Some time back, I saw a young male in his 20s brought to me by his father in the opd.
The father was pretty distressed as the son had abruptly left a good job after a heated argument with his boss a couple of weeks ago. He told me that for the last 10-12 days, the boy had ...not been sleeping well and was constantly remaining irritable.
He would barely sit at home and was seen riding his bike at high speed on the streets for apparently no reason throughout the night & when he was stopped from going out, he would start abusing the family members.

Ajay, 28, is a software engineer working from home for the last one year. Over the last few months, he has been having difficulty sleeping, wakes up late in the morning & then hurriedly sits in front of the laptop slogging all day and ends up emotionally fatigued at the end. 1/n He becomes very irritable when his girlfriend calls him and often ends up arguing with her. He has been unable to finish tasks given to him and has found his productivity decreasing over the last few months. 2/n

15 tips I wish someone had told me before I joined residency!
A little 🧵 for all those who are going to join #residency this year.
#NEETPG #MedTwitter 1. Take all tips/suggestions with a pinch of salt as we all have biases
We may or may not be consciously aware of it.

31st May is #WorldNoTobaccoDay
A🧵 on everything related to tobacco, how it leads to addiction, why it's difficult to quit, and what the options are! Request you to spare a couple of minutes!
1/n About 4000 chemicals have been detected in tobacco smoke while around 3000 in smokeless tobacco. Nicotine is the main chemically active constituent present in tobacco.
Remember, Vaping isn't safe either!
2/n

Have you ever wondered about the connection between your digestive system and your mental well-being? Today, on the occasion of #WorldDigestiveHealthDay
let's dive into the fascinating correlation between these two important aspects of our health. #DigestiveSystem #MentalHealth Our digestive system, often referred to as our "second brain," plays a crucial role in our overall well-being. It not only breaks down food but also houses trillions of bacteria that form our gut microbiome & have a profound impact on our physical and mental health. #GutHealth

STORIES FROM #IPL2023
Most people here know that I am an avid cricket fan, but the reason I love and follow sports is because of the stories & life lessons that we come across.
#IPL2023 has had many such moments/stories/ life-lessons so far.
A little thread on that. 1. "Don't give up because it's not over until the last ball is bowled/last run is scored."

GT vs. KKR.

29 to win off the last over.
Nobody gave KKR a chance, but this man.
#RinkuSingh

"Oh, our attachment styles are different!"
You might have heard some people say this!
Some know it's importance but many people use it casually to display their rich vocabulary. But let's understand from the point of view of psychology!
A 🧵 on #AttachmentStyles
1/n Attachment styles are patterns of behavior that we develop in childhood to cope with our need for security and love. These patterns can shape how we approach adult relationships later in life.
2/n

A personal story of my everyday life as #Psychiatrist in India.
This might help anyone who is new to the field or thinking of entering the uncharted waters of #mentalhealthprofession
Read on.
1/n
#MedTwitter #psychtwitter Every day, you will be reminded of the stigma by your own colleagues from other fraternities & society at large, most of whom are oblivious to the importance of mental health themselves.
Wait, but that's not why I am writing this.
2/n

Very often, I come across people who are not able to do well in #competitiveexams and end up thinking,
"I AM SUCH A DUMB PERSON. I AM MISERABLE. I DON'T DESERVE HAPPINESS!"
Let's talk about that in this thread
#NEETPG #UPSCASPIRANTS #Aspirants
🧵
1/n When you have put a lot of efforts and sacrifice behind something you almost start 'expecting' the results 'should' come! This works quite well in theory exams of your school or college where your efforts translate into your marks!
2/n

#QALA - From the eyes of a Psychiatrist.
P.S. Spoilers ahead.
Read on for some themes I could find.
A 🧵
#MedTwitter #moviereview
#psychtwitter #mentalhealth 1. The concept of unwanted child

QALA's twin brother dies in utero, which is a big shock to her mother Urmila Manjushri, who blames Qala for taking away all the nutrition from her brother in utero & even tries to smother her. Qala becomes an unwanted child in the process.

