Dr. Dimitar Bonevski is a distinguished psychiatrist known for his compassionate and empathetic approach to patient care, in North Macedonia.

His story serves as an inspiration for future generations of mental health professionals, highlighting the importance of compassion, empathy, and a lifelong commitment to learning and growth.

His work continues to inspire others to pursue careers in psychiatry and make a difference in the lives of those suffering from mental illness.

We fully endorse Dr. Dimitar Bonevski’s work and professionalism, and we hope to hear many more achievements from him in the future.

We had the honor to interview Dr. Dimitar Bonevski and tell the story behind this brilliant man full of mercy, patience and compassion for people and love for his work.

The interview

Could you tell me about your education and professional training as a psychiatrist? Where you studied and for how many years?

I was born in 1960 in the seismic-prone Skopje, in the present-day “Hiruska Clinic“, across from the parliament, which was the city’s only maternity unit at the time.

I was born as the second child in a working-class family (I have an older brother). My parents and both grandparents were tailors and had their own tailor shop.

My first memories are of playing games as a child in a suburb called “Kisela Voda,” which was only a kilometer from the assembly at the time. It had small houses, unpaved, dusty streets, lots of trees, greenery, and meadows —it was a paradise for our free childhood games and mischiefs like stealing apricots from neighbors’ yards.

I recall our backyard full of trees and flowers, the well from which we got water, and the little, neglected house that, while long gone, remained in my soul as the most beautiful place to live.

Then my slightly older friends all started school, and that’s why I insisted on going with them, starting school at the age of 6 years and one month.

Because that wasn’t in line with the rules respected in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, they let me attend classes without officially enrolling, but due to my success in coping with school tasks, my presence there was somehow legalized.

After finishing elementary school, I completed high school at “Rade Jovcevski-Korcagin“ – Gymnasium.

I was an excellent student, and my greatest talent among the subjects was mathematics, for which I was regularly sent to competitions.

I remember that because at that time there were no private lessons for different subjects, I prepared dozens of my friends pass tests and prepare for all written assignments.

In the third year of high school, we had to choose whether to continue in the mathematical track or in the so-called general track.

I remember that after my decision to go for the general track, my math teacher, who constantly sent me to competitions, tried in every possible way for a whole month to convince me to reconsider my decision and go back in pursuing mathematics.

Of course, it didn’t work out, and even though I respected her a lot, I was interested in the subject of psychology, which was studied in the third year precisely in that general track (direction).

That was my first contact with a scientific approach to the human soul, and it was like love at first sight. Following this, I pursued studies in medicine at the “Medical Faculty“ in Skopje, where my passion for studying the human psyche was rekindled during lectures and exercises in neuropsychiatry (at that time, both disciplines neurology and psychiatry – were not separated).

I believe I made the decision to become a psychiatrist right then and there. After completing my studies, my military service in the former Yugoslav People’s Army in training at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade as a doctor was yet another priceless experience, as was my employment as a physician in the army.

Just like today, finding work in socialism was difficult, especially without any connections to facilitate it, which I sadly lacked.

After several years spent working in various positions through the student cooperative and assisting in my father’s tailor shop, finally in 1988, I secured employment at the Bardovci Hospital for Nervous and Mental Disorders (which was the official name of today’s Psychiatric Hospital “Skopje”).

I was lucky that the hospital had outstanding psychiatrists (neuropsychiatrists; at the time, everyone had this specialty) who could teach me a lot.

I started my neuropsychiatry specialization within a year after beginning work there, and I finished it in four years at the “Clinic for Neuropsychiatry” in Skopje.

At that time, the hospital and the Psychiatric Clinic hired a larger number of young physicians from my generation, who became enthusiasts for psychiatry, especially dynamic (Freudian) psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Our meetings and coordinated learning initiatives produced quick outcomes.

