• Question: What is the hardest patient you have dealt with?

    Asked by anon-315983 on 1 Apr 2022.
    • Photo: Reece Bush-Evans

      Reece Bush-Evans answered on 12 Mar 2022:

      In my area of psychology (e.g., social psychology and cyber psychology) I haven’t had to deal with any patients. However, I have worked in some care facilities in the past where I was responsible for looking after lots of different people with various cognitive, physical and emotional problems. I remember working with an individual who required 24/7 constant care, which was very exhausting and tiring (I ended up working 18 hour shifts). Albeit tiring and challenging work, I found it to be super rewarding. I am sure some of the other psychologists online would be able to provide some additional answers here.

    • Photo: Hannah Howman

      Hannah Howman answered on 13 Mar 2022:

      Similar to Reece, my area of psychology doesn’t involve dealing with patients, but rather with human participants. Though I have previously worked in a residential care home that catered to those living with dementia. There were definitely some difficult shifts as some residents could become a little violent, but it was all about remaining calm and just talking to them until they were in a better space. I hope other scientists here can answer you question better, but I think it’s important to remember that often those we define as the hardest to deal with, are the ones who need the most support.

    • Photo: Jamie Chan

      Jamie Chan answered on 14 Mar 2022:

      Similar to Reece and Hannah, in my are of psychology (social psychology), I also haven’t had to deal with any patients.

    • Photo: Nadine Mirza

      Nadine Mirza answered on 17 Mar 2022:

      The hardest patient I had to work with was a young man who looked like he was paralysed but his body was perfectly healthy and fine.

      He had something called Catatonia, where his body was frozen and he was unable to move or speak but it wasn’t because of any injury or damage to his body. He was having terrible mental health problems that made him freeze. We didn’t know how to speak to him because he couldn’t speak back and it made it very difficult to help him.

      I ended up communicating with him through his eyes, which he could still blink. I asked him to blink once for no and twice for yes and I would only ask him Yes or No questions. That’s how we communicated for several weeks but I was able to learn more about him by doing this and slowly he was able to started shaking his head or giving gestures with his hand. This helped us discuss the struggles he was going through and help him even more.

    • Photo: Michelle Newman

      Michelle Newman answered on 23 Mar 2022:

      For me, rather than it being about how bad their injury is, but it is about the emotional effect it is having on them. I always feel privileged that people feel they can share their often very sad stories with me. Some of the injuries people experience can be hugely life changing and you can’t help but not feel that emotion. It is why it is so important to make sure we look after our own mental health as well. Often the stories that stay with me the longest are when the person has a long term injury from something that is fairly mundane, like going to put the rubbish out and slipping on ice.

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