I was genuinely stunned – and truly honoured – to win the PIF Essay competition. Writing 'The Pentimento of the Psyche' offered a rare pause from the relentless pace of medical school, allowing me to reflect on the incredible privilege of hearing our patients' stories. My clinical placements in psychiatry taught me a lesson I will carry into my future practice: a diagnosis is merely the frame, never the entire masterpiece. I am deeply grateful to the patients who trusted me with their narratives, reminding me that true healing begins by seeing the humanity beneath the clinical overwrite. While my exact medical trajectory is still taking shape, this commitment to holistic, patient-centred care will undoubtedly be its foundation. Thank you to PIF for this incredible opportunity and platform.

I am currently a PGY2 junior doctor working at Barwon Health. I completed my internship last year at Latrobe Regional Health. I am honoured and grateful to have received second place in the RANZCP PIF Essay Competition for 2025. My essay was inspired by the book Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott, which encouraged me to reflect on the significance of perspective in psychiatry and the need to view patients beyond their diagnostic labels. Through this essay, I explored how psychiatric practice can be flattened by reductionist frameworks and the importance of overcoming the systemic barriers that prevent the delivery of holistic mental healthcare. I have a strong interest in psychiatry and I hope to pursue specialist training in the future. I aim to provide care that considers patients within their biopsychosocial context and also contribute to research and policy efforts that enhance mental healthcare across Australia.

I'm a Yorta Yorta woman with a strong interest in Indigenous health, perinatal and addiction psychiatry, particularly where these intersect with trauma and neurodevelopment. My essay explores the ethical impact of diagnosis for Aboriginal children and families, and the risk of labels becoming mechanisms of exclusion rather than pathways to care and support. Placing third is a meaningful honour. I hope my story prompts reflection on culturally safe, trauma-informed practice, and encourages clinicians to see the whole person beyond any diagnostic label.

I am currently a fourth-year medical student at the University of Auckland with a growing interest in psychiatry, particularly in early intervention and the care of young people. I am drawn to psychiatry because it sits at the intersection of medicine, identity, culture, and lived experience; where understanding a person’s story is as important as understanding their symptoms. My background in biomedical science and public health has shaped a strong commitment to seeing people beyond diagnostic labels and to approaching care in a way that is compassionate, culturally grounded, and attentive to the broader social contexts that shape wellbeing. Winning this essay competition is an honour that I hold with genuine gratitude. It affirms the importance of continuing to engage in conversations that challenge us to see the whole person beyond a diagnosis and to reflect critically on the systems we are part of. I am very thankful for the opportunity to contribute to this dialogue and to be involved with the Psychiatry Interest Forum and I look forward to continuing to learn, advocate, and grow within this space.

It is a privilege to be awarded a prize in the RANZCP PIF Essay Competition. I am a final-year medical student in New Zealand with a strong interest in pursuing a career in psychiatry. I am drawn to psychiatry for its person and whānau-centred approach to care and for the opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting impact on people’s lives. Congratulations to the other winners and participants for their excellent work.

Hayley Bennett is a trainee intern studying at the university of Otago. She is also a trained radiation therapist. Her interest in psychiatry stems from her mother, who was a psychiatric nurse in Christchurch for over 20 years. Her other interests include her 2 dogs Cole and Mayo, her cat George, reading and traveling.