Through an English school for psychodrama led by experts from England and Serbia, I underwent a 5-year education in the practical application of this psychotherapeutic method, subsequently conducting group therapy sessions with patients and educational groups for younger colleagues.

After completing my specialization, I enrolled in a one-year postgraduate program at the “Medical Faculty“ in Skopje where I was taught by World Health Organization specialists how to identify, prevent, and treat stress-related illnesses.

I also finished my training in family therapy around this time, and I took Gestalt and CBT classes.

I worked for four years at the hospital’s Center for the Treatment of Opioid Drug Addicts, on the request of the hospital administration, as soon as I completed my specialization.

Dynamic psychiatry was my primary area of interest in psychiatry, and the “psychoanalytic classics”—Freud, Jung, Fenichel, Moreno, the creator of psychodrama, and many others—were among my favorite writers on the subject.

Following my time spent treating addicts, I started working at the “Center,” also known as the “Mental Health Center,” in Skopje. I’m still there now, mostly treating patients with depression and neurotic disorders.

My initial idea from the start of my medical studies was to become a psychiatrist and open my private psychiatric practice focusing primarily on psychotherapy.

However, a turning point in my plans occurred in 1995 when I engaged in a multi-year education and project for promoting children’s mental health and protection from all forms of abuse.

The education was conducted for professionals from Eastern and Central Europe by professors from the Children Mental Health Alliance, the most respected professional association for child psychiatry, from which I obtained a diploma from the Training Institute on the Treatment of Child Abuse.

Dr Dimitar Bonevski with Dr. Antoni Novotni

After collaborating with colleague Antoni Novotni, we established the non-governmental organization “Safe Childhood” (Безбеднo детствo), where we educated hundreds of professionals nationwide on the problem of child abuse and neglect.

Educators from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, pediatrics, education, social work, law enforcement, and prosecution participated in the program.

In an effort to identify and assist abused children as soon as possible, we formed regional teams.

We have two publications available for psychologists, educators, and primary school teachers who want to take part in practical, organized seminars to educate themselves with how to prevent child abuse.

(The handbook cover for elementary school students is seen above, published in 2001)

Over a period of 4-5 years, I also worked at counseling centers for children victims of various forms of abuse.

The work in this field of early childhood trauma on one side and dealing with neurotic disorders in everyday clinical practice somewhat naturally led me to the idea of investigating their potential connection.

Thus, right after I entered the Psychiatry Department in 1999 as an assistant, I submitted my master’s thesis titled: “The Connection Between Childhood Abuse and Panic Disorder in Adulthood.”

My doctorate dissertation, “Early Traumatization in Neurotic Disorders,” was defended in 2008 after I had completed my master’s thesis defense.

I was then appointed as a lecturer and, for the last five years, as a full professor at the Medical Faculty in Skopje’s Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology.

During the period from 2012 to 2018, I served as the president of the Psychiatric Association of Macedonia.

I hosted three international conferences with a special theme while serving as president: one on child psychiatry, one on stress and anxiety disorders in different stages of life, and one on forensic psychiatry in particular.

Additionally, I organized the Congress of Psychiatrists of Macedonia with international participation, supported and sponsored by the World Psychiatric Association with featuring eminent names from these areas and the global psychiatric community.

(This is a photograph of the book published for that conference in 2015, containing contributions from participants from the country, the region, and beyond, including Prof. David Baldwin, one of the leading figures in this field globally).

I have had many research articles published in national, regional, and international psychiatric journals.

Themes related to abuse of children and adolescents, stress, neurotic disorders, and chapters in several psychiatric monographs in the region and beyond, are the major focus of these publications.

Being involved in psychiatry for 35 years, my drive remains to understand the human soul, the causes of its suffering, and the need to prevent and alleviate these issues when they arise.

Over these thirty-five years, North Macedonia’s psychiatric studies have advanced tremendously. There’s been substantial advancement, especially in producing a well-educated workforce of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists.

