PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

Year : 2022  |  Volume : 8  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 59-62

“Psychiatry and Psychiatrist: An everlasting endeavoring journey” – My Journey

V George Reddy
Healthy Brain: The Mind Care Clinic and Hospital, Secunderabad, Telangana, India

Correspondence Address:
Dr. V George Reddy
Healthy Brain: The Mind Care Clinic and Hospital, Secunderabad, Telangana
India

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

DOI: 10.4103/tjp.tjp_51_22

Practicing Psychiatrist-A Real Hero

• We need to percolate in to the society, to overcome the barriers like stigma
• Develop good liaison with interdisciplinary colleagues to make our presence felt
• I take this opportunity, to encourage my professional colleagues, to lead a successful life with totality. I request all my colleagues to take active part in every activity of the association. IPS is for us and we are for IPS
• We can fulfil, our social responsibility, moral and ethical responsibility along with building our psychiatry career. At this juncture, I request the private psychiatrists to work with government institutes and research organizations to collaborate between them to enhance, our continued medical education
• It is the time for Indian Psychiatry to become the torch bearer for the International Society
• India is developing socio-culturally; we psychiatrists have a great role to play in our country and also internationally. We should really feel proud of our senior colleagues who created the global outlook of Psychiatry practice in India at an international level. Hence, I feel that there is a great future for psychiatry in the years to come
• It is equally proud to see our members taking active role in National IPS.

Psychiatry Specialty – an OPT Choice For Budding Doctors

• Currently, the total number of Psychiatrists in India is about 9000. It means that there are only 0.75 psychiatrists per 1 lakh population. Considering WHO recommendations, the required number of psychiatrists is 5–6 per 1 lakh population^[3],[4],[5]
• Our association could take up the awareness activity to encourage undergraduates to opt for psychiatry to fulfil the requirement
• India is going toward becoming a superpower. Our country is going to be a developed one. Hence, psychiatry will have a flourishing future in the years to come.

Our Seniors – Pearls of Wisdom

• We should obediently bow down to the expertise, decency, and grandeur of our seniors. I have learned so much from them in all walks of life. Our association conducts many, conferences, CMEs, training programs, and sports and cultural events (Psyaata)
• I suggest our junior colleagues to join Indian Psychiatric Society^[6] to get a chance to develop rapport with seniors. Try to find seniors who think like you and who are very suitable with your school of thought. It is better to have a mentor or guru to thrive in our practice
• Psychiatry practice is a double edged sword that is interlaced with medico legal issues. Seniors can be life-saving many a times. We can discuss personal and professional problems with them
• Never hesitate to seek help from them. Utilize the opportunity to meet our seniors who are working in different areas like spirituality, community psychiatry etc.
• Any psychiatrist from Telangana can reach out to the office bearers of the association for any sort of help/guidance.

To Compete or to Collaborate

• As years are passing by, the trends in psychiatry practice is also changing. Here are a few humble suggestions for those who wish to start practice
• It could be a wise approach to start group practice in clinics, nursing homes and psychiatry corporate hospitals
• For young psychiatrists to establish their practice, they can reach out to new district headquarters and towns. The bliss in psychiatry practice is we don't need very advanced or sophisticated diagnostic procedures or investigations. Establishment can be started with minimal expenditure
• There is no meaning to feel that we have competition with each other. The scope for practice is very high. It all depends on how you reach out to the patients and how consistent you are available for them.

Women Psychiatrists – A Rocket Force

• We foresee that the women psychiatry colleagues are going to play a major role in the mental healthcare in our society
• In the recent years, we are witnessing many women colleagues helping in patient care. We wish the women psychiatry force could also take up active role in the association. We wish to see them occupy all the positions
• I am committed to give special attention to work in collaboration with the “SAMANWI” committee team.

Are We Psychiatrists, Also Psychotherapists?

• With evolving neurosciences and with the happening research in neurobiology and evolving technologies, biological psychiatry is overtaking the psychiatry clinical practice.^[7] As a practitioner, I still believe that psychotherapeutic interventions are as important as pharmacological treatment
• I take this opportunity to propose a special sub-committee for psychotherapeutic interventions
• Let's all foresee that our psychiatrists can practice good psychotherapy.

