Born and raised in the UK, Dr Chandni Pujara (BSc, MD, MRCPsych), has always encouraged fellow medics to have a good work life balance. After receiving her first degree in Neuroscience at King's College London, she went on to read Medicine in America where she completed her preclinical training and moved into Poland in order to gain experience within the EU. After graduating with an M.D, she went on to work for Cambridge University Health Partners. Having gained international experience, including internships in the USA, Africa, India and Eastern Europe, her time at Cambridge shaped her into a “Doctor” and led her to obtain a coveted role specialising in Psychiatry with Central London. She has held various roles including President of External affairs of the Student Government Association whilst at University, President of the Doctors Mess and is currently representing all trainee doctors in the NHS trust she works for. She has recently qualified as a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and has a passion for promoting physical health in patients with severe mental illness all the while trying to quash the taboo around mental health especially in the Asian community. On World Mental Health Awareness Day, Asian Voice spoke to Dr Chandni about her journey of foraying into a career in mental health, her perspective and experiences in treating the members of the community.
How and when did you decide to pursue a career in mental health? How supportive were your parents?
I have always been fascinated by the mind and brain, and really enjoyed studying Psychology at School, so I decided to go to University and study Neuroscience. Whilst at King's College, I spent a lot of time at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, and it is here that I decided that I will go on to Study Medicine and specialise in Psychiatry. My parents have always been very supportive of my decisions, and have made it possible for me to travel around the world to increase my experience and pursue my Career. I recently gained membership to the Royal College of Psychiatrists and they were more excited about it than I was.
What are the challenges of being a front line worker in healthcare and maintaining your own mental peace?
There are many different challenges whilst working in healthcare and they range from basic things like managing how busy things are, to seeing many patients who are very unwell and distressed. At the moment, it is difficult to sometimes recognise these as stressors, but I think the key to mental wellbeing in general is to be self aware and recognise signs In yourself of stress and burn out and to allow yourself time to take care of yourself. As healthcare professionals we become used to looking after others and need to be mindful to make ourselves a priority.
What kind of cases have you witnessed during the pandemic?
Psychiatry, like most other specialties, saw a decrease in the number of patients accessing our services during the pandemic. This is because people were more concerned about the virus and were not seeking help. This meant that patients were presenting later in the course of their illness, and were therefore more unwell. We also saw an increase in the proportion of patients who were presenting for the first time, and often at an older age – this is still continuing to happen. Our usual demographics are people in their 20s presenting with Psychosis, and perhaps older (30s to 50s) people presenting with more depressive symptoms, however we saw a marked rise in older people with symptoms of psychosis. I am currently undertaking some research to look into this further to get a better understanding.
What would your advice be to aspiring mental health professionals who want to make a career in mental health care?
I think it’s important to look for a way that your interests and strengths can be applied to a career in mental health care. It is a demanding and mentally stressful career path and it is therefore important to contribute with something that you have a passion for. There are many career paths that can be taken and don’t necessarily have to be medical or nursing related. Of course there is psychology but also the option for physical, sports and occupational therapists, art and music therapists and many more. Whatever and however you decide to contribute, it is very rewarding.
How can women and men overcome the stigma attached to mental health issues in our community?
I think talking about mental health In our community is improving, but is still very stigmatised. I think this stems from a lack of education and exposure to these problems. We still see the word “depression” being used to refer to all mental health problems and that is because, even now, people are only aware of this one type of mental illness and it is the only one that they can freely talk about. We need to start with education, not only of what signs and symptoms to look out for, but also to educate them on the different types of help that are available so that they feel empowered to go and seek it. I think this needs to start with the heads of communities, so it is easier to filter it down, and with these people often being highly respected, they can help break the stigma. Of course, grass roots education is also effective, but often more difficult to achieve.
How different/easy is it to treat men (you being a woman) when it comes to mental health issues? How comfortable are they in talking about it?
I think the difficulty in treating anyone, male or female, is linked to how long they have let the problem fester without seeking help. The longer you have taken to seek help, the longer it’ll take you to get better. The difference I have personally felt between treating men and women, is that although men present later, by the time they do, they are more ready to talk about things, whereas women may come earlier, but often feel the need to continue to “stay strong”. It’s important to stop spreading the message that strength is associated with someone’s ability to smile through tears and suffer in silence. Strength is being brave enough to talk about what is killing you inside. This applies to the previous questions as well.
