Child Psych is Hard!

July 26, 2010, 10:28 pmDoctor Psychobabble3 comments

Death of a stroller

I just got home from a 15-hour day, including call in the psych ER. I’m way too tired and hungry to write much. But the gist of the evening was that I evaluated an adolescent in the ER. It took us 6 hours to do the eval and eventually discharge the patient. I have only worked with adults in psych for my entire career and throughout med school. I learned tonight that I have a lot to learn about child/adolescent psych! Family dynamics are complicated. Family therapy is challenging. I feel drained from dealing with all that is adolescent defiance and rebellion (more on that soon!). But yes, I did learn, and that is a good thing! Time to eat and wash the grunge from my body!

Part of My “Trash Talkin” Photo Series

  • http://ujun.blogspot.com/ Jun

    i hope psych doesn’t burn u out mentally :/

  • bellocielo

    I did my psych rotation at the adolescent girls unit. It’s so heartbreaking. I don’t know how I was going to survive it after the 2nd week or so. I was so mentally exhausted, reading their charts make me want to cry! I think I was going depressed myself if I did not have friends who supported me.

    My preceptor told me that when she was in residency, the residents need to go through therapy and I don’t wonder why. It is definitely a fascinating field and I considered it for a great while to be a child psych (coz’ I love kids =)… but after a while, it’s not even the 5 year or so training that draws me further…. but it’s the fact that psych takes a huge toll on me =P

    Keep at it, Dr Kendra!!! Truly admire what you do =)

  • http://talesoftheeasyrider.blogspot.com Sonia

    I thought the same, since I loved kids so much, I’d go into child psych eventually… but there are “horror stories” to child Psych, maybe i’ll need some more “growing up” so i could deal with it all later.