Addiction Psychiatrist Inquiry

[prominence]

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what is a realistic annual salary for a psychiatrist who works exclusively in substance abuse/addiction psychiatry (with fellowship training in substance abuse/addiction psychiatry) in a inpatient unit vs. in a private practice setting?

how come substance abuse/addiction fellowships are so unpopular/non-competitive is there a lack of demand or low salaries for addiction psychiatrists? is this a dangerous field?

any replies would be appreciated. thank you.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

what is a realistic annual salary for a psychiatrist who works exclusively in substance abuse/addiction psychiatry (with fellowship training in substance abuse/addiction psychiatry) in a inpatient unit vs. in a private practice setting?

how come substance abuse/addiction fellowships are so unpopular/non-competitive is there a lack of demand or low salaries for addiction psychiatrists? is this a dangerous field?

any replies would be appreciated. thank you.

Didn't you just ask this question back in September?

Basically, third-party payors tend not to reimburse this very well. I understand there is money to be made if you go on to run your own center and have kind of an entrepeneureal mindset.

Don't know why it's not that popular as a fellowship. Lots of psychs don't like working with addicts, but I've found them to be a quite grateful group when you're able to help them. I only do 20% time as an addictionist though, so my salary is no dofferent than the other docs in my group.

 

[certified]

Addiction Medicine vs. Addiction Psychiatry...is there a difference?

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Addiction Medicine vs. Addiction Psychiatry...is there a difference?

Some---Addiction Med is not (I believe, I could be wrong) ACGME certified as a specialty, but, regardless of your prior specialty, you can test for additional certification through ASAM if you're interested in the topic (see www.asam.org for info).

Addiction psych is ACGME certified and you test through ABPN, after passing your General Psych boards. (See www.aaap.org for more info).

I'd have to say it's fairly rare that folks set up shop as a full-time addictionist, however. Most of us with either specialization do it kind of as an add-on, or an extra area of expertise to enhance our general practice.

And again, I'll reiterate as I did earlier to "prominence" (whose posts to this forum are almost always, it seems, asking about earning potential, for some reason)--do it because you care, not because you might make more money at it!
Thank you.

 

[certified]

I'd have to say it's fairly rare that folks set up shop as a full-time addictionist, however. Most of us with either specialization do it kind of as an add-on, or an extra area of expertise to enhance our general practice.

It would seem that most Psychiatrist would add substance abuse to thier practices due to the large number of dual diagnosis and relapse. It appears to me that some patients wouldn't relapse on drugs and/or alcohol if their Axis I was stable.

do it because you care, not because you might make more money at it!

I would hope so. Maybe that's all it takes ....is a little care?

 

[OldPsychDoc]

It would seem that most Psychiatrist would add substance abuse to thier practices due to the large number of dual diagnosis and relapse. It appears to me that some patients wouldn't relapse on drugs and/or alcohol if their Axis I was stable.


I would hope so. Maybe that's all it takes ....is a little care?

Most psychiatrists do deal with substance abuse in their practice, but some avoid it, (or choose not to see it). 🙁

Some patients would be stable in their Axis I if they wouldn't relapse on drugs and alcohol, too!

 

[MJD503]

Axis I and Drugs issues are certaintly comorbid.

Most patients intially get into drugs to alleviate the Axis I symptoms then they become addicted and continue to use them despite repeated hospitalizations and MI symptom managment. Intervention and counseling DOES work. Having used lots of drugs before myself, it comes down to finding a niche with the patient. Something they can latch onto as a reason behind quiting. Also, educating is very important in Drug users, IMO.

A couple reasons I can see people not interested in drug users. Poor/Lower class people are your typical users, high rate of returning to use, tough to treat, no pills avalible to directly treat the drug abuse and drugs are becoming more toxic, more addicting and causing more brain and overall physical damage.

BTW -- How long could you wait before finding use of Meth via UDS? One of our old school docs (60-70 years old) who has little experience with Meth thought it stayed in the system for WEEKS after only a few uses but I disagreed because I've been told by several who stated it only stays 2-3 days.