Best psychiatrist personality types

[justclouds9000]

What type of personality do the happiest/most fulfilled psychiatrists tend to have? Does working as a psychiatrist have a negative impact on one's own mental health? I'd like to get some feedback on this and get an idea of what type of personality types tend to do best in the field. I'm also curious whether outpatient practice is as taxing (or maybe more taxing) than inpatient practice and in what ways.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[thoffen]

I don't believe the answer rests in personality "type". You have to be curious about the mind and find all people relatable despite many apparent differences. Outside of that, I've found psychiatry to enrich my mental health. I think there is danger if a person has poor boundaries. Inpatient/outpatient is entirely dependent on the person, and one can move flexibly between the two or have very different roles (e.g. forensics).

 

[clausewitz2]

I don't believe the answer rests in personality "type". You have to be curious about the mind and find all people relatable despite many apparent differences.

I really want "Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto" on a mug or a poster or something but a) seems pretentious and b) can't find a print of this available commercially that isn't ugly.

 

[hamstergang]

I'd like to get some feedback on this and get an idea of what type of personality types tend to do best in the field.

This sounds to me as though you're interested in psychiatry but for some reason afraid that your personality doesn't fit the field? Where is this uncertainty coming from?

 

[WisNeuro]

Oh god, please don't let this turn into a MBTI thread. Please just let that pseudoscience die.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Oh god, please don't let this turn into a MBTI thread. Please just let that pseudoscience die.

So you are saying that my INTJ doesn’t make me the best psychiatrist ever?

 

[WisNeuro]

So you are saying that my INTJ doesn’t make me the best psychiatrist ever?

The only thing that the MBTI is useful for is screening out interns/postdocs who mention it that I refuse to allow acceptance into my training program.

 

[thoffen]

So you are saying that my INTJ doesn’t make me the best psychiatrist ever?

T???? Isn't Psychiatry all about the feels?

 

[FlowRate]

I don't believe the answer rests in personality "type". You have to be curious about the mind and find all people relatable despite many apparent differences. Outside of that, I've found psychiatry to enrich my mental health. I think there is danger if a person has poor boundaries. Inpatient/outpatient is entirely dependent on the person, and one can move flexibly between the two or have very different roles (e.g. forensics).

Agreed about boundaries. Would add that I think being relatively nonjudgmental and also not "fake" are helpful (at least with some patient populations.)

 

[Shikima]

I think ENFJ's would likely be the best for psychiatry.

 

[neoexile]

So you are saying that my INTJ doesn’t make me the best psychiatrist ever?

I thought that the Myer Briggs test isn't considered valid at all to be making conclusions.

 

[WisNeuro]

I thought that the Myer Briggs test isn't considered valid at all to be making conclusions.

I am 99.99% sure that TP was being sarcastic.

 

[thoffen]

I am 99.99% sure that TP was being sarcastic.

You must be a "P". If you were a "J", you'd be 100% certain.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Hannibal Lector is my all time favorite psychiatrist. So I’m voting for brilliant psychopathic personality that wants to use their understanding of medicine, neurobiology, and psychology to manipulate, harm, and maybe even cook a few people just for their own amusement. Or you could just be the same old diligent, thoughtful, educated, highly-trained, good humored, and caring person like most of the docs on this board seem to be.

 

[Liquid8]

Hannibal Lector is my all time favorite psychiatrist. So I’m voting for brilliant psychopathic personality that wants to use their understanding of medicine, neurobiology, and psychology to manipulate, harm, and maybe even cook a few people just for their own amusement. Or you could just be the same old diligent, thoughtful, educated, highly-trained, good humored, and caring person like most of the docs on this board seem to be.

I'm quite a fan of Tobias Funke

 

[justclouds9000]

This sounds to me as though you're interested in psychiatry but for some reason afraid that your personality doesn't fit the field? Where is this uncertainty coming from?

It's more out of curiosity. But I do wonder whether the strain of machismo/arrogance that exists in some specialties also exists in psychiatry and to what degree. I think there is some truth to the saying "birds of the same feather flock together" and I don't want to flock with the wrong birds (but so far I don't really have many concerns).

 

[Liquid8]

It's more out of curiosity. But I do wonder whether the strain of machismo/arrogance that exists in some specialties also exists in psychiatry and to what degree. I think there is some truth to the saying "birds of the same feather flock together" and I don't want to flock with the wrong birds (but so far I don't really have many concerns).

I think there is some arrogance, but nowhere near the level seen in other fields. The independent nature of practice (in private, at least) means it can largely be avoided.

The most problematic psychiatrist I had the misfortune to work under was a director of psychiatric services at a small public hospital. Prior to this he'd been in a medical administration job in a government department, and fell from favour after approving plans for a new psychiatric unit with mistakes that became very expensive to fix. After being demoted, his new position had a clinical component and involved supervising of juniors. This caused issues because he was inconsistent in his practice - one would be criticised for not managing a patient in a certain way, but also be criticised for later managing a similar patient using the same principles that he wanted, and he felt this was reason enough to fail first year trainees. Years later I caught up with someone who had also worked under him - found out that he had left after investigations and multiple allegations of bullying.

In terms of what the work can do to your mental health, things like your patients dying can have a profound effect. Can remember one professor who discharged a patient who was found dead a few days later never being quite the same in terms of her confidence and decision making. I've had a few patients of my own die as well - it's never a nice feeling to get a notification from the police or courts requesting a report. Still, after the third one happened it didn't really effect me that much. I have to say I do have a good network of professional supports, including some older psychiatrists who have basically seen everything before. However, my colleagues in other fields like oncology also see death all the time, and probably more so.

 

[LasVagus]

I think that having an authentic, non-judgmental curiosity about the experiences of others is a big part of what makes people happy and successful in this profession. That's not something that is taught. You either have it or you don't.

 

[lauraliz413]

I’m an ENFP, what’s my fate


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lauraliz413]

Disorganized but entertaining psychiatrist


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WingedOx]

I thought that the Myer Briggs test isn't considered valid at all to be making conclusions.

The best psychiatrists are ones who can understand sarcasm on the internet.

 

[WisNeuro]

I’m an ENFP, what’s my fate

Swami says that you will slowly succumb to homeopathic remedies and rushing out to buy the morning paper to read your horoscope before starting your day.

 

[lauraliz413]

Swami says that you will slowly succumb to homeopathic remedies and rushing out to buy the morning paper to read your horoscope before starting your day.

Hell.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk