Small Town Psych
By Carlos Aviles
29 May 2008
What's your profession? Please describe it.
I am a psychiatrist. When people are distressed, when they can't cope they sometimes come to me. I have a private practice and provide services to the medically indigent population of the area in a clinic in nearby Yauco. Also I am medical director of a small geropsychiatric unit in the Metropolitan Hospital in Yauco.
Like every place in this world we have close to 25 % of the population that needs mental health treatment at any given time. I'm not going to be out of a job anytime soon.
Where do you do this?
I practice in the town of San German, in south west Puerto Rico, but I see people from all over the Island.
Do you enjoy what you do?
I enjoy it very much. I think that if I have to do it all over again I would not hesitate.
When you were young, what did you want to "be" when you grew up?
Like most kids I wanted to be a policeman, fireman, astronaut and such. One time I wanted to be a soldier, and in High School, I wanted to be a minister, but it did not last long thank God.
Do you feel stuck doing what you are doing?
Not at all. It's very flexible and creative most of the time. The fact that everybody knows you in a small town makes it a little hard. You are like the confessor. You know everybody's secrets. It is a great responsibility.
What are the most and least satisfying parts of your job?
Sometimes you get overwhelmed by other peoples problems. You have at some point to realize that you cannot save the world or change peoples lives in a substantial way. Instead you have to figure out how you can teach them to change their lives themselves. That at times is very frustrating.
How do you combine photography with your job?
I use my hobby to unwind. At times I talk to people about photography. These days everybody has a digital camera and you can download a good photo program from the web. I try to use it at times to make them see things in a different way. That certainly helps some time.
Anything else you'd like to add?
With all the new thing that are coming out in terms of pharmacology, the "craft" is been pushed to the back seat. It is very hard to harmonize the two thing but it can be done.
I am not the best in my profession, but I am damn good at what I do.
Do to the nature of confidentiality I can not add photos of people I work with, but I can show you where.
