Dr. Vijayalakshmy Patrick has written a unique case-based self-help book regarding alcohol use disorder, PTSD, and marital issues. The book is a narrative of 4 individuals who present with unique histories, but end up being treated by the same psychiatrist. The lives of these 4 individuals are interestingly intertwined. Issues covered include denial of illness, stigma, and use of various types of support modalities to effect change. The stories are realistic and represent problems encountered by many individuals in our communities. The book is easy to read and quite well written. I think it would be of great benefit to families where these problems are occurring. David L Dunner, MD, FACPsych Director, Center for Anxiety and Depression, Mercer Island, WA Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington.

About the Author

Vijayalakshmy Patrick graduated from the Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Medical School and worked in Sri Lanka before moving to United States. She completed her training in Psychiatry at the Manhattan Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University in New York. She has been a practicing psychiatrist for 45 years and has experience working in state institutions, university departments, private practice, and the Department of Defense. She is Board Certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American Society of Addiction Medicine, and American Board of Addiction Medicine.

Besides her clinical work in treating patients, she has also been involved in training medical students, Residents, and Fellows. She has several publications in peer-reviewed journals in England and the United States.

Reviews

Review of the book “Journey With the Psychiatrist Using Analogies and Metaphors in Treatment”

By Vijayalakshmy Patrick, MD Dr. Vijayalakshmy

Patrick masterfully shares her therapeutic technique of analogies and metaphors that provides a powerful treatment intervention tool as an adjunct to her behavioral theoretical approach to psychiatric treatment. Through the interweaving lives and friendships of four young men on their journey to recovery, Dr. Patrick shares vignettes of therapeutic sessions. The focus of each therapeutic session is on the use of analogies and metaphors and how it impacts each patient. They are beautifully crafted to support the individual needs of each patient. Utilizing analogies and metaphors provide a safe space for each patient to reflect and glean the pearls of wisdom for their individual journey to insight and health. This therapeutic intervention is nonthreatening and does not take years of psychoanalysis for the patient to gain insight into personal behaviors that are no longer working for them. These short chapters are a gift to any practicing clinician by providing a powerful treatment technique to help your patients. A valuable read.