Additionally, the expanded range of appropriate medications has enabled greater efficacy in treating psychiatric disorders, helping avoid the difficulties and long-term consequences associated with them.

A typical day for a psychiatrist in North Macedonia, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, involves direct patient care, supervising psychiatry trainees in their education, giving occasional lectures to students, leading specialized colloquiums and exams, and, of course, time for family and friends after work.

The pandemic presented significant challenges for all healthcare workers, including psychiatrists.

The specificities related to our patients, increased infection risk among some, due to their conditions, and the exacerbation of neurotic difficulties and anxieties among others amplified the challenges faced during and post-pandemic.

Dealing with disappointments is inherent in any profession, and psychiatry is no exception.

The desire to be a doctor often harbors a hidden longing for power within. A doctor inherently possesses that power.

When we seek medical help, we often expect the doctor to relieve us of our sufferings and inadvertently grant them that power.

However, a doctor needs to learn to balance this “power“ for the benefit of the patients and their own well-being.

In psychiatry, this balance involves understanding what to expect from a patient’s treatment and how to communicate it effectively to establish the necessary therapeutic alliance.

Success in treating psychiatric patients often necessitates active participation from the patient and often involves the entire family.

Unlike surgery, where a surgeon might not need direct contact with their patient, in psychiatry, without establishing the right connection and therapeutic relationships, even the best and most effective psychiatric medications might prove futile.

What psychiatry means to you, considering your depth of knowledge and experience?

Years of work have taught me that psychiatry frequently experiences “marginalization” in the medical community.

It is seen as a field that includes not just medicine but also psychology, philosophy, religion, and even a hint of magic.

I’ve come to understand that this impression is mostly accurate over time. However, it doesn’t marginalize psychiatry. Instead, it enhances its value.

The magic, well, that magic lies in the personality of the psychiatrist.

One of my esteemed and intelligent professors once eloquently explained this aspect of our “magical power.”

When I asked him as a trainee psychiatrist what I should offer a close relative suffering from neurotic distress, he answered, “Bring them to me, I’ll give them diazepam.”

I said that I had previously done so, but it was ineffective.

With a serious gaze, the senior lecturer questioned me in a low voice, “Do you think your diazepam and mine have the same power?“

A psychiatrist works with patients that need their help on a daily basis; how does one take care of their own psycho-emotional well-being?

Empathy for the patient is essential to being a doctor.

This is what I teach my first-year medical psychology students, who study general psychology, the psychology of illness, doctor-patient communication, and other topics.

You can’t reach the soul of a patient unless you open your own soul to that connection as well.

Of course, facing a patient’s distress, grief, restlessness, and anxiety affects the psychiatrist’s soul.

However, psychiatric and psychotherapeutic training aim to teach how to establish an appropriate emotional therapeutic connection with the patient while safeguarding one’s own soul from being overwhelmed.

How do you manage to make time for self-care and your own well-being in addition to your job as a psychiatrist?

Self-care is a crucial aspect of any profession, especially in the medical field and particularly in psychiatry.

If we aren’t good to ourselves, there’s no chance we can be good, especially to our loved ones and, and of course, for our patients.

It involves learning relaxation techniques, surrounding oneself with positive individuals, and finding ways to recharge psychological energy, which is always individual and specific to each person.

The key is to realize that a psychiatrist’s role exists in the workplace, and after leaving your work environment, you have to refuel both your spirit and your mind with fresh content.

Have you ever reflected on yourself as a psychiatrist regarding your life and work? What have you learned about yourself and your work?

As the years pass, it seems that we’re increasingly inclined to occasionally reflect on who we are, what we’ve achieved, where we’re headed, and what we still aspire to achieve. In these reflections, I’m lucky that I feel satisfied with my work.

I chose this profession, and I feel that I’ve given and still have so much to offer to my patients, students, and young psychiatrists in terms of assistance, offer comfort when needed, knowledge and optimism, and all of that makes me proud, happy, and gives me the willpower to carry on with my work.