"You're so skinny!"
"You're so fat!"
We have all either said that/heard that.
But here's why I believe that commenting upon someone's physical attributes in a social setting is not a good idea..
A 🧵
1/n ✔️ There could be various uncontrollable reasons behind person's weight issues- we have a tendency to assume that it is just because of overeating/poor lifestyle/lack of exercise. So when we make such a comment, it could be really triggering for many people.
2/n

A 🧵 on #NewYearResolutions and 10 rules on how to follow through on it.
Purposely writing this on day 8 of the new year so that only those genuinely wanting to work on themselves will read it.
I am only mentioning things that have helped me personally!
Read on. 👇🏼
1/n Research about New Year Resolutions suggests that 23% of people quit/drop out in 1st week.
Only 36% people make it till 2nd month.
Only 8% are able to successfully keep up their resolutions!
2/n

A 60 year old lady was brought by her daughter to my OPD a couple of months ago.
In the field of psychiatry, how a person enters, gives us a clue about the clinical condition.
When a patient walks in himself v/s when a patient is 'brought by' someone makes a difference.
1/n Generally, though not a rule:
> a patient coming himself, means he has some understanding of what is happening to him
> & when a patient is forced/coaxed by the relatives to visit a Psychiatrist, it would mean that the patient is either in denial or not in touch with reality.
2/n

I recently had a middle-aged man come to my OPD.
He appeared quite nervous and hesitant.
I asked him how I could be of help and this is what happened next.

1/n He asked me if I provide counseling.
I said yes.
He told me me that his daughter needed psychotherapy.
I asked him the reason for it.

2/n

Our society has always portrayed man as a stronger gender; one who is physically strong, doesn’t cry & is emotionally stronger. This myth not only makes men weaker but also pressurizes them to succumb to live up to the ideals of society. Look what has happened due to this-
1/n Suicide is amongst the top 3 contributors to mortality amongst men in the age group of 15 to 44 years across all geographical areas.
Suicide rates are 2-3 times higher in males compared to females. Men adopt more severe means to die by suicide.
2/n

While this is an absolutely sad news, an important thing that we should not fail to notice is the lack of communication between husband and wife.
He hadn't told her about his job loss for more than 6 months.
1/n

https://twitter.com/beastoftraal/status/1593066479154388994

This isn't something new.
Many men I meet attach their value and self worth to their "package".
And when that ceases to exist it can come as a real blow.
They start to feel inferior and ashamed of themselves.
2/n

So yesterday I had the first opportunity to be an examiner to check papers of Final year medical students.
The answers to basic questions in Psychiatry which they had written were horrible and spoke so much of the lack of awareness about mental health amongst doctors.
1/n The questions were as basic as writing short notes on
Schizophrenia & Bipolar disorder.
And yet majority of students failed to ✍️ it properly.
This is mainly because of 2 reasons-
2/n

To all those who have got MD Psychiatry in the counseling, congratulations. 🙌🙂
A thread on 22 tips for young doctors entering Psychiatry residency in 2022!
1/n 1. Take all tips/suggestions with a pinch of salt as we all have biases
We may or may not be consciously aware of it.

2. Be slow to judge.

Your initial experiences could end up being confusing/scary but don't judge whatever happens to you in your initial days of residency.

A patient was prescribed Propranolol for hand tremors.
He didn't take it.
Came back for follow up with similar complaints.
When asked about the compliance he mentioned he didn't take it because someone in the family told him that it was medicine for 'blood pressure'.
1/n When it comes to being a patient, I think "Ignorance is real bliss!" because half-knowledge is very dangerous!
So many medicines are used for more than one reasons.
At different dosages, medicines act differently so just to Google the use of medicines 💊 is a dangerous idea!
2/n

Had a 26 year old male come to me today in OPD with a lot of anxiety about his upcoming wedding. When asked about the reason, he hesitantly mentioned that it was because he had a smaller penis!
1/n I asked him how he had come to this realization and he told me that he had always believed it to be so but so far hadn't told this to anyone out of shame!
2/n

As 90s kids, we are probably the last link to an era which didn't have enough resources, smart phones and technology.
Listening to stories from parents and grand parents leaves me wondering how privileged we all are today due to technology.
1/n My Nana ji tells me how news of death of someone used to be conveyed via bus conductor to another village so that it reached earlier than post.
2/n