Friday, June 18, 2010

A week in the life...


With apologies to my co-bloggers, I haven't contributed much in a while. Granted, I have been on vacation 2 of the past 3 weeks (score!), but in my first week back, here are my stories. All from this week.
Today, I worked our walk-in clinic. Kind of like an urgent care for psych. Saw many, many patients for med refills/acute crises. Saw 3 guys, all African American gentlemen, from a halfway house. Two years ago, this would have scared me. Today, it was, "Yes, Boss" and "No sir", just like I was Tom Hanks in "The Green Mile". Again, these guys were all pleasant and appropriate. Not trying to be racist or anything. But they were all wearing ankle monitors (one guy because he just eloped from the halfway house and got caught). I include all of this for justification of the Lindsay Lohan pic (ankle monitor, get it?)
I have tons of patients with borderline personality disorder. One that I saw this week epitomizes this condition. 20-year old female. History of several hospitalizations for suicide attempts, always tells me about cutting, etc. She disappeared from clinic for about 6 months and came in. Said everything was going fine except boyfriend broke up with her. This was interesting, because there was a male with her int he waiting room. I asked who he was. "oh just a guy I met yesterday." I told her I was surprised that she would let him know so soon that she was seeing a psychiatrist. "Well, I can't be alone. I need to have a man."
I asked how school and work were going. "Not so good. I have to come up with $1000."
Me: Why
"Well I totalled my mom's Honda. I have to come up with the deductible. So I'm having to work lots of extra shifts at Hooters to get the money."
From child clinic this week. Teenager with ADHD/ODD comes in with Mom and a cousin. It's summer, so these kids are usually going okay b/c they're not in school. The cousin has a hellacious sunburn. Most of his body is tanned but his shoulders and bald head are pink and peeling off. I made a comment about how bad it had to have hurt (I am severely white-been there before). The mom said, "I let these kids go down to Louisiana to stay with their dad. These boys came back with a sunburn. Louisiana gave my daughter herpes around her mouth."
It was all I could do to not laugh or ask any further questions pertaining to that.
All I can say is this: Ladies, watch out for a guy named Louisiana.
-psych doc

6 comments:

tracy said...

.....Annnnnnnnd, you want what kind of responses to your Borderline remarks?
The kind that have been there OR the kind that just want to abuse those with those with that DX?

SerenityNow said...

Tracy,
Not sure what you're asking. I guess maybe what I'm trying to point out is the attachment to the opposite sex without regard to the meaning of the relationship.

Also pointing out my own personal theory that strippers, Hooters girls, and probably porn stars have a high incidence of borderline personality disorder.

I guess I'm confused why you're asking what kind of responses I'm looking for. This blog serves 3 purposes, as far as I can tell.

1) For us to tell you what medicine is really like

2) For us to vent

3) For your entertainment.

For you to assume that I am expecting a certain kind of response almost assumes that you have some pathology that I have triggerred with my post.

-psych doc

Mrs. L said...

Psych Doc, 1

Tracy, Nil

tracy said...

Yep, nil.

Mama Dearest said...

Ankle monitor on Lindsey...hmmmm looks more like the twins to me, but hey, what do I know never seen one before errrr two...yea two..

Anonymous said...

Just in case you didn't know. The only time have break out with fever blister (aka herpes zoster) on my mouth is when I have been either in the sun or out on a very windy day.
Strange phenomena.