How do you relax and allocate time for leisure?

The methods have changed over the years. At my age, my greatest relaxation comes from spending time with my grandchildren.

But I also enjoy going out with dear friends for coffee or a beer, engaging in casual conversations.

I also know how to be alone and attempt not to think about anything, although finding time for that is often challenging.

Which authors and books in psychiatry are your favorites?

Though I also read contemporary writers and professional literature, the psychoanalytic classics by Freud and his followers are my favorite psychiatric literature.

What beauty do you find in your profession?

Psychiatry often doesn’t provide the enjoyment as, for example, the obstetrician experiences when every newborn brings joy and delight.

Often, in psychiatry, you have to help people against their will, be exposed to verbal and sometimes even physical abuse from patients.

But the beauty lies in those situations when, after treatment, you see a patient who was disconnected from reality return to the normal and return healthy to their family.

There’s no greater satisfaction for a psychiatrist than watching a patient break out of a depressed condition and conquer certain neurotic phobias; seeing the grin on their face and experiencing the release from lifelong fears is priceless.

What benefit do you derive from practicing psychiatry on a daily basis?

I’ve found that making at least one patient feel better brings me constant happiness.

It’s a constant source of fulfillment, knowing that my efforts can positively impact someone’s well-being.

What do you enjoy most about your work as a psychiatrist?

I simply love my job. I’ve never thought of being anything else. If I were put in a situation to go back 40 years, I’m sure I’d choose the same path.

I firmly believe that love for a profession is the driving force behind fully dedicating oneself to it.

My advice to medical students, especially when considering psychiatry at the end of their studies, is to never compromise on their specialization choice.

If they don’t feel an authentic drive for this work and for psychiatric patients, it’s not a good idea to devote time to studying this field, because while you can learn psychiatry, it’s not enough to be a good psychiatrist if you lack love for the profession and for people.

What is it like to work as a psychiatrist at the mental hospital “Bardovci” in Skopje?

The largest mental hospital in Macedonia, “Skopje,” often referred to as Bardovci, served the entirety of the former Yugoslavia’s southern region.

There were 500 patients in the hospital when I started, coming from all around southern Serbia, Kosovo, and Macedonia.

The hospital offers acute psychiatric units with a special intensive care unit for aggressive mental patients, units for chronic psychiatric diseases with occupational therapy, geropsychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and addiction units with an internal department.

Mental health reforms aim to reduce the capacities of large psychiatric hospitals and emphasize community psychiatry by developing “Mental Health Centers“.

Besides the Addiction Center, the “Skopje Psychiatric Hospital“ has three mental health centers in the Vlae and Prolet neighborhoods and in the city center, where I’ve been working for 25 years, and where I’ve been in a leadership position for many years.

Meanwhile, the number of patients treated in hospital departments has drastically reduced, but the reform favoring community psychiatry with day hospitals and outpatient services, which are much more accessible and less stigmatizing for patients, is still ongoing, and we’re working in that field.

What do you think are the most significant challenges facing the field of psychiatry today, and how do you address them in your practice?

As I mentioned before, I believe the main challenge is destigmatizing psychiatric patients and psychiatric services, the deinstitutionalization of patients by avoiding long, sometimes lifelong hospitalizations in psychiatric hospitals, and the development of community psychiatry.

It’s also crucial to raise public awareness that seeking help from a psychiatrist isn’t scary or a sign of defeat, but rather, just as necessary as caring for physical health.

Mental health is as essential as physical health, and psychiatrists are responsible not just for treating diseases but also for safeguarding and preventing mental health issues.

Could you explain your treatment and patient care philosophy and methodology?

It’s essential to raise awareness about the importance of preventing mental health disorders, something that needs to be implemented from early age throughout life.

Regarding treatment, “there’s no psychiatric disorder where nothing can be done.”

There’s always a way, and it’s essential for us psychiatrists to find the best approach in the patient’s interest to help them.

