Call Me Crazy: Burnout, Prejudice, and Suicide

[DoctorLion]

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I was reading an article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200909/why-shrinks-have-problems

That ended up leaving me feeling mildly depressed and a little hesitant about pursing a Ph.D in clinical Psychology. I know that I probably shouldn't be investing so much thought into an article published by a pop psych magazine like Psychology Today... But needless to say the article got me thinking about how psychologists/ psychiatrists are perceived by ordinary people. Apparently there is this stigma that all psychs are 'crazy' etc. Now I know that the field does tend to attract people who have had complicated lives, etc. But the perception that ALL psychs are crazed quacks is disconcerting. How do you psych majors and psychs generally deal with being thought of as crazy by people just meeting you, etc? Do you think that your career choice affects your personal life negatively?


Also, do any of you Ph.d candidates or psychs find yourself losing interest while with your clients? Have any of you started to doubt whether or not you made the right choice?

I would really appreciate your thoughts 🙂 Thanks!

 

[CheetahGirl]

I was reading an article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200909/why-shrinks-have-problems

That ended up leaving me feeling mildly depressed and a little hesitant about pursing a Ph.D in clinical Psychology. I know that I probably shouldn't be investing so much thought into an article published by a pop psych magazine like Psychology Today... But needless to say the article got me thinking about how psychologists/ psychiatrists are perceived by ordinary people. Apparently there is this stigma that all psychs are 'crazy' etc. Now I know that the field does tend to attract people who have had complicated lives, etc. But the perception that ALL psychs are crazed quacks is disconcerting. How do you psych majors and psychs generally deal with being thought of as crazy by people just meeting you, etc? Do you think that your career choice affects your personal life negatively?


Also, do any of you Ph.d candidates or psychs find yourself losing interest while with your clients? Have any of you started to doubt whether or not you made the right choice?

I would really appreciate your thoughts 🙂 Thanks!

Hello,

Firstly, I would not rely on Psychology Today as a viable source of information to inform your career choice. I would instead (reading thoughtfully) search past threads on this forum to the answers to your questions. At this point, your questions are theoretical. It is quite different, when you are actually in the field b/c then all your specific concerns are addressed in the doctoral training, like "what do I do when this paticular patient denigrates me?" Find some good books on the subject (try reading Nancy McWilliams or Irvin Yalom) as a source of inspiration about the trade of practicing psychotherapy. True scholars (which is what a PhD, PsyD, or MD will earn you) are usually not bothered by being called a "quack" because it is a perception of the speaker which may or may not be addressed.

I don't know what year you are in college, but stigmas or stereotypes are better understood in social psychology, anthropology, or upper-level graduate courses, like critical thinking. Everyone has biases about career choices. You will have to decide how strongly you want this goal regardless of what others' think because it's your dedication to the field that will keep you up late at night to finish your psych assessment reports on real people who have real struggles.

Keep reading (peer-reviewed, note-worthy literature) and soul-searching about what is right for you. If you are a psych major, there are plenty of career choices you can make that will keep you away from a profession that will lead you towards or prevent you from being called "crazy." After all, "crazy" lies along a continuum and is subjective...we are all crazed about something or another at any particular time in our life, right? Mental illness, on the other hand, can be quite serious and requires more in depth analysis than a mere "Oh, you must be crazy, you majored in psychology." That's called faulty reasoning on the part of the speaker.

Bottom line: I'm responding b/c anyone serious about psychology should stay away from Psychology Today as journal of inspiration. And, no, my career choice does not impact my personal life negatively...it actually enhances it beyond my expectations.

Good luck!

 

[Ollie123]

If you majored in engineering, everyone would assume you were an awkward nerd with no friends besides your graphing calculator.

If you majored in art, everyone would assume you were a stoner.

If you majored in business, people would assume you failed out of everything else (at least at many schools).

I certainly wouldn't take Psychology Today that seriously, and I would also consider the importance of the opinions of these people. I don't know many people outside the field who think "All psychs are crazy". I actually hear it far more from those of us IN the field than those outside it. On the occasion I have run into those people, I don't particularly care. Generally speaking, they haven't been folks I respect anyways so their opinions mean little to me.

I'll confess that I've lost interest with clients before. I maintain present and focused, but I've certainly been "bored" with a client before. I won't go so far as to say any therapist with even a modest amount of experience who claims this has NEVER happened to them is lying...but I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't lose interest every now and then. Then again I'm a research-focused person at a research-heavy school, so I'm planning (and desperately hoping) therapy will be a very small/non-existent part of my career upon graduation anyways.

 

[CheetahGirl]

I've certainly been "bored" with a client before. I won't go so far as to say any therapist with even a modest amount of experience who claims this has NEVER happened to them is lying...but I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't lose interest every now and then. Then again I'm a research-focused person at a research-heavy school, so I'm planning (and desperately hoping) therapy will be a very small/non-existent part of my career upon graduation anyways.

Yes, I agree that every now and then boredom may set in with a particular patient. Being 'bored' with your patient has to do with transference and countertransference which means little to someone who is not experiencing either one firsthand.

Ollie, glad you're honest about not wanting to be a therapist if you're desperately hoping it will be a very small/non-existent part of your career...It's a tough job. Instead, do some stellar research on those of us who enjoy it. 😉

One thing for sure, there's never a dull day in the lives of clinical psychologists...unless, of course, all your scheduled patients cancel at the last minute and you find yourself with extra time...which is snatched up by reporting writing and research (if that's your side-thing).

 

[DoctorLion]

If you majored in engineering, everyone would assume you were an awkward nerd with no friends besides your graphing calculator.

If you majored in art, everyone would assume you were a stoner.

