How to make the most of your psychiatry placement
BMJ 2021; 372 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n133 (Published 10 February 2021) Cite this as: BMJ 2021;372:n133
- Afolarin Awodiya, final year medical student,
- Paul Whelan, consultant psychiatrist for working age and older age adults1,
- John Pettit, general practitioner2
- 1North East Wiltshire Community Mental Health Team, Wiltshire, UK
- 2Malmesbury Primary Care Centre, Malmesbury, UK
- Correspondence to A Awodiya aa16875{at}bristol.ac.uk
Every year, one in four people in the UK experiences mental health problems.1 As a medical student or junior doctor, you will see patients with mental illness in all branches of medicine. Seeing such patients can be daunting for students, who may worry that they do not have the skills needed to take a history containing potentially sensitive subjects, or to deal with agitated or distressed patients. During your time at medical school, however, you will have plenty of time to practise these skills in a supported manner. The communication skills learnt during your psychiatric placement will be useful throughout your career, no matter which specialty you eventually choose.
Resilience and looking after yourself
During your psychiatry placement you may be exposed to upsetting histories, many including psychological trauma such as sexual abuse, and managing the feelings that arise in yourself can be challenging. It is important to build resilience to combat these difficult emotions.
You may also be worried about your own safety when dealing with an agitated or distressed patient.
Box 1 describes some well established methods for building emotional resilience, and a few helpful ideas for ensuring your personal safety.
Looking after yourself while seeing patients with mental illness
Join a Balint group—a small group of colleagues or fellow students (usually 6-10 members) with one or two facilitators who meet on a regular basis to discuss cases and situations they have faced that have had an impact on them. The group aims to discuss the ideas and concerns of the colleague and come to new, more helpful perspectives and conclusions. This method has been shown to increase psychological awareness and resilience in clinicians2
Consider mindfulness—a secular form of meditation that emphasises being present and actively experiencing the thoughts, emotions, and sensations you feel at any given moment. Mindfulness has been studied extensively as a tool to build resilience and …
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