Hi there, this is Florina. I am a psychiatrist, a mother, wife, sister, and daughter.
I have always believed that healing is not something we do to someone – it is something we awaken in them. The human mind is not a machine to be repaired but a living, breathing system that seeks to come back to balance when given the right conditions.
That is my mission: to create those conditions.
And before all that, I am a human who has walked through pain, loss, and transformation.
Today, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share this mission with the readers of the LWID, to open a dialogue about mental health, prevention, healing, and the choices that shape our lives.
Thank you for welcoming me into your space. Thank you to everyone who is reading this, whether you have followed me before or are meeting me for the first time. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and read my weekly blog here.
Why I Chose Psychiatry
I still remember sitting at my desk over a decade ago, surrounded by thick psychiatric textbooks. I could memorize every line, every mechanism, every neurotransmitter pathway. And yet, something inside me kept whispering: But what is the real mechanism?
How does the human mind really works? How come some people improve their circumstances while others remain stuck?
My husband (then an engineer, now a coach) asked me a question that changed my path forever:“What really makes people lose their way? And what truly helps them come back?”
That question was the beginning of my deeper journey. It took me beyond the neurochemistry and into the human story. Beyond symptoms and diagnoses and into causes and meaning.
I realized that psychiatry is not only about treating psychosis, depression, anxiety, or trauma. It is about seeing the person behind the diagnosis – their childhood, their environment, their pain, their resilience. It is about holding the mirror up to their self-image and saying: You are not broken. You are becoming.
My Mission: To Pledge, Prevent, and Treat
I often say that my mission is threefold: to pledge an oath to do no harm, to prevent suffering whenever possible, and to treat when treatment is needed.
Prevention is perhaps the most radical part of my work. We live in a world where we wait until the mind breaks before we offer help. What if we could act sooner? What if we could teach children to handle stress, parents to regulate their emotions, and adults to care for their mental hygiene as carefully as they care for their teeth?
Treatment remains crucial, of course. I work with patients who live with psychosis, affective disorders, ADHD, and trauma. Every day, I witness what it means to survive, and to thrive. I have seen lives turn around with the right medication, therapy, and support. I have seen families come back together after years of silence.
And pledging, the first part of my mission, is about integrity. As a doctor, I have pledged to serve. As a human, I have pledged to keep asking questions. As a mother and wife, I have pledged to keep growing, so my son inherits not my fears but my courage. As a sister and daughter, I have pledged to carry forward the love and lessons of those who shaped me.
Where My Gift Comes From
People sometimes ask me: “Where does this passion come from?” And honestly, I do not fully know. Perhaps it is a gift. Perhaps it is the result of years of listening to patients, to mentors, to family, to life itself.
I guess for me it started with an interest in psychological movies. I liked to try to solve those crimes and mysteries, and I would spend the nights binge-watching cassettes and DVDs. It sparked an interest in the human mind.
My father was a nurse in a psychiatric hospital for the last part of his career before he recently retired, and I got the chance to visit him a few times. I started to see myself helping people, and when I had to choose my field way back in 2007, the choice became obvious.
What I do know is this: I can do this work, and I have proved it, year after year, with every patient who left my office stronger than they entered it. And I know that anyone can heal, but they must first choose to.
That is the key.
And the key is in your hands, if you have the courage to see it.
The Power of Choice
Every day, I meet people who feel trapped – by their diagnosis, by their past, by their pain. And every day, I remind them: You are not your diagnosis. You are not your trauma. You are not your worst day.
You are the choices you make now.
I believe that choice is the most powerful tool we have. We cannot choose everything that happens to us – but we can choose how we respond, what we think, how we nourish our bodies and minds, what we drink, what we smoke, what we consume on our screens.
Yes, we are what we eat.
But we are also what we think, what we drink, what we smoke, and what we scroll.
My Role as a Mother, Wife, Sister, and Daughter
Motherhood has deepened my psychiatry. It has taught me patience, humility, and the raw power of early experiences. When I look at my son, I am reminded that everything we do shapes not just his mind — but his nervous system, his stress responses, his capacity for resilience.
As Dr. Gabor Maté often says, “The greatest damage done by neglect, trauma, or emotional loss is not the pain itself, but the long-term distortions they create in how a child comes to see the world.” Our emotional patterns, stress responses, and unspoken fears don’t simply vanish — they echo through families, carried in stories, reactions, and even in biology.
Yet, that inheritance is not destiny. Dr. Bruce Lipton (whom I got the privilege of meeting meet in Copenhagen last year) reminds us that, “Genes load the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger.” In other words, while we may inherit vulnerabilities, the way we live, love, and relate can change how those genes are expressed.
This is where the real hope lies — in the everyday moments of awareness and care. When I choose presence over perfection, connection over control, I am not only mothering my son — I am quietly rewriting what the next generation carries forward.
Being a wife has also grounded me. My husband is not only the leader of his own heart but also the leader of mine. He keeps me anchored when I lose myself in my work, reminding me that life is not only about healing others but also about living fully, laughing, and loving.
Being a sister has reminded me that family bonds are not just ties of blood but threads of shared memory, struggle, and love. And being a daughter keeps me connected to the roots of who I am – the soil that nourished me, the sacrifices that shaped me, the quiet strength I still draw from.
These roles are not separate from my mission – they are the heartbeat of it.
A Personal Note
I am a Romanian girl who fought to be here today.
To live. To feel. To help.
I know what it means to grow in a place where hope sometimes feels scarce. And I know what it means to carry that hope forward – even when it flickers like the smallest flame.
That flame has become my light. And today, it is my gift to you: the reminder that mental strength can be taught, that hope can be rebuilt, and that even in the darkest beginning, a powerful light is waiting.
Questions for You
Because this is not only about me – it is about us.
- What are the questions you carry silently about mental health, psychiatry, or life itself?
- What are the struggles or themes you would like me to write about here?
- Where do you feel hope is hardest to find – and where do you wish someone would hand you a key?
This is not just an article. It’s the beginning of a dialogue. If you have any topics you’d like me to write about, drop me an email at florina@florinalungu.com and I’ll make sure to include those in my future columns.
I don’t only want to write to you – I want to write with you. To share my own experiences, my daily reflections, and the mental well-being strategies that have helped me, my patients, and even my own family.
So tell me what stirs your curiosity. Tell me what you long to understand better. Together, we can shape the next pieces I write – so they become not only my story, but also yours.
Here is that place. And here is my hand, reaching for yours.
Make today your masterpiece! Your mind deserves nothing less.
Florina
