Oliver Sacks Personal Statement

524 Words2 Pages

It was Doctor Oliver Sacks who convinced me to study psychology. I never met him in person, but that doesn’t stop me from attributing to him my passion and drive, my goals for my future and my desire to help others in the fight against mental illness. A genius of psychology, Dr. Sacks spent his life helping people to understand and deal with psychological disorders, and then did the rest of the world a favor by putting pen to paper. Dr. Sacks’ journals compiled his most bizarre encounters with mental illness and all the things he tried to help those afflicted. Where other books had failed to pique my interest in fields of science, the humanities, or a dozen other career paths, Dr. Sacks kept me engaged from start to finish. This is the man who awoke in me a passion I did not know I possessed – a fierce desire to help those who have been affected by psychological disorders. Following in Dr. Sacks’ steps, I am currently earning my bachelor’s degree in psychology, but my plans don’t stop there. To become a practitioner for those with disorders of the mind, I plan to earn a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. This will allow me to one day work in a hospital psychiatric ward or other mental health center for those with severe mental illness. …show more content…

I am currently lined up to help with home-visits for the mentally ill as an intern, and in the next couple years I hope to have the opportunity to sit in on psychological sessions at the nearby Leavenworth Penitentiary. I am also involved in the Psychology Club on campus and have met with several professors to talk about the best ways for me to pursue my ambitions. To prepare for the financial burden of my education, I write scholarships on top of working summers and, starting next year, during the school year. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that I am prepared to follow in the footsteps of Doctor Oliver

Show More
Related

  • Pamela Spiro's Divided Minds

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    From reading and reflecting her personal experience and journey with her sister, Pamela, I acquired a personal outlook of the deteriorating effects of mental illness as a whole, discovering how one individual’s symptoms could significantly impact others such as family and friends. From this new perspective mental health counseling provides a dominate field within not only individuals who may suffer mental illness such as Pamela, but also serve as a breaking point for family and friends who also travel through the illness, such as Carolyn.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Oliver Sacks Mishearings

    209 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Oliver Sacks essay “Mishearings” Oliver Sacks talks about the concept of how people mishear things and how it changes their perception of things, and how they see other people. He focuses on the perception of speech mainly talking about how people misinterpret things that are said to them, he then takes their stories and how it has affected them throughout their daily lives. Oliver sacks uses ethos throughout his essay appealing to ethics. He explains how a person's surroundings, someone's dreams, expectations, conscious and unconscious, can certainly be read in the essay mishearings. Sacks then goes in to talk about how the real hard part of mishearing things lie at lower levels, in a part of the brain that is involved in the

    Read More

  • The Mad Among Us By Gerald Grob

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book “The Mad Among Us-A History of the Care of American’s Mentally Ill,” the author Gerald Grob, tells a very detailed accounting of how our mental health system in the United States has struggled to understand and treat the mentally ill population. It covers the many different approaches that leaders in the field of mental health at the time used but reading it was like trying to read a food label. It is regurgitated in a manner that while all of the facts are there, it lacks any sense humanity. While this may be more of a comment on the author or the style of the author, it also is telling of the method in which much of the policy and practice has come to be. It is hard to put together without some sense of a story to support the action.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Susan Sheehan's Schizophrenia

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1978, Susan Sheehan took an interest in Sylvia Frumkin, a schizophrenic who spent most of her life in and out of mental hospitals. For more than two years, Sheehan followed Sylvia around, observing when Sylvia talked to herself, sitting in on sessions with Sylvia’s doctors, and at times, sleeping in the same bed as Sylvia during her stay at the psychiatric centers. Through Sheehan’s intensive report on Sylvia’s life, readers are able to obtain useful information on what it’s like to live with this disorder, how impairing it can be for them, and the symptoms and causes to look out for; likewise, readers can get an inside look of how some mental hospitals are run and how a misdiagnosis can negatively impact someone’s life.

