Thursday night was our White Coat Ceremony! Usually med schools have this rite of passage event at the beginning of the first year, but I loved the fact that we celebrated this occasion at the end of our first year - after taking the time to get to know our classmates. I was genuinely happy to see everyone walk across the stage to get cloaked by their individual advisor (and Clinical Foundations of Medicine leader).
The class of 2014 put together a dynamite program, complete with an original poem, violinists and a pianist, an acapella song, a slideshow of pictures from the year and 5 or 6 dance numbers. (I'm trying to locate the video of the dances.)
White Coat Slideshow
The icing on the cake was the presence of my family. Matt, my parents, sisters, brother in law, and Matt's parents came to support me and got to see how wonderfully inspirational my classmates are as well as my mentors. It's always nice for your family to have a glimpse into your world. Stay tuned for a picture or two. :)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders. They include panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, hypochondriasis, and specific phobias.
Panic disorder is having recurrent panic attacks that interfere with functioning. A panic attack is a spontaneous and intense fear that includes physical symptoms such as an increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, nausea, intense fear of dying or losing control, light headedness, chest pain, chills, sweating, shaking, and shortness of breath. I didn't ask about fainting in the eye doctor's office... but let's just put that in here.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a pattern of uncontrollable anxiety for at least 6 months that is unrelated to a specific person, situation or event. It is associated with sleep disturbance, fatigue, stomach and intestinal disturbance and difficulty concentrating.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is having recurring, intrusive thoughts, feelings or sensations that cause severe distress, but are relieved in part by the performance of repetitive actions.
Hypochondriasis is a preoccupation with and fear of having a serious illness despite medical evaluation and reassurance.
Specific phobias include fear of anything that is excessive or unreasonable and interferes with normal function.
These disorders stem from personality traits that we all have. We are all a little anxious or afraid in certain ways for certain reasons.
Panic disorder is having recurrent panic attacks that interfere with functioning. A panic attack is a spontaneous and intense fear that includes physical symptoms such as an increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, nausea, intense fear of dying or losing control, light headedness, chest pain, chills, sweating, shaking, and shortness of breath. I didn't ask about fainting in the eye doctor's office... but let's just put that in here.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a pattern of uncontrollable anxiety for at least 6 months that is unrelated to a specific person, situation or event. It is associated with sleep disturbance, fatigue, stomach and intestinal disturbance and difficulty concentrating.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is having recurring, intrusive thoughts, feelings or sensations that cause severe distress, but are relieved in part by the performance of repetitive actions.
Hypochondriasis is a preoccupation with and fear of having a serious illness despite medical evaluation and reassurance.
Specific phobias include fear of anything that is excessive or unreasonable and interferes with normal function.
These disorders stem from personality traits that we all have. We are all a little anxious or afraid in certain ways for certain reasons.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Second Look
Here is the video my amazing and talented classmates made for our Second Look Weekend (when all the accepted students visit to decide if they want to come)!
Happy Easter!
I may be studying for a psych exam on Easter, but I just read that a sunny mood helps in memorizing data and solving problems. I'm so glad it's a sunny spring day in Baltimore so that I can quickly memorize these facts about intelligence and IQ, anesthesia and consciousness, bipolar disorder, major depression, personality disorder, schizophrenia, and so on. Then I can go play sand volleyball and have a nice Easter dinner with the Bmore crew :)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sleep
Here's the deal: you need 8 hours. The body's sleep "cycle" is controlled by two things
1) Homeostasis - your body wants to be sleeping 1/3 of the day (8 hours) (Theoretically, it doesn't matter when you get those 8 hours... you can sleep for an hour, be up for 2 hours, go to sleep for an hour, be up for 2, sleep for 1, etc. But that's not actually how it works because of the other control system
2) Circadian rhythms - your body had "alertness" impulses that are at their lowest during the hours of 10 pm - 9am. This is controlled mostly by input to the brain in the form of a hormone called melatonin and the external cue of light.
