Addiction Psychiatry
Started by Piaget
Addiction is not highly competitive. It is to the rest of psychiatry what psychiatry is to the rest of medicine--cool for those who really get into it, but something that most would rather forget exists. 🙄
There are usually open positions in good prgrams every year. I don't know that anyone's bothered to state what the "top" programs are--I hope not. It's pretty meaningless when there are only a handful of fellows each year. If you really want to look into it, I'd scan the speakers' list of the last few American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry meetings and see where the speakers are from. Typically it will include most of the programs that offer good training in general clinical psych.
There are usually open positions in good prgrams every year. I don't know that anyone's bothered to state what the "top" programs are--I hope not. It's pretty meaningless when there are only a handful of fellows each year. If you really want to look into it, I'd scan the speakers' list of the last few American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry meetings and see where the speakers are from. Typically it will include most of the programs that offer good training in general clinical psych.
I'm imagining that addiction psychiatry is stuff like methadone maintenence, and bupenorphine, etc.
That doesn't sound that bad. Potentially livesaving, high functioning patients.
What is it that psychiatrists don't like about addiction psych?
Is it all the difficult behavior that comes with addiction?
That doesn't sound that bad. Potentially livesaving, high functioning patients.
What is it that psychiatrists don't like about addiction psych?
Is it all the difficult behavior that comes with addiction?
In a word--STIGMA. Quick--free associate on "methadone".
You're not visualizing a paneled office with leather furniture, are you?
High functioning? For every Hazelden/Betty Ford/Talbot type you've got 9 completely dysfunctional/abused/semi-homeless/functionally jobless person who has burned all of their relationship bridges except with their current co-addicted significant others. You will do a LOT of social work in this field. They have no place to live after "rehab". They have lost their driver's license so cannot get to appointments/aftercare/AA. They have a felony on their record, so no one will hire them. Their family is either totally addicted, or totally burned-out on them. They've hit their heads/been beaten up so many times while intoxicated that they are functionally TBI patients. They treat their psychological distress with opiates, alcohol, cannabis, whatever. They have multiple medical and psychiatric comorbidities that can hardly be separated from their substance use--yet some doctor has told them they can't be treated for their depression/anxiety/psychosis until they're sober.
And if you get them better, they will love you FOREVER.
Like I said, if you think it's cool--you'll love it. Otherwise, be prepared for the worst.
