Author

freudandfashion

I'm a newly graduated psychiatrist who believes it's stylish to talk about mental health. Welcome to my diary, Freud & Fashion, created in 2010 to document my life as a psychiatrist-in-training and share knowledge and psychotherapy pearls that I learned along the way.

Psychiatry therapy

Analyze This

written by freudandfashion

Everyone has something they’re thankful for. I spent the week struggling to help patients find the tiniest glimmer of hope…a reason worth living even when death seemed like the only option. Medical school doesn’t teach you the art of psychotherapy, so I found myself extremely overwhelmed compared to times when I cared for patients experiencing a heart attack or stroke. But, after a tough yet rewarding week of analyzing my patients’ lives, I realize I have to analyze myself. I need to acknowledge my own fears and unresolved issues (otherwise, it may interfere with my patients’ therapy), which can be a scary thing for anyone. No wonder so many mental health professionals have their own therapist. Cheers to a relaxing weekend of self-reflection!

March 20, 2010 5 comments

Psychiatry therapy

Sleep It Off

written by freudandfashion

I consider myself a morning person. I woke up at 12:30pm today, which is ridiculously late for me. My checklist of things to accomplish has not been touched because I missed the morning window to begin my tasks, and therefore feel lazy, tired, and moody. Even as I write this post (it’s 6pm), I’m laying on my couch watching my 4th rerun of “Man vs Food” and attempting to muster enough energy to go to the grocery store.

Which brings me to an important question: “How is your sleep?” I ask each of my patients this question since sleep has such a profound effect on mood. In addition to offering medications for insomnia (if necessary), I educate my patients on the importance of “sleep hygiene.” Sleep Hygiene consists of healthy habits one can develop in order to routinely sleep well, which includes the following:

1. Sleep only when sleepy – this reduces the time you’re awake in bed.

2. If you can’t fall asleep within 20 mins., get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy. (do a low stimulating activity such as readying something boring, etc., but be sure to avoid bright light)

3. Don’t take naps.

4. Get up and go to bed the same time every day (Even on weekends! I know this is hard, especially after a ridiculously tough week at work)

5. Refrain from exercise at least 4 hrs before bedtime.

6. Develop sleep rituals. (give your body cues that it’s time to slow down & sleep – listen to relaxing music, have a cup of tea, etc.)

7. Only use your bed for the 2 “S’s” — Sleep and Sex. (no work, reading, watching tv, doing bills, etc).

8. Stay away from caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol at least 4-6 hrs before bed.

9. Have a light snack before bed. (if an empty stomach interferes with your sleep)

10. Make sure your bed and bedroom are quiet and comfortable. (I love the peaceful quality of neutral tones with pops of black and muted blue in the bedroom below)

For more on sleep hygiene, you can check out this link http://www.sleepeducation.com/Hygiene.aspx. Typing this post made me realize how lazy I’ve been all day, so now I’m off to buy food! And time to take my own advice and head to bed by 11pm (instead of 4am like the night before).

March 15, 2010 4 comments

Psychiatry therapy Travel

Know Your Roots

written by freudandfashion

My last minute 4.5 day stay in the Philippines last week was way too short but couldn’t have been more perfect. Instead of partaking in the usual treks to white sandy beaches and attractive city sites, we remained in the provincial town where my amazing grandparents raised their 11 children. I found excitement in riding a tricycle to my grandparents’ farm, appreciation for late night gatherings in a courtyard beneath the stars, and indulgence in homecooked meals. There’s something comforting, humbling, and therapeutic about the simplicity of country life, especially when there’s members of 4 generations to share it with you.

{Waking up to the sound of roosters crowing at 5am}

{the liberating feeling of not wearing makeup when the standard look is Au Naturale!}

{appreciation for unique public transportation…the infamous Jeepney}

{paying respect to loved ones deeply missed}

{the joy of being called to a table of delicious Philippine cuisine}

{I’m in one of my Vegetarian phases, so my fave is fresh broiled catfish dipped in a mixture of salted shrimp paste, freshly squeezed kalamansi juice, & chopped red chillies. I also constantly crave the bottom left dish–who knew sliced, sour green mangoes dipped in a salted, lightly fried shrimp paste made such a yummy combination?!}

March 10, 2010 2 comments

Psychiatry therapy Travel

Family First

written by freudandfashion

No matter how bitchy, snappy, stressed, and irritable I can get as result of the often brutal, mental, and physical demands of residency, the one thing I can always count on is family. Doctors dedicate their lives to caring for others that sometimes work takes priority over family, friends, and our own well-being. I’ve missed fabulous weddings, warm holiday gatherings, inspirational graduations, and lovely funerals, to name a few sacrifices made for the sake of my occupation. Instead of regret, my advice to anyone so heavily immersed in work is to take a moment and remember what’s most important in their lives. For me, I choose family. So as I pack for a last minute trip to the Philippines, I recall the memory of my role model and the reason I became a doctor, my grandfather. And during the 14-hour flight tomorrow, I’ll anticipate a long overdue reunion with my grandmother, which has thus far been postponed as a result of work. No more guilt…no more regrets.

