I met Dr. Reddick outside of Alexander Youth Network for a long day of visiting with patients. I stayed with Dr. Reddick from 7am to 5pm. The first thing he did was show me around the center, explaining to me that most of the kids here have parents in prison or have suffered some sort of physical, verbal, sexual, or emotional trauma. Looking at a group of eight-year-olds riding bikes along the center's sidewalks, it was hard for me to imagine the terrible hardships these children had been through. I was twice their age, but they knew the harsh realities of life much better than I. Luckily, the brain plasticity of young kids enables them to recover quickly and move forward with their life. Dr. Reddick assured me that these kids have a lot to look forward to in life.
After getting my bearings, I sat in on a meeting between Dr. Reddick and other staff members such as the nurses who were with the children all day everyday. They discussed which children seemed to be improving, which children were regressing, and whether it would be beneficial to change any of the children's medications. The group of about four or five people worked together to create an individualized plan for the next couple weeks for each child. It was obvious to me that everyone working at Alexander Youth Network cared deeply about the welfare of these kids. They were working hard to provide the best care they possibly could.
Later, I ate lunch in the cafeteria with a group of kids at the center. They asked me about what it was like being in high school, and I asked them about what kinds of things they like to do for fun. Everyone I talked with was very friendly and accepting.
After lunch, I went back to the library, where Dr. Reddick set up a table to meet with the majority of the children. I was allowed to stay in the room and listen to Dr. Reddick's conversation with the kids and even talk to the children myself. There were a wide range of disorders represented. There were children with anxiety, depression, hallucinations, mild schizophrenia, autism, and OCD. One patient especially stuck out to me. A little boy came in, convinced that his leg was broken, even though he was walking on it and it was not even slightly injured. Dr. Reddick pretended like he thought the leg was broken, and told the boy to take a certain pill to heal the broken bone. The prescribed medication was real, only it was a psychoactive drug that made the child's brain stop thinking his leg was broken. After the boy left, Dr. Reddick explained to me that it is impossible to argue with children in that condition, the best thing to do is to play along. He said that the boy was so young that he was unable to express the emotional pain he was feeling, so he projected this emotional pain into something painful that he could understand, like a broken leg.
After witnessing Dr. Reddick meet with around 50 children, I was exhausted. It was amazing to me how he had the stamina to see kid after kid after kid for hours. I felt fulfilled though too. Even though I was not the doctor helping them, it felt really rewarding and gratifying to know that I could have improved one of those kid's lives. I went home feeling proud of myself and knowing that I definitely wanted to become a psychiatrist so I could make a difference in children's lives like Dr. Reddick.
After getting my bearings, I sat in on a meeting between Dr. Reddick and other staff members such as the nurses who were with the children all day everyday. They discussed which children seemed to be improving, which children were regressing, and whether it would be beneficial to change any of the children's medications. The group of about four or five people worked together to create an individualized plan for the next couple weeks for each child. It was obvious to me that everyone working at Alexander Youth Network cared deeply about the welfare of these kids. They were working hard to provide the best care they possibly could.
Later, I ate lunch in the cafeteria with a group of kids at the center. They asked me about what it was like being in high school, and I asked them about what kinds of things they like to do for fun. Everyone I talked with was very friendly and accepting.
After lunch, I went back to the library, where Dr. Reddick set up a table to meet with the majority of the children. I was allowed to stay in the room and listen to Dr. Reddick's conversation with the kids and even talk to the children myself. There were a wide range of disorders represented. There were children with anxiety, depression, hallucinations, mild schizophrenia, autism, and OCD. One patient especially stuck out to me. A little boy came in, convinced that his leg was broken, even though he was walking on it and it was not even slightly injured. Dr. Reddick pretended like he thought the leg was broken, and told the boy to take a certain pill to heal the broken bone. The prescribed medication was real, only it was a psychoactive drug that made the child's brain stop thinking his leg was broken. After the boy left, Dr. Reddick explained to me that it is impossible to argue with children in that condition, the best thing to do is to play along. He said that the boy was so young that he was unable to express the emotional pain he was feeling, so he projected this emotional pain into something painful that he could understand, like a broken leg.
After witnessing Dr. Reddick meet with around 50 children, I was exhausted. It was amazing to me how he had the stamina to see kid after kid after kid for hours. I felt fulfilled though too. Even though I was not the doctor helping them, it felt really rewarding and gratifying to know that I could have improved one of those kid's lives. I went home feeling proud of myself and knowing that I definitely wanted to become a psychiatrist so I could make a difference in children's lives like Dr. Reddick.