Is there a specific group of patient you work with the most and wish to continue working with?

My primary focus in my practical and scientific work is on patients with neurotic disorders, depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorders.

Have you encountered particularly challenging or rewarding moments in your career that influenced your approach to care for patients even more? What touched you the most in your work as a psychiatrist, that most affected you and made you want to fight even more for your patients?

I’ve already spoken about the specifics of psychiatric work compared to other medical specializations.

Undoubtedly, for any doctor, the most rewarding moment is the improvement or healing of a patient. Perhaps most specifically in this regard is the treatment of depression.

When you witness a patient in a severe depressive state, and after some treatment, you see a smile on their face, a sparkle in their eyes, joy from seemingly mundane everyday activities – experiencing that satisfaction and shared happiness strengthens your motivation to continue the relentless battle against the dark clouds that often loom over people’s souls.

How comfortable are Macedonian patients with talking to their psychiatrist about any concerns, including familial and psycho-emotional matters?

Honestly, we are in an environment where visiting a psychiatrist is still a taboo topic.

There are numerous reasons, with the main one being the stigmatization of psychiatric illnesses and psychiatry itself.

There are many prejudices associated with psychiatric visitations in our country. Visiting any doctor is entirely acceptable here, but a visit to a psychiatrist is interpreted as an acknowledgment of “madness,” a sort of personal and family catastrophe.

This approach often leads to various psychological disorders that the patient does not mention or reports very late. Some made no attempt to seek help.

Yet, help, especially if provided, can truly lead to complete recovery or at least minimize potential consequences in the patient’s life (for his well-being).

Fortunately, in recent years, there’s been an increasing trend in more open visits to psychiatrists, gradually making it entirely normal and acceptable to visit one, not solely viewed as a “doctor for the insane” but as a professional who can help in any psychological difficulty, problem, distress, mood swings, etc.

Is psychotherapy present in your treatment with patients, and how do you convey your care to them?

Certainly, I previously mentioned that I enrolled in psychiatry for psychotherapy.

I believe psychotherapy, or if you prefer, the psychotherapeutic approach, is essential in treating any psychiatric disorder.

The nature of my work and position doesn’t allow me to exclusively conduct psychotherapy, but the choice of a therapeutic plan depends on the nature of the illness and the specifics of the patient’s personality.

The most common form involves a combination of psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, although sometimes working solely with psychotherapy is more suitable.

How can we, as younger individuals, get involved in helping patients at the “Bardovci” hospital and approach them in a more societal way? Is our insufficient involvement due to stereotypes or lack of education about approaching them?

The best approach is to work on raising public awareness that psychiatric patients are simply patients like everyone else.

They are not a threat to society that needs to be defended against by isolating them and depriving them of their fundamental human right to freedom.

Certain psychiatric conditions might require a period of hospital treatment, but it should be as short as possible, and these patients should be reintegrated and accepted into the community as equal members as soon as possible.

What can we do to expand the positive approach towards patients in the hospital?

Organized visits to psychiatric hospitals and clinics by non-governmental organizations involved in health protection, alongside any other interested associations, media, etc., would be immensely beneficial for destigmatizing psychiatric patients and psychiatry as a whole.

Such activities, along with positive media campaigns, are crucial to increase public awareness of the need for mental health care, prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of all mental disorders. It is critical to normalize mental examinations as regularly as physical check-ups with blood testing.

Have you been involved in any research, publications, or community initiatives related to mental health?

I’ve mentioned my participation in numerous research endeavors, publications, initiatives related to mental health, particularly in protecting children’s mental health and preventing various forms of abuse.

I have several published works, most of which are available online by simply searching for my name.

The most recent regional project in which I was involved in the advisory board was the IMPULSE project:

The IMPULSE study is coordinated by Queen Mary University of London.

Research activities are conducted by partners in six European countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, UN Resolution, Montenegro, Serbia, and the United Kingdom.

