A Study of Psychiatry
Sahana Gilliss
Abstract
Staying mentally healthy is essential to living a full and
happy life. Because of this, psychiatry is an incredibly
important career field in our modern society. They assist their
patients in taking care of their mental health. By doing so, they
create a better, more mentally healthy society for everyone.
Psychiatrists visit with their patients, assess their current state
of mental wellbeing, and prescribe them medications based on
their assessment. Every psychiatrist must be knowledgeable
and well-educated, as in more extreme cases, a patient’s mental
health may rest entirely in the psychiatrist’s hands. Therefore,
it is ideal that prospective psychiatrists begin learning about
the human mind as early as possible. This was what I wanted
to accomplish with my applied learning product. After
researching the topic, I built a functional model to explain the
difference between lithium and Librium, two medications that
students commonly get confused. I demonstrated my model for
a psychology teacher here at Harrison, who approved it and
confirmed it is educational and functional.
Introduction
To become a psychiatrist, many years of schooling is
required. It may seem daunting, but this is because
psychiatrists need to be well-informed in order to take care of
their patients. It is extremely important to know every last
detail of the career field. One small detail that tends to confuse
students is two medications called lithium and Librium.
Although they both have different functions, their similar
names is a source of confusion. The goal for my applied
learning product was to educate students taking psychology in
a high school setting on the difference between the two. That
way, if any of these students decide to pursue psychiatry, they
will already have knowledge on this topic.
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STEM Capstone
Procedure/Results
From the beginning, I knew I wanted to build a model that
would depict how different medications function within the
brain. At first, I wanted to simply demonstrate how
antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications function within
the brain. After making this decision, I pitched my idea to a
psychology teacher at Harrison. He then told me about lithium
and Librium. I realized my original idea was not specific
enough, so I quickly refocused my project. First, I drew a
blueprint. I then assembled the model out of a Styrofoam head
cut in half. One half would represent Librium, and the other
would represent lithium. I built a brain out of cardboard and
created a transparent plastic tube for the medications to travel
through. Finally, I added fiberoptic wire to represent the
neurotransmitters that are turned on or shut off when these
medications are taken. I chose two different-looking vitamin
pills to represent Librium and lithium so viewers could tell the
two apart.
Luckily, my model was successful on the first try. I sent an
evaluation form to the psychology teacher, and he confirmed it
was functional and successful.
Figure 2: My model in
Figure 1: The blueprint for my
applied learning product.
Figure 3: My completed, functional
applied learning product.
References
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Discussion
Completing this project required extensive research of a
topic I was largely unfamiliar with. I had already learned a
great deal about the field of psychiatry because of my STEM
capstone course. However, I had not even heard of Librium or
lithium until it was introduced to me. Ultimately, I had a
limited understanding of how medications work within the
brain.
So when completing this project, I completed extensive
research into this topic. I learned that when a person takes
Librium, it enhances the effects of GABA, a chemical found
naturally in the body. When GABA attaches to a GABA
receptor, it produces a calming effect. On the other hand, it is
still unknown exactly how lithium works. The most probable
theory is that it works to inhibit activity in neurons that rely on
the protein BPNT1. When this activity is silenced, it causes the
release of dopamine. I discovered so much new, interesting
information on neurotransmitters, GABA receptors, and the
overall chemistry of the brain.
Conclusions
Ultimately, completing this project was a very important,
educational experience in my academic career. I had never
built a tangible model before, so this was a unique opportunity
to apply my creativity and artistic ability to a scientific project.
It also taught me much about how medications work to combat
progress. mental illness. I now have a more thorough understanding of
the field of psychiatry. I am also thankful to have had the
opportunity to help future students who are in my position. By
giving my model to a psychology classroom for future
demonstrations, I can hopefully give potential future
psychiatrists a way to remember this topic. No matter how
small it may seem, every detail is important in psychiatry.