Yes, it has been a while. A long while. I knew that something had to be done when your mom told me that I could “come over anytime to use [their] computer to blog”. When your mom is telling me to blog, it is bad. That is like your dad telling me how to pass someone on the freeway. And now that there is an Amber alert out – I knew today was the day.
You may all be wondering about the picture. I guess it could have two meanings. You could say that my favorite actor ever represents me and my inability to type freely. However, I have chosen this picture not to represent myself (no picture is that awesome) but to represent my college experience so far this semester.
I have done a clinical rotation at the Utah State Hospital. I know that this is a very popular place to take pictures as there is a ‘castle’ behind the hospital that is a very pretty place. I now have peeked into the depths of the beast as it were and am here to report…
Let me start by telling you that I know, as do most of you, two employees of the hospital. One is much better known than the other; he is my age, his name in Mike, and his older brother is my land lord’s brother-in-law. Clear enough? Anyway, he has been bitten, yelled at, threatened, scratched, and yes, kicked in the gonads while at work. I knew this going in. I was pretty nervous.
I am happy to report to you that after 33 hours with mentally ill patients, I was never in physical danger. I did witness a "take down", a patient ‘changing the oil’ on the benches in the hallways. I also saw a patient sprinting up and down the hallways and lifting imaginary weights while grunting as if he were in the Olympics, all to ‘release aggression’. I also saw a pt pushing on the walls exclaiming “I can hear it cracking, I’m busting out of this place.” Now, I don’t mean to make light of their condition. Mental illness is serious and deserves understanding and respect. This whole post seems more like a response paper than a decent post, but, I thought that I needed to post on something pronto, or my family might have me admitted.