IMPULSE (Implementation of an effective and cost-effective intervention for patients with psychotic disorders in low and middle-income countries in South Eastern Europe) is a project funded by the European Commission and GACD as part of the Horizon 2020 initiative.

The main goal is to improve treatment for individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders in five low and middle-income countries in Southeast Europe.

The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) for this project are:
Prof Dimitar Bonevski (North Macedonia): President of Macedonian Psychiatric Association; Psychiatric Hospital “Skopje” – Skopje, Macedonia;

Prof Zorica Terzic (Serbia): Expert in Social Medicine; Institute of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade

Prof Ferid Agani (Kosovo): Former Minister of Health in Kosovo; University of Prishtina, Department of Neuropsychiatry

Bojan Sosic (Bosnia and Herzegovina): Member, Board for Psychiatric and Neurological Research of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dr Tanja Franciskovic (Croatia): Psychiatrist and psychotherapist

I’m currently the principal investigator for a study on the treatment of patients with major depression, aiming to encompass 1000 patients in our country, and its preparation is underway.

At the 7th Psychiatry Neurology and 2nd Dementia Congress held in Ohrid, this year, you discussed Resistant Depression, something that we are still not that familiar with.

Can tell us, according to you, what is resistant depression? When do we say that a depression is resistant?

The objective of treating serious depression is to achieve full remission.

What is clinical remission?

Restitutio ad integrum, is the complete elimination of emotional and physical symptoms.

In other words, remission is:

Complete restoration of the normal functional psychosocial and work capacity;
Normal social functioning;
Returning and successful performance of work duties;
Restitution and fulfillment of all previous interests;

The mission of treating Major Depression is Remission.

In the study we dive deeper into:

The failure to achieve a response (50% reduction in absolute depressive scores)?

The failure to achieve complete remission?

The failure to respond to one attempt of antidepressant treatment?

The failure to respond to multiple attempts of antidepressant treatment?

The failure after 12 weeks of treatment?

The failure after 24 weeks of treatment?

The answers from the study are:
If the Response is ≥ 50% reduction in absolute depressive scores

Then the Remission is: Normalized functioning!

And the Minimal/absent residual symptoms are:

Less or equal than 7 HAMD (17-item Hamilton Scale)

Less or equal than 10 MADRS (Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale)

The Recovery is: Remission ≥ 6 months

Compared to patients achieving complete remission, those with residual symptoms have:

Greater risk of relapse and recurrence of the resistant depression

Multiple chronic depressive episodes

Shorter intervals between episodes

Continuous professional and social impairment/disruption

Increased mortality

Increased incidence and mortality from comorbid diseases (stroke, diabetes, CVD, etc.)

Increased risk of suicide

For these cases there is no universally clear period or duration of the treatment of the patient.

But most data from studies have a duration of 8 weeks.

If there’s no response from 4 to 6 weeks of treatment, chances are 73-88% there won’t be a response at the end of 8 weeks of treatment (Nierenberg et al, 2000), so 4 weeks is a taken as a reasonable duration for this type of treatment.

Treatment durations of 8-12 weeks are consistent as an acute care framework and allow for 8 weeks of treatment at a dose from which a response should be expected.

Most clinicians consider the average dose as adequate.

Also the failure to respond to at least 2 attempts with an antidepressant at an adequate dose, adequate duration of treatment (8-12 weeks), and adequate adherence to is present in 20-30% of patients with major depression.

Who is to blame for resistant depression?

It’s the patient refuses to follow the treatment plan.

Or when a doctor is not providing the best care possible:

When the patient is misdiagnosed, has undiagnosed conditions (psychotic, atypical, melancholic), has comorbidities (psychiatric: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder (PD), RL, medical, substance abuse), receives inadequate therapy (low dose of medication), or receives treatment for a short period of time.

What are the possible treatments for Resistant Depression?