My favorite picture of my beloved grandfather

My beautiful grandmother

February 27, 2010 3 comments

Fashion Psychiatry therapy Travel

To eat, or not to eat?

written by freudandfashion

Los Angeles…home of the trendy, superficial, and fit. Last week I was on vacation and spent the week back home in southern California. In preparation for my trip, I packed my most stylish outfits and made reservations for the most trendy, new restaurants in Hollywood. I spent the first day back with my boyfriend out in Beverly Hills and made a goal to have my favorite Sprinkles or Crumbs cupcakes. It wasn’t until I noticed the presence of tall, model-esque girls at my every turn that I changed my mind about indulging in decadent desserts. Later that night, my mood turned from excited and confident to irritable and self-conscious. I tried on the cute outfits I had packed and felt horrible when I looked in the mirror. I have a BMI in the normal range, yet I felt moderately obese compared to those girls. I was reminded of feelings growing up in southern CA at the age of 7, when I first began to diet and count calories. Now that I look back, I realize that I met criteria for a nonspecified eating disorder, considering that I lost significant amounts of weight eating only lettuce and water for weeks at a time. At the young age of 7, I believed I was fat even though my weight was considered normal.

Tormenting myself recently about not being 5’10” and a size 0 lasted only a few days. Overall, I feel happy about my temporary loss of self-esteem. I’ve treated a few patients with eating disorders and can’t help but relate my experiences to theirs. An estimated 1 to 2 million women in the United States meet criteria for bulimia nervosa; 500,000 women meet diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. More males are also seeking treatment of eating disorders now compared to the 1980s. A number of factors (biological and psychological) are noted to be associated with the disorders, including preoccupations with a thin body and social pressures about weight.

I tell myself and my patients to eat healthy, but that it’s okay to give in to small indulgences (a small piece of dark chocolate after dinner, a cup of frozen yogurt for snack, etc) once in awhile. So, after a run through Santa Monica Blvd., I took my own advice and walked to Crumbs in Beverly Hills. I ate half of my lemon cupcake and felt both confident and guilt-free as I walked passed the skinny fashionistas on Rodeo Drive.

the remaining half of my delicious Crumbs “Cupcake of the Week”

the gorgeous lobby of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel

February 22, 2010 2 comments

therapy Travel

Super Bowl – Bienvenido a Miami!

written by freudandfashion

No, I won’t pretend like I know anything about football. But, I will say that I’m jealous of everyone that’s heading to Miami this week. Miami is my 2nd favorite city in the U.S. (after Los Angeles, of course) because of its beautiful people, colorful architecture, and sheek party scene. And it also happens to be where I met my boyfriend. Here’s some of my fave places to go in Miami:

1) The Delano – a sexy indoor and outdoor hotel lounge (and if you’re cool enough, you’ll get access into the Florida Room)

2) El Palacio De Los Jugos – I tried some overpriced Cuban restaurants, but the best food happened to be in a street corner food stand! Head here for authentic, CHEAP cuban food, great fruit juices, and cafe con leche near Little Havana! Be sure to practice your Spanish.

3) Sky Bar at the Shore Club – swanky, classy outdoor lounge amidst a gorgeous garden. Rarely has a line, but guaranteed to see beautiful people inside.

4) Lincoln Road – walk down Lincoln during the day to go shopping and have your pick of cute spots to grab lunch while sitting outdoors. Walk down Lincoln at night and experience a lively crowd with hip hop or techno music blaring and the hottest people in South Beach sipping on pre-party cocktails.

5) The Duck Tour (no joke…had to throw it in here!) – my boyfriend makes fun of me all the time for going on this tour, but it’s a fun, cheesy way to be a tourist in South Beach. This interesting bus/duck contraption takes you to the touristy places in South Beach. Then, it turns into a boat to take you through Biscayne Bay to snap pictures of homes owned by the wealthy (Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, etc) on Star Island. And yes, they make you “quack” like a duck.