    Read More

  • Mental Illness in the 1950's

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    As science has evolved, so have treatments for mental illnesses have over time. The medical model is described as the view that psychological disorders are medical diseases with a biological origin (King, 2010, pg. 413). Abnormal behavior that categorizes some disorders can be impacted by biological factors such as genes, psychological factors such as childhood experiences, and even sociocultural factors such as gender and race (King, 2010). Treatments such as psychosurgery (lobotomy) , drug therapy (pharmaceuticals), electroconclusive therapy, and psychoanalysis are used to treat a wide range of psychological disorders. Back then, the public’s negative views on mental illnesses also went as far to associate with the people who treated it; psychiatrists. “Nunnally (1961) found that the public evaluated professionals who treated mental disorders significantly more negatively than those who treat physical disorders,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). People back then didn’t see the point in “paying to be told that they were crazy”. However, in today’s society, it is now acceptable to seek help from psychiatric professionals; we are seeing more and more people seek mental health treatment. “In terms of facility-based records of utilization (Manderscheid and Henderson 1998), the data suggest that the rate of utilization of professional mental health services has at least doubled and maybe tripled, between the 1950’s and today,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). In the 1950’s, neuroleptic drugs like Thorazine were introduced to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. These drugs block a neurotransmitter called dopamine from getting to the brain, which in turn reduce schizophrenic symptoms, however there are some side effects such as substantial twitching of the neck, arms, and legs, and even dysphoria or lack of pleasure. (King, 2010, pg.

    Read More

  • David Rosenhan's Experiment

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    Walsh, Jason. "All in our heads: have we taken psychiatry too far?"Irish Times 14 Aug.2010,

    Read More

  • The Great Forgetting

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because of this, there has been a terrifying increase in the need for mental health professionals over the past 70 years. The article states that “the majority of patients in therapy do not warrant a psychiatric diagnosis” meaning problems that used to be considered normal or easy to handle are now being approached by such professionals. Stephen Marche is an author of novels and participates in a monthly column for Esquire magazine. His work has been featured in many well-known newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times Magazine, The Toronto Star and The New Republic.

    Read More

  • Psychology Practitioner Scholar Essay

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    My vision as a practitioner scholar in the field of psychology lies in clinical counseling. As a clinical counselor

    Read More

  • STEM Academy Application Essay

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ever since I was a child, I was entranced with psychology, but only saw it as a hobby. Now, my interest is in behavior and forensic psychology. The way people behave is fascinating for me to learn about, and any classes that I can take now that would help me in the future are always welcome. Psychology has always interesting to me, but I did not know what exactly it was until seventh grade when one of my friends told me how they had a therapist for her depression. At first, I thought that therapists only listened to people’s problems and then magically solved them, but I soon learned that that wasn’t the case. There were ups and downs with my friend, and she never really got ‘better’ in the sense of her being back to her old self, but therapy did help. When I saw her process, I was intrigued. I always knew that I wanted to help people, but knew no other way than community service. It was through my friend that I finally figured out the answer to what I wanted to do with my

    Read More

  • Psychiatry as a Career

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    The study of the mind, psychiatry, has in the last few years struck an interest within me. I wonder why we react differently when we face the same obstacles. For example, families with several children, raised by the same parents and in the same environment, yet turn out to be completely different individuals, sometimes very disturbed. The how, why and where of it all interests me. My immediate goal is to get my diploma and find out who I really am and what my soul desire truly is. I realize I have a deep desire to be of service to others. This is not a skill however, it's just me. I do feel one of my strongest skills is my artistic ability. I have a taste for and enjoy a diverse selection of movies, music, and reading material. I enjoy studying photography, biology, along with human behavior.

    Read More

  • Knight’s Poem, Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    Szasz, Thomas. Coercion as Cure: A Critical History of Psychiatry. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction, 2007. Print. Braslow, Joel T. Mental Ills and Bodily Cures: Psychiatric Treatment in the First Half of the Twentieth Century. California: University of California, 1997. Print.

    Read More

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first step in my plan is to obtain a Bachelor’s in Science concentrated in Psychology to enhance my knowledge of the world and how we interact with it while building a foundation in the professional and technical skills needed as I continue my education at the graduate level. A science designation will allow me to focus up to 50% of my attention toward both experim...

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Classification Systems in Psychiatry

    1536 Words  | 4 Pages

    Doward, J. (2013), Medicine's big new battleground: does mental illness really exist? The Observer 12 May.

    Read More

  • Career Essay: My Career Choice For Mental Health

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    My first semester in college, I took a Psychology 101 course and immediately knew I wanted to work in this field. I was drawn into different theories and how individual’s minds work. I always believed I was born to help others and guide them to success in life. I desire to help others because of my own personal struggles with mental illness. My unique perspective on mental illness allows me to empathize on a different level with individuals. I desire to give back and support to the community the way it was there for me during my dark times. I was lucky to have known from the start that psychology was my interest. I am excited to continue my education in the counseling field and become a future Clinical Mental Health Counselor.

    Read More

  • Essay On Social Work

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    My goal is to work in a mental health setting as soon as I graduate with my BSW. I would like to see if I should get my masters in social work or get my doctorate in psychology. Either way, I feel like I will be doing a great thing. As a professional, I want to help many people with their problems. I will encourage their opinions and ideas as well as help them form plans to better their

    Read More

More about Oliver Sacks Personal Statement

Open Document