Changing Times – Role of Pharmaceutical Companies

• Our association can work with pharmaceuticals hand in hand in conducting academic programs and CMEs.

Who Advises the Advisor?

• Recent survey is alarming. Burn out is very high among psychiatrists in comparison with other disciplines. Depression and suicidal tendency is also very high^[2],[8]
• Although we are heroes of our own identity, though we are qualified psychiatrists, we should never hesitate to seek help from seniors or other colleagues
• A common man having stigma may be understandable, but despite being a practicing psychiatrist, if we don't seek proper help from the experts, we amount to promoting stigma.

Healthy Choices

• Have a clarity regarding professional time and personal time. Let us consider three important aspects of life. (1) Personal (Health and Financial Management) (2) Family (3) Practice
• It is always better to spare 8–10 effective hours for our psychiatry practice
• Take out minimum of 1 h as an obligation for physical exercise/activity
• Money earned from our practice can be multiplied by parallel investments
• Why I am so concerned and coming out with such a proposal is because, I cannot consider my medical practice as a business. Thus, it is a service activity
• Our generation used to run behind practice and people used to define them as if they are running behind money
• In this changing world, changing norms and values, I still have a soft corner and utmost value for family system and my family. My dear members, please consider spending quality time with your family as it means so much to your lives
• To reduce the professional hazard and burnout, choosing a subspecialty in our specialty can make you equivalent to a Superspecialist
• Live healthy till 99 years: Brainchild concept of Dr. Y. Sreedhar Raju. Average lifespan of an Indian is 60, while that of a doctor is 58 years. Please consider Mission 99, the concept which is the brain child of Dr. Y. Sreedhar Raju in his presidential address. To live hail and healthy up to 99 years should also be our priority
• I would like to propose an art gallery in our Psyaata banquet. To create an opportunity to reflect our skills in art gallery, photo gallery and short films
• We welcome new innovative ideas and proposals from all our members.

• General Secretary – House surgeon association, Warangal, AP JUDA
• President – Post Graduate Association, Guntur, AP JUDA
• Joint secretary, Gen. Secretary, Vice President, President in Hyderabad Psychiatric Society
• President, Indian Association of Private Practise Telangana State
• Treasurer, Telangana Private Psychiatric Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association
• Founder Gen. Secretary and continued for second term as General Secretary for IPSTSB
• Also working in different positions in South Zone and IPS National.

Calendar Events (A Few to Mention)

1. Organize a monthly zoom meeting to discuss topics from Telangana Journal, involving present and past editors and other experts
2. Organize special workshops on how to use social media (example: Youtube) for spreading awareness.

References

1.	Kleespies PM, Van Orden KA, Bongar B, Bridgeman D, Bufka LF, Galper DI, et al. Psychologist suicide: Incidence, impact, and suggestions for prevention, intervention, and postvention. Prof Psychol Res Pr 2011;42:244-51.
2.	Gilroy P, Carroll L, Murra J. A preliminary survey of counseling psychologists' personal experiences with depression and treatment. Prof Psych Res Pract 2002;33:402-7.
3.	Gururaj G, Verghese M, Benegal V, Rao GN. NMHS Collaborators Group. National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015-16: Summary. Bangalore: NIMHANS; 2016.
4.	Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Annual Report 2012-2013. New Delhi: Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; 2013. p. 161.
5.	World Health Organization. Mental Health Atlas 2014. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015.
6.	Indian Psychiatric Society Membership Directory. Available from: http://www.indianpsychiatricsociety.org/. [Last accessed on 2022 Nov 10].
7.	NIMHANS. National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Prospectus; 2018-19. Available from: http://www.nimhans.ac.in/sites/default/files/NIMHANS_Prospectus%202018-19%20Final%20%281%29_0.pdf. [Last accessed on 2022 Nov 10].
8.	Peckham C. Medscape Lifestyle Report 2017: Race and Ethnicity, Bias and Burnout. Available from: https://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/lifestyle/2017/overview. [Last accessed on 2022 Nov 15].