PSYCHIATRY PERSONAL STATEMENT

  Medicine is a field filled with many choices. Always interested  in psychiatry ,I had to face a traumatic personal experience to realize that my interest in psychiatry was something that I wished to pursue as my future career.  Two years ago my sister suffered from post-partum depression. She lost interest in her family, daily activities and personal appearance. She felt worthless, helpless and hopeless. After my intervention she consulted a psychiatrist with a hugely positive impact. My sister’s depression was partly due to her immigration to a new country, her new role as a mother and her Cesarean section. I observed why and how different situations and stressors make people behave the way they do. This experience along with my own study has prompted me to pursue a career in psychiatry.

Since then I have started to explore various dimensions of health. To gain experience in the field of psychiatry, I have been working in Mount Sinai Hospital as a mental health worker for the past one and a half years. I perform initial evaluation of psychiatric patients including obtaining mental health history, conducting mental status examination and then presenting cases to the ED and psychiatry attendings. This experience gave me great insight into the concepts of biological, psychological and social aspects of psychotic disorders while at the same time giving me valuable experience in the American healthcare system, especially how it pertains to mental health. I found ample opportunity to interact and establish rapport with a culturally diverse population of patients and their families and to improve my ability to diagnose a broad spectrum of mental illnesses.

Research is another area of medicine that interests me. I believe that knowing how diseases can be prevented improves health in society. Presently I am working as a volunteer Clinical Research Assistant under the supervision of a child Psychiatrist in the Pediatric Mood Disorder Clinic at University of Medicine. I participate in patient encounters for clinical studies and am involved in research. One study is based on double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial on Risperidone and Depakote. I am very intrigued by the advances in neurobiology, neuropsychopharmacology and neuroimaging techniques. I attend grand rounds and clinical meetings and benefit greatly. This experience has prepared me to be a confident and well rounded resident for the future. Another research proposal that I helped develop was Predictive Value of Violence Prevention Tool in Adolescents at Mount Hospital, University in Big City. I discovered that environmental factors, upbringing, geographical location, social habits and level of education play a vital role in influencing the behavior of adolescents. 

I believe in a fundamental need for psychotherapy in addition to psychopharmacology. I have the ability to listen without the need to intervene and resonate with patients’ emotions. My qualities of dedication, compassion, integrity, conscientiousness, competence and empathy will help me to treat my patients. Away from work I enjoy reading, jogging, traveling and spending time with friends and family. These activities help me return to work rejuvenated.  Recently I have become a US citizen and got married.
My goal is to become a skilled and reliable psychiatrist. With my immense clinical experience in psychiatry, a strong leaning towards psychotherapy and research background, I am in a unique position to be an able and productive resident from the very beginning in my Psychiatry residency training program. Given my strong work ethic, ability to handle stressful situations, excellent communication skills, and team spirit, I would be able to address human suffering, bring healing to patients and work towards future discoveries.