i'm glad that i've grown up quite a bit since years ago, and my self-worth is no longer determined by such things.. hmm

huimin is officially sick. ha..
i usually catch something each posting.. didnt expect to get it frm psychomed posting tho..
i have a sorethroat, somewhat like a flu n slight cough.. i think more's to erupt.. my tian.

after coming to 3 weeks in psych med posting.. i must say it's a real eyeopener..
it's been really interesting.. looking at the services.. the patients.. their problems.. how we can try to help them
but in some part of it.. it feels pretty bleak.
our forensic psy tutor told us abt the Penrose rule

The Penrose hypothesis (Penrose, 1939) suggests that the changes described above and the current prevalence of mental disorder in the prison population are linked by a complex relationship that centres on changing values in society. Penrose proposed that the approach society adopts towards people who behave in a socially unacceptable manner is largely dictated by prevailing social norms, the political climate and the availability of a suitable route for disposal. Thus, according to this hypothesis, an individual who behaves in a disorderly fashion is more likely to be dealt with by mental health services if such services are well-resourced and hospitalisation is favoured. In contrast, the same individual is more likely to be seen as an offender and sent to prison in a society where resources and statutory provision favour imprisonment .
Penrose also proposed that the proportion of society that ‘requires’ institutional care remains relatively constant over time, implying that if people with mental disorder cannot access hospital beds they will gravitate towards prison.
Although Penrose based his hypothesis on a study of criminal statistics and mental hospital populations across 14 European countries carried out over 60 years ago, the situation in many Western countries today where prison populations have risen significantly following the scaling down of in-patient psychiatric facilities certainly seems to fit the same model.

well and it's one posting where i've seen the most number of pt's i've clerked breaking down into tears at some point of the interview.. a handful of them, but significantly more than the other disciplines i've been to.
sometimes it just strikes u that life hasnt been too good to some of these people and we are a pretty fortunate lot already.

imh is a lovely place.
v spacious.. v quiet.. v serene.. i wont mind going bk to roam ard on my own someday haa.. and it's the nearest hospital to my house! haaa i'm usu bk home in less than 1/2 hr...
certain rooms in there are called the Serene Room..
i love the concept of The Flat as part of the OT programme.. where there's this room whereby when u go in through the door.. it looks exactly like stepping into someone's HDB apartment.. it helps our patients learn basic skills.. how to do housework and familiarize themselves w the environment at home before discharge.. v cool.. reminds me of the little tatami room we saw during our jap exchange w juntendo university.. the geriatric dept.. to help the elderly patient rehab and familiarize themselves with their home environment.. so as to b more prepared for discharge.

mental illness is a pretty lonely disease.. and there's so much stigma around it..
can we change the mindset of people?
"What if people don't change?"
"The point is they will or they don't."