I had a chance to work in psychiatry dept after my internship and had a very valuable insight.
It was of immense help later.
While working in dockyard dispensary we had to go for the cell round at INS Angre where temporary offenders are kept and and INS Kunjali where persons undergoing punishment are kept.
I had a habit of stopping and talking to each and every offender to understand why he committed the offence.
While on round in INS Kunjali I was seeing a marathi sailor (Name probably Sambhaji pathre or so).I asked the cell in charge why he was punished.HE was punished for 60 days in jail for absent without leave.Thus I asked Sambhaji as to why he was absent.He said he does not remember.On getting suspicious when I prodded him further he just said that he was in Yerwada hospital and does not know the details.I decided to get to the root of the matter the details were shocking. I realised that this sailor was in Yerwada mental hospital for over one year admitted by his brother.He was from some village in Satara district.He had already lost his father in childhood and while he was on his annual leave his mother expired.In the shock of this he had an attack of schizopherenia.Thus due to his irrelaevant and irrational behaviour his brother admitted him to Yerwada mental hospital (at Pune).He was being treated there for over one year.When he recovered reasonably to regain his memory he told the doctors there that he is working with Indian navy.Thus they contacted the naval authorities who picked him up and got him to mumbai.since he was absconding for more than one year they court martialled him as he was not giving any satisfactory answers to their queries.HE was given a punishment of mulct(forefeiture) of pay and allownces for period of abscence and 60 days DQ detention in quarters(a term for jail sentence) with his job being kept intact being his first offence.
I refused to certify him to be fit to continue in the DQ and strongly recommended his transfer to psychiatry ward.Though with lot of resistance the sailor was transferred to psychiatry ward at INHS asvini (The 850 bedded naval hospital at Colaba Mumbai)where he underwent complete treatment and was absolved the charges from the court martial.
Why his brother did not inform naval authorities nor they bothered to see him in Yerwada hospital is really not known.May be the lure of property?
god only knows
It was of immense help later.
While working in dockyard dispensary we had to go for the cell round at INS Angre where temporary offenders are kept and and INS Kunjali where persons undergoing punishment are kept.
I had a habit of stopping and talking to each and every offender to understand why he committed the offence.
While on round in INS Kunjali I was seeing a marathi sailor (Name probably Sambhaji pathre or so).I asked the cell in charge why he was punished.HE was punished for 60 days in jail for absent without leave.Thus I asked Sambhaji as to why he was absent.He said he does not remember.On getting suspicious when I prodded him further he just said that he was in Yerwada hospital and does not know the details.I decided to get to the root of the matter the details were shocking. I realised that this sailor was in Yerwada mental hospital for over one year admitted by his brother.He was from some village in Satara district.He had already lost his father in childhood and while he was on his annual leave his mother expired.In the shock of this he had an attack of schizopherenia.Thus due to his irrelaevant and irrational behaviour his brother admitted him to Yerwada mental hospital (at Pune).He was being treated there for over one year.When he recovered reasonably to regain his memory he told the doctors there that he is working with Indian navy.Thus they contacted the naval authorities who picked him up and got him to mumbai.since he was absconding for more than one year they court martialled him as he was not giving any satisfactory answers to their queries.HE was given a punishment of mulct(forefeiture) of pay and allownces for period of abscence and 60 days DQ detention in quarters(a term for jail sentence) with his job being kept intact being his first offence.
I refused to certify him to be fit to continue in the DQ and strongly recommended his transfer to psychiatry ward.Though with lot of resistance the sailor was transferred to psychiatry ward at INHS asvini (The 850 bedded naval hospital at Colaba Mumbai)where he underwent complete treatment and was absolved the charges from the court martial.
Why his brother did not inform naval authorities nor they bothered to see him in Yerwada hospital is really not known.May be the lure of property?
god only knows
Another incidence when I was working as casualty medical officer two army police brought an middle aged gentleman for medical examination.He was a JCO(junior commissioned officer) Subedar who had put in 26 years of service and was about to retire after 6 months.He was brought for medical examination for fitness to be put in close custody(Equivalent to police custody awaiting trail).I felt something amiss.Someone who has put in 26yrs of blemish free service why would he run away? especially when he is anyway retiring.HE was brought back to mumbai by his grown up son who was working in Ahmadabad.The son also was accompanying him there.when I asked about his father's behavior the son said that he had noticed strange behaviour by his father.However he thought that his father was upset because his retirement was nearing.
Upon his mental status examination I realised that his answers were in-congruent and irrelevant. I realised there was something wrong and I declared him unfit for detention and to be referred to INHS Asvini psychiatry ward for admission.
The next day after his examination by the psychiatrist he was brought to my dept for CT scanning of brain where he was found to have a brain tumour(temporal lobe glioma).He was operated in INHS Asvini and was treated completely for the same.He was also absolved from a blemish in the last leg of his otherwise blemishfree service.
Working in psychiatry has given me very valuable lessons for life and medicine.
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