Weight Eight

Week Eight at Mount Sinai was likely one of my favorite weeks. During this week, I made significant progress with my research and was able to finally look at some conclusive data. I worked with the lab coordinator to clean the data, thereby correcting any potential mistakes in the set. After doing so, the results were analyzed by a series of statistical testing. From the results, I will develop my conclusions and subsequently craft an abstract, a short summary of the results of my research. Once finalized, I will submit the abstract to a food allergy conference with the director of the lab, and if the abstract is accepted, I will have the great opportunity to attend the conference and present my findings. Though we hoped I could submit my results to a behavioral psychology conference, the results were not relevant to that population and are a better fit for a food allergy conference. Though the director of the lab unsure whether I should invest my time in a food allergy conference, I told him that I am looking forward to the opportunity to practice presenting my own research. 

Beyond the progress in my research this week, I also harvested great clinical experiences. I administered the CAT/CLAMS as I frequently do, as well as gained exposure to the developmentally-recognized golden standard: the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. Though I have not been able to watch a full evaluation, I was given an overview and was able to look through the testing materials and watch an informative presentation. 

But ultimately, this week was largely defined by an interaction that I had with one of Dr. Shemesh's patients. As I have previously mentioned, he offers complimentary psychiatric screenings to the families that come through the Food Allergy Clinic at Mount Sinai. As families screen high for anxiety, he often meets with these families for an hour for free to help establish strategies to minimize anxiety, or potentially, recommend other psychiatric services, if he feels that they are necessary. All of the patients that I have seen over the past month have not required further psychiatric evaluation; however, the patient I saw this week most likely had an anxiety disorder that was spiraling out of control. He was a sweet young boy, who was very preoccupied with irrational fears that impaired his and his family's daily functioning. He did very well throughout the visit and responded eloquently and appropriately to each of Dr. Shemesh's questions. He came with his mother, who was very supportive and positive. However, as psychologists and psychiatrists do, Dr. Shemesh and I both noticed her subtle emotion. She looked as though she were about to cry at any moment. At the end of the visit, Dr. Shemesh asked the patient to leave the room, so that we could speak to his mother alone. He asked her directly how she was doing, handling all of the patient's anxiety and stress that accompanies raising a child with a severe food allergy. She said that it was very hard and stressful, and she started crying. She explained that the family was going through a difficult time - the father lost his job and they were struggling to pay the rent. She was trying to keep her family together, raising her children, supporting her husband, and worrying about how to keep everything afloat. Dr. Shemesh recognized how large a burden she was carrying and kindly suggested that she see a counselor to get some extra support during this rough patch. She agreed but pointed out that their family didn't have the financial resources to see a professional.

At this point, it all crystallized. Most psychiatrists don't take insurance, so any services are paid for by the families out of pocket. Not only does this further perpetuate the negative stigma that surrounds mental health, but this policy alienates the population that likely needs the mental health services the most. As a country, we pride ourselves on our welfare programs that help the less fortunate and help families who cannot afford the services they need. What about mental health? Why is it not included? Why haven't we found ways to make psychiatric services cheaper or more accessible? This experience really struck me and has ignited a fire within me to seek change. I hope that in my future I will find ways to combat this issue and explore new opportunities to effect the change that we need.