I Am Just A Psychiatrist

Inspiration to become a Psychiatrist

Mental hospital, a term that is generally seen as a curse. When people hear this word, the first thought that comes to their mind is that this is a place where mentally ill people are kept. This thought of people is also true, mental hospital is a place where mentally ill patients are served, are taken care of and are treated.

But along with this, there are many other stereotypes associated with this word, such as common people do not consider those patients as human beings. Most people think that patients who are suffering from any kind of mental problem are dangerous, untouchable and crazy, who can never become normal. These type of patients are not accepted by the society as the part of it and they are not treated properly. But Shikha never agreed with this type of conservative thinking. For her, every person was the same and her every patient was normal for her.

Many people call those patients unintelligent, stupid, mad, psychopath, abnormal and many other names, but for Shikha, all her patients were special. She always believed that having mental problems is not an incurable disease or a permanent problem, it is just a condition of the mind which can be easily cured with the help of right treatment, love and care. She always believed that with the help of proper treatment, they too could become normal and live a normal life.

What inspired Shikha to become a psychiatrist was an incident that happened to her when she was studying in 8th class. One day when she and her brother were returning home from school, she saw a crowd gathered on the road near the school.

Shikha had always been a curious child, so seeing the crowd she became curious to know what was going on there. Her brother, Sameer, told her to ignore the crowd and continue walking towards their home. But Shikha being Shikha, she somehow convinced her brother to follow the direction of the crowd. Somehow both the children reached the crowd and saw that some people were beating someone. Sameer was very protective of Shikha and was afraid that she might get hurt in the crowd, so he again requested Shikha to go to their house.

But Shikha ignored Sameer's words and moved ahead a little, so that she could see whom people were beating, and despite not wanting to, Sameer also had to move ahead with Shikha. All that time Sameer was holding Shikha's hand tightly in his hand.

When both of them reached a little further, they saw that four-five people together were beating a middle-aged woman. Two men were holding both her hands and two or three women were slapping that woman continuosly. Shikha and Sameer recognized that woman immediately. She had seen that woman many times outside the school, that woman used to live on the footpath right in front of the school.

Shikha looked at the scene with wide eyes, then she turned towards Sameer, whose expressions were no different from hers. She then asked her brother, “Bhai, why are they beating that woman?!”

Sameer replied hesitantly, “I don't know, Shikhu. I still think we should go home.”

“But bhai, they will kill her! We must do something!"

Some people who were standing near both of them were listening to everything. Suddenly a woman standing next to Shikha said to Shikha, “Child, your brother is right. You both should go home. Children should not see all this.”

Shikha immediately turned towards that woman and asked, “But why are they beating her?”

The woman replied, “That woman is crazy. She is always trying to talk to our children, trying to woo our children, I don't know what she wants. Whenever you see her, she keeps roaming around children. Today she tried to steal a child. I always knew that her intentions were never good. It was good that some people saw her taking the unconscious child somewhere. If no one would have seen, then I don't know what she would have done with that child. We don't even know what she has done to that kid, the poor guy is not even opening his eyes. That woman is not only mad, but she is also a child thief. If we don't teach her a lesson today, then tomorrow she will again try to harm our children."