Basically, your eyes have rods and cones to see things, but they also have retinal gangion cells that receive light only for the purpose of telling your brain what time of day it is. Then your body and mind know when to be awake and when to sleep.
If you're like me and have trouble sleeping here's the take home message: get plenty of light during the daytime/productivity time of 7 or 8 am until about 9 or 10 pm (yes, hard to do while in a dark lecture hall for a good portion of the day). Then turn off the lights (and bright computer screens that your eyes mistake for daylight) and go to bed. Be consistent with this. Sweet dreams!
1) Homeostasis - your body wants to be sleeping 1/3 of the day (8 hours) (Theoretically, it doesn't matter when you get those 8 hours... you can sleep for an hour, be up for 2 hours, go to sleep for an hour, be up for 2, sleep for 1, etc. But that's not actually how it works because of the other control system
2) Circadian rhythms - your body had "alertness" impulses that are at their lowest during the hours of 10 pm - 9am. This is controlled mostly by input to the brain in the form of a hormone called melatonin and the external cue of light.
Basically, your eyes have rods and cones to see things, but they also have retinal gangion cells that receive light only for the purpose of telling your brain what time of day it is. Then your body and mind know when to be awake and when to sleep.
If you're like me and have trouble sleeping here's the take home message: get plenty of light during the daytime/productivity time of 7 or 8 am until about 9 or 10 pm (yes, hard to do while in a dark lecture hall for a good portion of the day). Then turn off the lights (and bright computer screens that your eyes mistake for daylight) and go to bed. Be consistent with this. Sweet dreams!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Spring Break!
After my hematology/oncology (blood/cancer) exam a few Fridays ago, Matt and I took off for South Carolina to visit my best friend Kristen and her boyfriend! The 9 hour drive was mostly uneventful, but it was nice to not have anything to think about for a week. (I did have a summer research project proposal, a case write up and a scholarship application to complete over spring break, but I fit those things in here and there. No big deal.)
Kristen bought all the ingredients to make a Lebanese feast! We made tabbouleh, kibbeh, and hummus, and bought delicious pita bread and grape leaves. Amazing. We also went mini-golfing, to a honky-tonk bar (mostly to listen to the band and people watch) and enjoyed the company of two great friends! (Kristen - we LOVE your boy! He has such a great sense of humor, he's thoughtful and fun, and he likes to play trivial pursuit. He's a keeper!)
On the way back to Baltimore we stopped for a night in Chapel Hill, NC to check out the real estate. Seriously. We went into realtors offices and had them highlight neighborhoods that we might like in Chapel Hill, Cary, Durham, and Raleigh. I really love driving around with Matt planning our next move in life - and it makes me so happy that we are on the same page about these kinds of things. :)
The final weekend of spring break was spent babysitting our niece, Jules, and carpooling with Bridget and Mike (and Jules and Tucker) to Olean for Mal's birthday. I love being back in Olean with the whole family just as much as my parent's love having us all back under one roof! What a relaxing and much needed break.
Kristen bought all the ingredients to make a Lebanese feast! We made tabbouleh, kibbeh, and hummus, and bought delicious pita bread and grape leaves. Amazing. We also went mini-golfing, to a honky-tonk bar (mostly to listen to the band and people watch) and enjoyed the company of two great friends! (Kristen - we LOVE your boy! He has such a great sense of humor, he's thoughtful and fun, and he likes to play trivial pursuit. He's a keeper!)
On the way back to Baltimore we stopped for a night in Chapel Hill, NC to check out the real estate. Seriously. We went into realtors offices and had them highlight neighborhoods that we might like in Chapel Hill, Cary, Durham, and Raleigh. I really love driving around with Matt planning our next move in life - and it makes me so happy that we are on the same page about these kinds of things. :)
The final weekend of spring break was spent babysitting our niece, Jules, and carpooling with Bridget and Mike (and Jules and Tucker) to Olean for Mal's birthday. I love being back in Olean with the whole family just as much as my parent's love having us all back under one roof! What a relaxing and much needed break.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
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