Doctors
Real life stories
Name: Deenesh Khoosal
Job title: Consultant psychiatrist, Brandon mental health unit, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
I made up my mind at an early age that I wanted to be a psychiatrist. As soon as I qualified as a doctor I began my postgraduate training.
I have been a psychiatrist at a time of tremendous change. When I started my career, old-style Victorian institutions were still commonplace. They have been closed and replaced by modern residential services. But the big change has been in the development of community-based services, where we aim to see patients in, or as close to, their own homes as possible. Some of the changes have been made possible by the advances in our knowledge. For example when I started, only a few drugs were available. Now, they are much better and have fewer side-effects.
My work benefits from the involvement of the multidisciplinary team with whom I work. The team consists of psychiatrists, community psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, pharmacists and so on. This is a positive step as no single person can hope to meet all the needs of patients.
I see some patients in hospital, others in their own homes. Sometimes I see them alone, sometimes with members of the team. It can be a challenging job, for example when I have to detain a patient against their will. Training and experience gives you the confidence to do balance the patient’s interests with that of the public.
My job is helped by having good listening skills and empathy as I work with patients with a wide range of problems. One of the other things I like is that in psychiatry is that diagnosis is based on talking to people – skills and knowledge count – you can’t call for a blood test to help you!
The most satisfying part of my job is to see patients improving. It is so rewarding to see this happen and to know that you have been able to make a difference to their lives.
After all this time I have never had a single day's regret about my career choice. I highly recommend choosing psychiatry as a career.
