First Year International Resident Shares Thoughts on Psychiatry

CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT

Bernardo Villarreal, MD

Name

Bernardo Villarreal, MD, psychiatry resident

Institution

TECSalud

Hometown

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Tell us about yourself

I’m a first year psychiatry resident.

What brought you to the Psychiatry Update conference?

I developed interested about the conference after learning about it via Medscape Psychiatry on Twitter. Specifically, I wanted to learn about treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and the trials of novel drugs for schizophrenia.

What conference highlights intrigued you the most?

I found it interesting to learn about physical examination in patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD) as well as the mechanism of action of valbenazine, which is a prescribed treatment for TD.

As an international resident, what are your perspectives on psychiatric treatment?

Recently in Mexico there was a lack of psychotropic drugs such as clozapine, lithium, and risperidone for several months. As a result, several stabilized patients were forced to return to the hospital for treatment. It is a limitation that we must work with only a few agents while psychiatrists in the United States look forward to novel drugs for drugs for schizophrenia and TD.

Areas of interest

Substance use disorder and psychedelic assisted psychotherapy

What advice do you have for medical students hoping to enter a psychiatry residency?

Don´t give up and keep reading.

Any words of wisdom or favorite quotes?

Never take a suicidal gesture lightly. We must help our patients whatever it takes.

Ms Khan is a fourth year medical student based in Chicago. She has always had a keen interest in behavioral health and mind-body wellness. Over the years, she has served as a radio show host and producer to promote mental health and wellbeing.