The Child is father of the Man;
I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
William Wordsworth
Can real life imitate fiction or is fiction worse than real
life. A question I have asked myself in my work as a Child Psychiatrist.
Real life is indeed a one way train: there is no turning
back.
Fiction could be horrifying, but the author could indeed
control, effect and generally manipulate the outcome.
In my real life work, we of course hope that we can change
the course of our patient’s life through our intervention. At other times we
seem to be just a reader, reading a real life fictional character. You were not
the author and you have no control of the ending.
The saving grace in Child Psychiatry is that we do not often
get to the end of the real patient’s book…..
So what has this got to do with the fiction I am reading?
Could a young girl be subjected to serious sexual abuse
(oral, anal and vaginal) and survive? Could a mother be so dismissive of her
own daughter’s plight? Is self mutilation an outcome of early abuse? What about
the professionals that are suppose to help? Could they be abusive as well?
These were all in the books and these were also with my
cases.
Is that why so many copies were sold worldwide?
Bits of it reminds me of my work……
Before I told you about what I am reading, you will need to
read about Amanda.
Then you can read about the girl I am reading.
In fiction, the abused had her revenge. In real life my
patients are not so lucky.
Dr Zhang had a common sense approach to the children in his care,
intuitively finding the answer to their problems, cases ranging from sleep and
toileting problems to those of anorexia, autism and psychosis - although
towards the end of his career, red tape and ‘guidelines’ were to impact on his
practice.
His book also gives insight as to how we as parents may influence the
mental health of our children and how childhood is being medicalised when
behaviours are due to lack of parental authority and/or guidance and are not
psychiatric illness at all.
Although the back cover summary describes the book as a work of fiction,
the contents are based on a good and a very real doctors’ journey through
medicine. It is a must read for all
those either working in medicine or interested in child psychiatry and indeed
childhood itself, and an invaluable read for parents who have concerns
regarding their children’s mental health.
“And
CC, your book is amazing! I am only on page 44 but so far, so
wonderful. I think how you turned this anorexia patient around just goes
to show what human interaction rather than tick box protocols can do in
a short period of time and at low cost too. This is an exemplary
illustration on perhaps one of the reasons why a good health system like
the one in Singapore can not be fully implemented in Britain. it's the
change of perceptions and methodology to suit that's difficult.
And, as a city girl, I found your early life in villages fascinating and very enriching for a bright child like yourself, I suppose, had I been your mother, I too would have not asked you any questions when you were told to leave that school ... but the school supplier of cockroaches! [shiver]Dearime! I run a mile when I see one, let alone catch them and dissect them! boys will be boys after all, now that I know that you weren't joking. you are a cockroach catcher, not only of the soul, but for real! @@
The book is a must read doc, I am really enjoying it :-)”
And, as a city girl, I found your early life in villages fascinating and very enriching for a bright child like yourself, I suppose, had I been your mother, I too would have not asked you any questions when you were told to leave that school ... but the school supplier of cockroaches! [shiver]Dearime! I run a mile when I see one, let alone catch them and dissect them! boys will be boys after all, now that I know that you weren't joking. you are a cockroach catcher, not only of the soul, but for real! @@
The book is a must read doc, I am really enjoying it :-)”
More here>>>>>>
“Zhang
laments the dawning of the age of red tape in psychiatry, which is the
same all over the world. The emphasis on "guidelines", also known as
"evidence based medicine", and artificial restraints on access to
services, have changed the landscapes of our practice. If everyone
practices cookie cutter type of medicine, where will we find new
thinking and new treatments?
This book is a "must read" for all professionals in the mental health field, and for all interested individuals. It is a kaleidoscope of life seen from the eyes of the therapist who genuinely cares about his patients as people. Zhang provides an in-depth understanding of the human condition.
In my view, this book gives us a glimpse into the soul of psychiatry, into holistic medicine at its best.”
This book is a "must read" for all professionals in the mental health field, and for all interested individuals. It is a kaleidoscope of life seen from the eyes of the therapist who genuinely cares about his patients as people. Zhang provides an in-depth understanding of the human condition.
In my view, this book gives us a glimpse into the soul of psychiatry, into holistic medicine at its best.”
From a doctor friend:
The Cockroach Catcher has evoked many images, memories, emotions from my own family circumstances and clinical experience.
Your
pragmatic approach to problem solving and treatment plans is
commendable in the era of micro-managed NHS and education system. I must
admit that I learn a great deal about the running of NHS psychiatric
services and the school system.
Objectively, a reader outside of the UK would
find some chapters in the book intriguing because a lot of space was
devoted to explaining the jargons (statementing, section, grammar
schools) and the NHS administrative systems. Of course, your need to
clarify the peculiar UK background of your clinical practice is understandable.
Your
sensitivity and constant reference to the feelings, background and
learning curves of your sub-ordinates and other members of the team are
rare attributes of psychiatric bosses, whom I usually found lacking in
affect! If more medical students have access to your book, I'm sure many
more will choose psychiatry as a career. The Cockroach Catcher promotes
the human side of clinical psychiatric practice in simple language that
an outsider can appreciate. An extremely outstanding piece of work
indeed. More>>>>
1 comment:
Update on the review Am Ang – and I must advise the below is remote from Amanda’s story.
A desperate plea (to borrow your book) from a friend whose son was experiencing behavioural problems in his eldest child, brought forth brought excellent results. The child’s parents saw parallels in one of your ‘case studies’ and it made them stand back and look at their own parenting skills with regards to their daughter.
They report a vast improvement in their child’s behaviour – and their own!
Of course it is true that parents with ‘difficult children’ may not find an answer as in a direct parallel in your book – but it may bring a realisation of how their own behaviours influence the mental health and thus behaviours of their children.
I would recommend that any parent experiencing ‘child rearing’ difficulties read your book and indeed, anyone interested in psychiatry at any level.
Anna :o]
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