Guest Column: Down The Memory Lane..

Volume 4 Issue 8 Aug 2014

‘A SURPRISE RESCUE’

Ram, a 22-year-old, short and thin built, was admitted in the psychiatry ward with a diagnosis of catatonic schizophrenia. On daily ward rounds, I used to see him and demonstrate various signs to the students and my colleagues with an air of confidence. I would move his hands and put him in odd postures to show waxy flexibility and posturing. I would ask him to go under the bed from one side and come out from the other side, a couple of times, to display automatic obedience and he would just comply with his mask like face. He did not speak a word spontaneously and only on lots of coaxing and after painful stimuli would utter a few inaudible words.

It was a Sunday morning and as usual I went for the ward round unaware of the fact that another patient was admitted in the same room the previous night. No sooner I entered the room, this new patient furiously got up and stood between me and the entrance of the room. I was taken aback looking at this tall gigantic person who was almost ready to attack me. He confronted me about his forceful admission and physical restrains used on him the whole night. Fearing that he would manhandle me, I tried to escape the room and called for the ward-boy and staff on duty for some help. But unfortunately, nobody was around and that’s when he pushed me inside the room in a very hostile manner. I was really afraid and started sweating profusely. My heartbeats missed and my mind went blank, I couldn’t think of anything in this difficult situation. I thought, soon I would faint and collapse.

But just when I had lost all the hopes of any help, to my pleasant surprise, Ram came to my rescue. Without any fear or hesitation, he walked up to new patient, held him by his arm, reprimanded him for his behaviour in a very stern voice and put him in his place in his bed, clearing the way out of the room for me. Without any second thought, I hurriedly walked out of the room and breathed a sigh of relief.

As I was walking out of the ward, I realized the irony of the situation. I, me, myself, Mr Know-all, a psychiatrist, with all my air of confidence was unable to manage the situation which was so appositely managed by a patient of catatonic schizophrenia. My arrogance gradually melted and vanished into thin air.