Doctors with "iron spirit"

Treat patients like family

Doctor Nguyen Nhan Tri (born in 1979), Head of Department 4, has been involved in the care and treatment of mental patients for 21 years. Perhaps due to the nature of his work, his gestures and way of speaking are calm and gentle.

He smiled and said: “Whenever people mention mental illness, they immediately think of cases of insanity and uncontrolled behavior, but that is not the case. The psychiatric field has hundreds of disease codes with different levels of severity. Department 4 specializes in treating mental disorders, psychosis, depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc. Just listing that much is enough to see the importance of mental health, but many people are still subjective.”

With many years of experience, Mr. Tri fully understands the pressure, hardships, and efforts of psychiatrists, who are not afraid of difficulties. The medical profession is special, but psychiatrists are even more special because they not only need expertise and qualifications but also a heart to share and understand. Psychotherapy is one of the treatment methods for mental patients, but if the doctor is not tolerant enough, does not have love and dedication, it will be counterproductive.

Dr. Tri's department usually has 120-130 inpatients, and there are times when it is overloaded with more than 140 patients. Here, each patient has a different situation. Some have epilepsy, lose the ability to regulate their behavior, and some have psychological disorders, sometimes awake, sometimes drowsy. There are also patients with depression, always panicking and anxious.

Each patient has different symptoms, but Dr. Tri knows each patient's medical record by heart. Not only that, he also grasps and learns the family background and personality traits of each person to serve the treatment.

“Without perseverance and patience, it is difficult to become a psychiatrist. Agitated patients need to be reassured and encouraged to believe and cooperate with treatment. People with psychological trauma need to be comforted and consoled, to make them feel secure. Only by changing their perception can they adjust their behavior. The work of a psychiatrist is not much different from taking care of a child, both require thoughtfulness and care,” Dr. Tri likened.

Unlike Dr. Tri, who has enough courage and experience, Mr. Nguyen Hong Son (born in 1996) has only been working at Hai Duong Mental Hospital for 2 years, so he is still confused and sometimes even shocked. Dr. Son studied general medicine at Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Because psychiatry is only a minor major, during his studies, he had few opportunities to interact with patients. Mr. Son could not help but be surprised by the awkward, funny and sad situations when treating mental patients.

He shared that the symptoms of mental illness are very diverse, not everyone is the same. Many patients with delusions and hallucinations have disruptive actions but sometimes they are quiet, pensive and worried. This makes even new doctors feel confused.

Since becoming a psychiatrist, Mr. Son has been learning how to train his mind and spirit to be strong. Because only then will he be calm enough to handle and treat the disease effectively. And only after deep understanding and careful research can he see that the inner world of a mental patient is very complex. Therefore, a doctor must have empathy, understanding, and must share joy and sorrow with the patient.

Doctor Son said: “Although I have not been working for a long time, I know that treating mental illness is not just a simple treatment. This job requires doctors to be professionally solid, mentally strong and, above all, dedicated to their profession and to their patients. For a long time, at this hospital, each patient has been considered a relative in the family of the medical staff.”

Not only are psychiatrists unique, they also face a lot of pressure. But perhaps the most complicated and stressful part is assessing and consulting on the condition of the disease. Many patients with mild illness pretend to be seriously ill to enjoy benefits and policies. There are also normal people who pretend to be ill to avoid obligations and the law. Therefore, psychiatrists must have qualifications and expertise, and sometimes have to compete with patients to assess the severity of the disease.

Still worried

Society develops with many achievements but also creates many consequences, causing pressure and stress on mental life. Currently, mental patients are getting younger. Many young people suffer from psychological trauma, mental disorders due to business failures, debt or alcohol and stimulant abuse leading to hallucinations and paranoia. Some people have to undergo psychological treatment just because they think too much when being treated unfairly. As for the elderly, due to the burden of illness and lack of sharing, they often become depressed and anxious.

Mental illness originates from simple reasons, but if not detected and treated promptly, the disease will become more serious. However, the psychiatric profession is still "thirsty" for doctors because of concepts and prejudices.

Having a chance to change to the specialty of psychiatry, Dr. Nguyen Bich Thuy (born in 1992) has many thoughts. Ms. Thuy studied oriental medicine at the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine. 8 years since graduating, she has worked and studied to improve her professional skills. For Ms. Thuy, there are memories from the time she first entered the profession that still haunt her. However, when she overcame them with conscience and responsibility, she realized that if doctors still falter, where will the hope and opportunities for mental patients come from? This motivates Dr. Thuy to strive every day.

Ms. Thuy has just completed a specialist course in psychiatry. However, she is still worried that she is the only one in the whole course majoring in psychiatry.

“Mental health is becoming more and more important, but psychiatrists are still not given the attention they deserve. Therefore, not many people choose to pursue this career. As a result, psychiatrists, who are already under pressure, have to work even harder,” Dr. Thuy confided.

Dr. Tri is already experienced, but when talking about the position of psychiatrists, his mood drops. He expressed that society has somewhat recognized the role of psychiatrists, but there are still some concerns and prejudices. However, for psychiatrists, what they care about most is the patient's condition. For them, whether the patient recovers or the disease improves is the motivation for psychiatrists to be confident and stick with the profession. With the changes in society today, when mental frustrations are increasing, the importance of psychiatrists will be placed in the right position. At that time, psychiatrists will no longer feel inferior to other specialized colleagues.

At Hai Duong Mental Hospital, in addition to receiving dedicated and attentive treatment, patients are also taken care of in their living conditions, from meals to sleep. According to the hospital's leaders, patients can be rich or poor, but poverty is still the basic. Therefore, the hospital always cares and provides maximum support so that patients can feel secure during treatment and their families can also feel less burdened. Although it is a mental hospital, there have long been few sounds of destruction and screaming. Patients with stable conditions can move freely in the quiet campus. The hospital is being invested in upgrading and renovating, so the medical team, patients and their families are all trying to overcome the inconveniences during the repair process. Everyone is looking forward to the future, when the hospital will be more spacious to better meet the needs of medical examination and treatment.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nham in Dai Duc commune (Kim Thanh) is a relative of patient BTV being treated at Hai Duong Mental Hospital. Having taken care of his parents in many medical facilities, when coming here, Mr. Nham felt the friendliness and openness from the service staff, medical team, doctors and hospital leaders. Although the hospital is always crowded with patients, no one has to share a bed. Occasionally, the hospital leaders even suddenly go down to the kitchen to eat with patients and their families to check the quality. "When my mother finished her inpatient treatment and returned home, the doctor who directly treated her still called and texted twice a week to ask about her health. I really appreciate this concern," Mr. Nham expressed.

In 2023, the hospital had more than 700 out-of-province patients coming for treatment, including those from big cities where medicine is developed in both expertise and medical infrastructure such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, etc. In 2024, the number of out-of-province patients still has no specific statistics. However, it is estimated that it may be higher than last year.

The hospital has only over 30 doctors, but the number of patients coming for treatment each year exceeds its capacity by 130-140%. The hospital's planned bed quota is 250 but the actual number is 470. These numbers demonstrate the prestige and capacity of Hai Duong Mental Hospital.

According to regulations, if the hospital does not have enough doctors, it will not be allowed to increase the number of beds. In reality, the demand for treatment at Hai Duong Mental Hospital is very high. Therefore, solving the problem of resources is necessary and urgent to help the hospital develop and the team of psychiatrists and doctors have more motivation and resources to devote themselves.