everything
& i say now *a77em !*
in psychiatry .. they know nothing and do nothing :p *lol*
forget about psychiatry .. join us in surgery ;p
December 5th, 2006 at 1:01 am
Ouch Sugar! well we do alot but most of the time people aren’t aware of what we do while we do it.
E3asheg….I’ve had many incidents like these when I questioned the career choice I made (which by the way was influenced by many other factors). But I have more examples which made me stick to it.
When I first came to Toronto to start my residency in psychiatry, I had to repeat the one year of internship. So I went through Emergency Medicine rotation as part of my rotation, and I almost gave up Psychiatry after that two months, I loved it, the fast pace, the adrenaline, the variety, the hours, the no follow up business.
The univeristy gave me a tough time to switch, and the process was taking a long time despite having letters of recommendation from the departments here. So I continued with my second year of Residency where you officially start doing Psychiatry. I fell in love again, its the untouchable that I find appealing most, the complex human brain and its behaviour, the way the subtle words make a difference, it was so sexy.
So, I did some serious thinking after that, and considered other aspect of my life that I care about (social, lifestyle stuff) and I decided to stick to my choice and now I have chosen to do child psychiatry which is extremely rewarding (to me at least) and is in high demand, and I am thinking to do some forensic child psychiatry or neuropsych stuff (depending on what appeals to me most after the exam).
So don’t totally disqualify it if you have considered it, think about it, but be prepared to let go of alot (like any other field in medicine).
Good Luck :)
December 5th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
That was a joke man >.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:06 pm
That was a joke man (>.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
i don’t know why it didn’t show together .. elmohim .. no offence was intended =)
December 6th, 2006 at 4:51 am
No offence at all Sugar (3aaaaaaaaaaadi) :)
If anything, you just made a valid practical point. E3ashig, if you ever end up choosing Psychiatry as a career, be prepared to hear alot of that too ;)
I do and learnt to deal with it in my special ways :) if you join the gang, i will be more than happy to share with you some tips.
December 6th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
6a3 ha !
chan y6ale3ni shereera >.
December 6th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
( uff again its not showing everything i write =/ )
Cheer up HLH .. you make the whole diffference in the patint’s life :D
no im kidding :p you wouldn’t be able to solve an appendicitis *hehehe*
December 6th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
Sugar :) I’m a hay not a ha.
And no I didn’t intend to make you look shirirah, infact the comment you made is something I hear alot in the hospital world. Cheer up Sugar, we don’t perform surgeries or correct electrolytes but we do make a difference alot of the time.
:) naughty naught naughty.
December 7th, 2006 at 9:15 am
Psychiatry is not the right thing for you. I should admit, i dont know you and barely know psychiatry but for some reason i dont feel you both match quite well!
December 27th, 2006 at 1:12 am
Dear e3ashig,
I guess you’d look at it differently if you had a family member or a beloved one, suffering from a very common psychological illusion or disorder, yet treated in our hospitals with the most unprofessional, unethical and inhuman manner.
It’s a 1000 times better in other places, i.e. KSA: They have realised how much our societies need it. The pace and style of our lives along with cultural shocks of sudden exposure to the world and sudden change have made us the most vulnerable to psychological illnesses. Patients have to face a society that ignorantly labels them “crazy”, to face their dark destinies on their own. Wiith no propper psychiatrists, therapy or networks of support here in the UAE. With nothing to help them or their families. Absolutely nothing. And when you have a patient within the family, it’s not only him/her who suffers, the whole family is affected and their life is never normal nor the same again - you’re talking here about a huge portion of society silently suffering.
I know that you are totally aware of what I’ve written above, and it’s a personal choice of a career at the end of the day. BUT, if you won’t consider this career for one reason or the other, and others won’t do it for their own reasons - who would treat UAE patients? Foreign doctors? Would they understand this strange blend of rules, restrains and contradicitons you mentioned above - aka “our society”, the same way you locals do? Even if you explain it to them over and over, they’re not living it - they don’t understand it’s complexity and uniqueness. They simply can’t get it and they never will.
It’s a general message my brother, don’t take it personally. I spoke out of agony and total despair. May Allah bring you success in whatever path you choose.
I, for one, abandoned a scholarship to study medicine in Scotland - and abandoned a personal preference of studying psychology. Faced now with the stress of a mentally ill beloved, I wish I could turn back the clock just to help him/her out - to make a difference in the lives of those who suffer.
Best of luck,
Alia
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