Combination of the used antidepressant with a second antidepressant is:

Affecting multiple neurotransmitters

Increasing adherence

Resolving side effects of the used antidepressant (e.g., insomnia, fatigue, sexual dysfunction)

Augmentation (or additional therapy) with a non-antidepressant is:

Expanding neurochemical targets

Enhancing therapeutic benefit from the given antidepressant

The Neuromodulation in this case, according to the study is:

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

Sleep deprivation

It’s necessary to measure:

Medication adherence and reasons for non-adherence BMQ (Brief Medication Questionnaire)

Adverse effects FIBSER (Frequency, Intensity, and Burden of Side Effects-Rating)

Improvement of symptoms QIDS-C/QIDS-SR (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician Rated/Self-Report PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) BDI: Beck Depression Inventory

Over 2/3 of patients with Resistant Depression have no remission after initial therapy.

“Better is not good enough”

And the conclusion of this study is – The mission of the treatment is Remission.

The measures are to watch out for:

Incorrect/untimely (or so called “don’t be late!“) with the diagnosis;

Insufficient doses of antidepressants (Need of adequate therapeutic dose!);

Insufficiently long treatment (Need for 2×8-12 weeks of treatment);

Failure to monitor adherence, side effects, and improvement with appropriate scales;

Untimely/inadequate change in antidepressant therapy;

Untimely/inadequate combination of medication;

Untimely/inadequate augmentation;

Additionally, the study is ongoing, we expect the latest research to provide the most recent and relevant data.

Important: Yes, psychiatrists can and must recognize the different types of depression and provide appropriate treatment.

Tell us more about the mentorship. How do you impart your knowledge and direct your mentorship towards younger generations based on your work experience so far?

In my multi-decade psychiatric and professorial practice, I am in daily contact with medical students and work with young psychiatry trainees and medical psychologists.

It’s a tremendous pleasure for me to pass on both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to the younger generations.

It’s essential to note that this relationship with students and trainees is mutually beneficial.

Although we, the academics, provide our expertise and knowledge base, they bring the youthful enthusiasm, knowledge of new skills, especially related to using information technology.

Therefore, every discussion, interactive lecture, every observation of a patient is a new learning opportunity for both them and us.

What are the most common piece of advise you give to the younger generation of psychiatrists regarding their personal lives, how to nurture and develop it despite becoming a psychiatrist –
a profession that often seems challenging due to working with various disorders and severe mental states of patients?

The advice is simple: striking a balance between professional commitments, dedication to family, and time for socializing and relaxation with friends.

It sounds simple, but it’s often hard to achieve.

However, it is critical to strive for that balance, even if it is not always achieved.

What do you wish for those who follow the same path you did as a psychiatrist?

I always advise them that learning and working in any field—psychiatry included—is a process.

It’s a marathon, not a 100-meter sprint.

It requires patience, diligence in approach, and, above all, nurturing love for this profession and maintaining empathy towards psychiatric patients.

All titles, positions, and awards come naturally, and they should not and cannot be an imperative unto themselves.

Conclusion

Dr. Dimitar Bonevski is a remarkable psychiatrist who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of people with mental health issues.

His compassion, expertise, and commitment to Psychiatry have made him a respected leader and a role model for young psychiatrists.

Dr. Dimitar Bonevski is an exemplary figure in the field of psychiatry.

His dedication to patient care, research, and education has contributed significantly to the advancement of mental health awareness and treatment in North Macedonia.

He has made substantial contributions to the field of psychiatry in Macedonia, offering not only medical expertise but also demonstrating remarkable human qualities in his interactions with people.

His dedication to understanding and treating mental health issues has earned him respect and admiration from both colleagues and patients alike.

As a mentor and role model, he inspires young psychiatrists to follow a path of empathy, dedication, and excellence in patient care.

We fully endorse Dr. Dimitar Bonevski’s work and professionalism, and we hope to hear many more achievements from him in the future.