In this episode I am joined by Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist and the Professor of Psychiatry at Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences in Bhutan.
Dr Dorji recalls his traumatic childhood growing up in Bhutan with a psychotic, alcoholic father. He describes the impact of living in constant fear of violence on he and his siblings, the resultant psychotic breakdown of his elder brother and the extreme methods used by the shamans, lamas, and traditional doctors who were recruited to heal them.
Dr Dorji also recalls his arduous progress through medical training, special placements for psychiatry in Sri Lanka and Australia, compares Bhutanese and Western societies, and begins to consider the interaction between modern psychiatry and traditional Bhutanese approaches to mental health.
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Also available on KZread, iTunes, & Spotify - search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - Life in Bhutan before modernisation
03:23 - Community and family networks
05:26 - Ashi Kunzang Choden
07:08 - Radical social change in Bhutan
08:45 - Living in fear with a psychotic father
12:00 - Father’s traumatic background
17:23 - Elder brother’s breakdown and psychosis
20:31 - Devastated by brother’s illness
21:44 - Attempting to cure Nima’s psychosis through shamanic and religious rituals
26:30 - Supernatural vs modern approaches to mental health
29:58 - The limits of modern medicine
32:48 - Struggles and successes in education
37:28 - Deciding to become a psychiatrist to help family
41:42 - Lost opportunity to pursue psychiatry
47:00 - Studying psychiatry in Sri Lanka
49:03 - Fever and depression
52:22 - First experience of holiday
55:32 - One year clinical placement in Australia
57:40 - Problems in Australian society and healthcare system
01:00:56 - A challenging case
01:03:24 - All societies have problems
01:04:40 - Children’s schooling experience in Australia
01:09:15 - Warning to young Bhutanese emigrating to Australia
01:13:06 - Return to Australia and hosting Bhutanese migrants
01:14:28 - Social impact on Bhutan of large scale emigration
01:18:14 - Time travel and predicting the future
01:19:47 - Interactions between psychiatry and traditional medical models
01:21:16 - Praise for Dr Caroline Van Damme
01:24:59 - Reflections on the US healthcare system
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Previous Bhutan episodes playlist:
- www.guruviking.com/search?q=b...
To find out more about Dr Chencho Dorji, visit:
- profile.php?...
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James