Healing the Brain, Nurturing the Soul: Insights from Dr. Rohit Raman Pandey (Part- 1)

Medicine is actually in our... I will repeat what I said earlier. The dream of becoming a doctor for lower-middle-class families is a poverty elimination scheme.

Because they don't have any other option. Either they will do engineering, or they will do medicine. At that time, I was very interested in biology and comparatively less interested in Maths. So, my parents made me study biology. During that time, there was a flood in Bihar every year.

My parents were stuck in the flood, and they realized the importance of a doctor. They saw how a doctor maintains hygiene and treats life-threatening diseases like dengue, chickenpox, and malaria. This incident inspired them, and they started encouraging me to aim for medical studies since 8th grade. They specifically mentioned getting into AIIMS Delhi because they read that it is an ideal place for education and provides good earning opportunities. I became interested in pursuing medicine because of this influence. However, there were many struggles in my life. When you don't have anyone to guide you, you keep wandering.

The first two attempts were to understand the syllabus and what was going to be asked. After two attempts, the third one was to visit AIIMS and ask about the admission process. Then the fourth attempt was successful, and I got admission. Now I was ready to crack the entire curriculum.

I developed an interest in medicine and psychiatry. In MBBS, there was hardly any psychiatric exposure. So, only a few people follow their passions in medical studies. When you have more interaction with other branches like Obstetrics and gynaecology , you tend to like those specialties more. During my first year, someone asked me about my future plans. I mentioned becoming a Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgeon, even though I had limited knowledge about the field.

But in the final year, you get to know which subject you don't want to pursue for post-graduation (PG). Many people claim to have a passion, but the real test comes when the ranks are out. Those who say they are passionate about a particular branch should be ready to choose it if they get a good rank. For example, in my counseling, 7 people claimed they wanted to pursue surgery, but 14 to 20 days later, all 7 of them changed their minds. They were passionate about their choice initially, but practicality and significance play a role.

After PG, you come to understand which branch suits you. Many people, including myself, are unaware of their true calling during MBBS. It is crucial to recognize the right branch for yourself. For me, I liked medicine, but I was offered orthopedics, surgery, and other specialties. Eventually, I ended up in psychiatry, and I learned a lot from it.

I think it was the right decision for me because most medical students are not fully aware of the different specialties and their significance until after PG. Surprisingly, people outside the medical field have better knowledge of psychiatry and its treatments than most medical students. That's what I think.

I didn't get into medicine; I pursued psychiatry. But I have no regrets about it because people say that it matches my personality. As for earning potential, clinical branches offer great opportunities if you are passionate. However, becoming a billionaire as a doctor is unlikely; for that, you would need to be an entrepreneur. Being a doctor is not a one-man profession, and it involves long working hours.

This is a very valid question because the majority of people are unaware of where to seek help for these issues. The fields of psychiatric neurology and neurosurgery are so overlapping that people know they should visit a neurosurgeon for surgery, but when it comes to behavioral disturbances, they are uncertain about whom to approach.

However, since we have had Jio's SIM card and internet usage has increased, awareness has grown. Now, people are more informed about which specialist to consult for specific symptoms or issues.

I have come across patients from rural areas, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, who are educated, but they fear being judged by society and their peers if they visit a psychiatrist. We have a good tradition here, just like in India, a developing country. There are two main aspects here - one is physical illness, for which not everyone receives complete treatment, and the other is mental illness, which is hardly ever addressed. Only 2-3 percent seek consultation until their livelihood is not affected, but once they start facing difficulties in their daily life, they don't hesitate to consult. However, if the same thing happens to their children, they become parents who come first in seeking help, which represents an overlap of the new and old generations. Society is changing in this regard.

Secondly, society tends to label mental illness as madness. You might have heard someone say, "Have they gone mad?" or "Are they crazy?" when referring to someone with a psychiatric condition. However, when it comes to someone expressing love in an intense way, people use the word "mad" loosely. But when someone with a mental illness goes to a doctor, people tend to judge them.

The situation has changed now. Many Bollywood stars, like Deepika Padukone have come forward to raise awareness about mental health issues. People are learning from these examples and understanding that mental health is also a significant concern.

Let me share a patient's story as an example:

There was a person whose entire life was affected due to water contamination. He took allopathic medicines but didn't experience any improvement. His father contacted me, and I had a video call with the doctor treating him. The doctor informed me that the patient was in pain all day.

However, while there is progress in raising awareness, there is still a significant lack of information among many people, especially those in the lower socio-economic groups. Many individuals continue to struggle and hide their mental health issues. It's essential to have a clear-cut diagnosis, like OCD in this case, to provide appropriate treatment and enable the patient to lead a normal life. But awareness about such mental health conditions is still lacking.

Stigma around mental illnesses persists, and it is connected to the fact that these conditions are related to the brain. People remain fearful despite efforts to change perceptions. If someone reveals that they have a mental illness, an ordinary person might react with fear and prejudice. Therefore, an effective awareness system is crucial to combat this problem.

The government of India is actively working on various initiatives to address mental health issues, including awareness campaigns through videos, posters, and community facilities like CFC (Common Facility Centers). Hopefully, these efforts will lead to better mental health awareness and reduce the stigma, thereby improving productivity and well-being.

The biggest problem with the globalization of this time is that information is highly accessible. This is the major challenge of today's era. People don't always know which information is beneficial for them and when to trust it. This is a problem faced by the majority. In the past, information was not readily available.

If you recall, we used to run around to find HC Verma's physics book. We would visit multiple shops to get one copy, or we would share it with our schoolmates. But now, you can easily find HC Verma's questions and answers online. The point is, both scenarios exist, but the key lies in how you utilize the information. There is so much information bombardment that people consume everything without knowing how it will affect them in the long run and whether it is good for their brain.

For example, take the case of playing PUBG. People spend 24 hours playing it, and you often hear about someone's death count or that they have been playing it for weeks. This kind of excessive virtual reality can distort a person's perception of reality.

Now, with AI and information accessibility, suppose someone finds out they have a small macular papilloma. They might become overly focused on the possibility that it could be cancer. Such situations are not uncommon. People may not realize that what they have is normal, but due to the information they find online, they start believing it could be something severe like cancer. They may think, "How can AI or a doctor be wrong?" So, this can lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress.

If you go to a doctor and their treatment doesn't work, you might seek a second or even a third opinion. The future of your well-being depends on making informed decisions about which information is suitable for you and consulting reliable professionals.