February 3, 2010 3 comments

Psychiatry therapy Uncategorized

Run!…or take an Antidepressant?

written by freudandfashion

I hate running. I’m one of those people who end up tachypneic after running 2 minutes and would much rather sit on the couch eating chips and watching “Man vs Food” reruns. I’m from so-cal where running seems scarce in the city, but when I moved to Oregon, I saw everyone and their grandmothers running down each street I drove. As soon as the dark, rainy season came around, I discovered the reason why…

I’m used to sunny days and am normally a happy, smiley person, but the short and rainy days made me feel pretty miserable. I started staying home more often, socialized less, and got upset easily. I admit that I watch a lot of tv, but it wasn’t until I started watching “For the Love of Ray J” (no offense to those who like that show) that I knew I’d reached a new low. I talked to my fellow resident and he suggested running especially since studies have shown that running can work just as well as an antidepressant (check out an article below from 2008). So…I got my butt off the couch, bought a new pair of running shoes, and started running. It wasn’t easy. But, I have to admit– I feel ten times better.

Tip of the Day: Run, run, run!

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/DepressionNews/story?id=5627302&page=1

February 2, 2010 4 comments

Psychiatry therapy

Mindfulness…Pay Attention!

written by freudandfashion

Having been through 20 years of school, including boring classes like history and organic chemistry, I felt confident that I mastered the art of looking interested and looking like you’re paying attention when someone is talking or lecturing. You look directly at them as they talk, nod your head in approval, throw in a few “uh-huh” and “yes i agree” statements, and before you know it, the talk is over and you have NO clue what they were talking about. It wasn’t until last month that one of the head Psychiatrists told me that I always appear distracted, especially during lectures. I was shocked! Apparently, my inattentiveness was obvious, and caused me to reflect back on the numerous times in my life that I’ve struggled to pay attention…which was practically a daily occurrence. I haven’t been diagnosed with ADD, but I realized it was time to make a change. I talked to one of my Child Psychiatry supervisors and she recommended Mindfulness. What is mindfulness?…

There are different techniques and therapies, but overall Mindfulness involves becoming aware of your mind, body, and emotions, and paying full attention to what you are doing each moment. Some examples include identifying how one feels when anger is triggered (hands clench, breathing increases, etc) or stress when driving (tight grasp on the steering wheel, neck stiffens, etc…to all you road ragers out there, including me). I still have much to learn about specific mindfulness techniques (and I’ll be sure to blog about it once I do), but so far at least becoming aware of my mind and body during moments of distraction has helped me IMMENSELY. I realize I am inattentive when I do the following: my eyes wander upward and I sigh and let out deeper breaths in boredom. Now, once I notice my eyes gaze upward, I’m able to recognize it, then relax and take deep breaths to re-focus my mind on the person who is talking. I’m amazed that such a simple technique can make a huge difference.

Mindfulness exercise of the day–Become aware of a physical habit that you’re usually not aware of: 1) Did you feel any stress today? 2) What was the trigger and how did your body react to the stress (hyperventilate, muscles tighten, etc)?

Looking out on top of the Space Needle. I’m afraid of heights so my heart was definitely pounding!

February 1, 2010 5 comments

Fashion Psychiatry therapy

Welcome to Freud & Fashion!

written by freudandfashion

Hi everyone! My name is Vania…my patients call me Dr. M since my last name’s hard to say and remember. I’m a wanna-be Psychiatrist currently in my 2nd year of residency (2 yrs, 5 months left…but who’s counting?). I created Freud&Fashion after I recently got inspired by fashion blogs! I’m not exactly a fashionista (I mean, how can I be when I’m about $200K in debt), but I’d like to think I’m savvy with my “S0-cal Casual but Dressy-enough-for-work” kinda style.

But my MAIN purpose is to give a glimpse of the life of a new doctor with a passion to learn how to best help those who struggle for normalcy in life. I believe that someone with mental illness is just like someone with a diagnosis like hypertension…sometimes they need medication, sometimes they don’t…but either way, the illness shouldn’t prevent them from enjoying life. My life has definite ups and downs and as I learn to treat others, I undergo my own sense of therapy as well. So my goal is to share my experiences and give tips on therapy pearls that I learn along the way! (mixed in with a little of my own personal interests such as fashion, decorating, and food, which is fast-paced and easy enough for the life of any growing professional!).

January 31, 2010 4 comments

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