Knowledge

Chapter Three: Summer Edition

Education has grown to be a big if not the most important part of my life. I have grown to value its importance as well as it's contribution to my knowledge of the world. As I grow older I slowly become more aware of my surroundings and have realized how most of us live in ignorance. Specifically surrounding the topics of race, the environment, climate change, unequal distribution of wealth in generations, food safety, and now the false epidemic of mental disorders.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. 
    -Nelson Mandela

Everything seems to be connecting in the most amazing way this summer.

I have realized that I am working towards and in my field of career this summer. I do have a lot going on, but I really do enjoy working with adults with severe mental disorders. Which my job as a caregiver allows me to do freely. I get to learn first hand how to talk to and deal with their everyday obstacles, but more importantly it gives me background experience. In a way it connects with the books I am currently reading with my mentor on the problems concerning over-diagnosis and the false epidemic of mental disorders as well as my pharmacology class. I have observed the number of medications my residents are taking and how that has affected their cognitive ability to live a social independent life.

I am really excited and intrigued in learning the issues concerning psychotropic drugs which ties into my now pharmacology class. Not to mention its super cool that I get to use my organic chemistry knowledge to understand the pharmacokinetics of these drugs. I didn’t think I would ever use my organic chemistry knowledge and glad my hard work in those classes paid off and are useful. It really seems like everything is connecting in some way but more importantly in a good way! I feel like I am doing my best to balance everything and somehow I am not doing a terrible job.

Being able to make small talk and explain what exactly I am doing this summer has been a great conversation starter. But more importantly educating those who have no knowledge on the risk of taking psychotropic drugs for long-term use and especially how normalized mental disorders have become due to drug company marketing.

Research

Dr. April Bleske-Rechek and I could not be more excited in picking back up on our research. We have made a small change in our survey, in which we have decided to add personality traits in determining how to assess burnout. Much of the literature presented has touched on personality and the importance of considering it for burnout but there has not been any research done including personality traits. We are currently discussing what comes next with our partners at Mayo Clinic and are on route to distributing our survey mid October.