Clinical Psychiatry
Tawakal Medical Clinic
04.2017 - dec2024
- 1
- Patient Assessment and Diagnosis:
- Initial Consultations: Conduct thorough intake assessments, including interviewing patients about their medical, psychological, and family history
- Mental Status Examination (MSE): Evaluate patients’ cognitive functions, mood, thoughts, and behavior to aid in diagnosis
- Diagnostic Decision-Making: Use diagnostic tools (e.g., DSM-5) to evaluate and diagnose psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and bipolar disorder
- Differential Diagnosis: Rule out other medical conditions that may present with psychiatric symptoms (e.g., thyroid disorders, neurological conditions)
- 2
- Treatment Planning and Management:
- Medication Management: Prescribe and adjust psychiatric medications (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers), monitoring for effectiveness and side effects
- Psychotherapy: Provide psychotherapeutic interventions, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), or psychodynamic therapy, depending on the patient’s needs
- Developing Treatment Plans: Work with patients to create personalized treatment plans, including goals for symptom relief and overall mental health improvement
- 3
- Crisis Intervention:
- Handling Emergencies: Manage acute psychiatric crises, such as patients with suicidal ideation, severe anxiety, or aggression
- Hospitalization and Safety Planning: Decide when inpatient care or hospitalization is necessary for patient safety, providing short-term stabilization
- Risk Assessment: Continuously assess risks (e.g., self-harm, violence, neglect) and implement protective measures
- 4
- Long-Term Care and Follow-Up:
- Ongoing Monitoring: Conduct regular follow-up appointments to track progress, address new concerns, and adjust treatment plans as necessary
- Chronic Conditions: Manage patients with long-term psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, ensuring they adhere to treatment and cope with recurring symptoms
- Relapse Prevention: Work with patients to identify triggers and develop strategies to reduce the risk of relapse or exacerbation of symptoms
- 5
- Collaborative Work with Multidisciplinary Teams:
- Coordination with Other Providers: Collaborate with psychologists, social workers, nurses, and other specialists to provide holistic care
- Case Conferences: Participate in multidisciplinary case discussions to review complex cases and share insights with other healthcare professionals
- Family Involvement: In some cases, work with patients’ families to educate them on mental health issues and involve them in the treatment process
- 6
- Research and Academic Involvement (for psychiatrists involved in research or teaching):
- Clinical Research: Engage in research to explore new treatments or the efficacy of existing interventions for mental health conditions
- Publishing Findings: Contribute to academic journals and present findings at conferences
- Teaching and Supervision: Educate medical students, psychiatry residents, or other healthcare professionals and provide supervision and mentorship
- 7
- Ethical and Legal Considerations:
- Patient Rights: Ensure informed consent for treatments and medications, maintaining ethical standards around confidentiality and autonomy
- Legal Involvement: Participate in legal matters related to psychiatric conditions, such as competency hearings or involuntary commitment proceedings
- Capacity Assessments: Evaluate a patient’s ability to make decisions about their treatment (e.g., in cases involving dementia or cognitive impairment)
- 8
- Continuing Professional Development:
- Attending Conferences and Workshops: Stay updated on the latest advances in psychiatric practice and mental health research
- Supervision and Peer Review: Participate in peer review sessions and ongoing supervision, even for experienced clinicians, to ensure high standards of care
- Learning New Techniques: Continuously learn about emerging therapies, medications, and treatment methods in psychiatry
- 9
- Documentation and Administrative Work:
- Record Keeping: Maintain detailed and accurate medical records of patient encounters, diagnoses, treatment plans, and progress
- Report Writing: Prepare reports for medical boards, insurance companies, or legal purposes when necessary
- Billing and Coding: Ensure accurate coding for billing purposes, complying with healthcare regulations
- 10
- Supervision of Other Healthcare Workers:
- Mentoring Psychiatrists-in-Training: As part of academic or teaching roles, clinical psychiatrists may supervise medical residents or fellows in psychiatry
- Staff Education: Provide training to nursing staff, social workers, and other members of the healthcare team on handling psychiatric patients
- Training
- Mathari National Teaching & Referral Hospital 2020
- Youth Centre Kenyatta Hospital 2021
- Supervised Patient Care: During the first years of training, I work closely under the supervision of attending psychiatrists or senior residents
- I begin by conducting psychiatric assessments, taking patient histories, and performing mental status examinations
- Learning Diagnostic Skills: I learned how to apply diagnostic criteria (e.g., DSM-5) and differentiate between different mental health disorders
- I got practical experience in assessing conditions like depression, anxiety, psychosis, and mood disorders
- Basic Psychotherapy: I often begin learning foundational psychotherapy techniques, such as supportive therapy, and I start practicing simple interventions under supervision
- Medication Management: I start gaining experience in prescribing psychiatric medications, learning the pharmacology behind common psychiatric drugs like antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers
- Inpatient Psychiatry Rotation: Early in training, I often rotate through inpatient psychiatry settings, working with patients who require hospitalization for acute psychiatric conditions
- I manage patients with serious conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder under supervision
- On-Call Duty: In the first years, I used to take on-call shifts, responding to psychiatric emergencies in the hospital setting, such as suicidal ideation, psychotic episodes, or aggressive behaviors