If you majored in business, people would assume you failed out of everything else (at least at many schools).
.

Lol good point. I guess I'm starting to feel the pressure from my family (who are against me being a clinical psychologist). I suppose I am just having doubts. I just finished getting a Masters degree in an unrelated field. Needless to say I had a 'before life crisis' and decided that I should pursue my true dream of being a Psychologist. The commitment necessary to complete school isn't even half the problem...it's the fear that I would wake up one day and realize that I just wasted 7 years of my life AGAIN haha.

I know I shouldn't be reading Psychology Today...I just couldn't help myself 🙁...It's so damn... accessible...

 

[DoctorLion]

Hello,

Firstly, I would not rely on Psychology Today as a viable source of information to inform your career choice. I would instead (reading thoughtfully) search past threads on this forum to the answers to your questions. At this point, your questions are theoretical. It is quite different, when you are actually in the field b/c then all your specific concerns are addressed in the doctoral training, like "what do I do when this paticular patient denigrates me?" Find some good books on the subject (try reading Nancy McWilliams or Irvin Yalom) as a source of inspiration about the trade of practicing psychotherapy. True scholars (which is what a PhD, PsyD, or MD will earn you) are usually not bothered by being called a "quack" because it is a perception of the speaker which may or may not be addressed.

I don't know what year you are in college, but stigmas or stereotypes are better understood in social psychology, anthropology, or upper-level graduate courses, like critical thinking. Everyone has biases about career choices. You will have to decide how strongly you want this goal regardless of what others' think because it's your dedication to the field that will keep you up late at night to finish your psych assessment reports on real people who have real struggles.

Keep reading (peer-reviewed, note-worthy literature) and soul-searching about what is right for you. If you are a psych major, there are plenty of career choices you can make that will keep you away from a profession that will lead you towards or prevent you from being called "crazy." After all, "crazy" lies along a continuum and is subjective...we are all crazed about something or another at any particular time in our life, right? Mental illness, on the other hand, can be quite serious and requires more in depth analysis than a mere "Oh, you must be crazy, you majored in psychology." That's called faulty reasoning on the part of the speaker.

Bottom line: I'm responding b/c anyone serious about psychology should stay away from Psychology Today as journal of inspiration. And, no, my career choice does not impact my personal life negatively...it actually enhances it beyond my expectations.

Good luck!

Cheetah Girl you're totally right. I really shouldn't be so concerned about what other people think. I'm going to look into the authors you suggested 🙂...

I know I shouldn't be reading Psychology Today (because I heard that I shouldn't be reading it)..But why shouldn't I be reading it again? What's wrong with the articles published in there? The majority of them seem to be published by "True Scholars" (Ph.D people).

 

[CheetahGirl]

Cheetah Girl you're totally right. I really shouldn't be so concerned about what other people think. I'm going to look into the authors you suggested 🙂...

I know I shouldn't be reading Psychology Today (because I heard that I shouldn't be reading it)..But why shouldn't I be reading it again? What's wrong with the articles published in there? The majority of them seem to be published by "True Scholars" (Ph.D people).

Psychology Today is not necessarily considered "peer-reviewed" meaning the editorial board does not restrict the articles to the standards of, let's say, New England Journal of Medicine or American Psychologist (one of the APA journals). The articles can be written by PhDs, but if the standards of articles are not so high, then any 'ole PhD can publish in Psychology Today (as long as the article reads coherently). I quickly glanced at the article (& I mean glanced), and it seems to quote several PhDs and MDs from reputable institutions, but that's just journalism. Show me the current data, not some 1968 hospital study.

If you ever go through the publication process, you'll see that elite reviewers (sometimes 3 or 4 top researchers, professors, etc.) will get your article, pick apart, and send it back to you to answer their specific questions before it's ever even considered for publication. As I understand, this process doesn't occur to the standards of reputable scientific journals; otherwise, Psychology Today wouldn't have such a poor reputation among the scientific community.

Now, I welcome someone from Psychology Today to defend their journal and dispute this posting, but I understand it to be "garbage in, garbage out," hence 'pop' psychology. May as well read Cosmopolitan magazine for '100 ways to decrease your depression,' in that case.

P.S. Another big misnomer is Dr. Phil, who is now considered 'pop psychology' and no longer a source of scientific authority. Sure, he makes boatloads of cash, but his methods are considered 'media entertainment' and he is no longer a licensed psychologist. His entertainment therapy is so unethical, I can't stand a second of him.

Always double check your sources, like you're doing here 😉...especially if you will quote them.

-Yes, you lose interest in some clients (IMHO). It takes effort and work to build that interest and continue to find ways to motivate yourself. This is all part of the game. In my experience, my main challenge was that I got numbed out to client's pain as I heard story after story of rape, childhood abuse, losing jobs due to panic attacks, family deaths, cheating spouses, etc. It is a struggle to remain engaged after hearing these things over and over again, but it is what clients need.

-To add to the article: I think this work has changed me in some capacity. I don't know if anyone can relate to this, but pain seems so much realer to me than happiness. I trust pain, despair, etc. more than I do happiness because it seems like the latter is often forced and fake. I have become adept at connecting with pain, but not as much with the fun, light-hearted types of interactions you see in social functions.

-There is also a certain degree of powerlessness you feel in this field, although this gets better as you progress and establish better boundaries. You want your clients to get through what they are going through, but there are often so many things working against them. It can become a challenge maintaining trust in the process, especially when their motivation is shaky. Managed care has really screwed mental health and many people can't afford our treatments. Our hospital systems operate in a fragmented, disjointed capacity in many respects, and a lot of patients fall through the cracks or fail to get the help they need. Regardless, it is awesome seeing clients genuinely improve.

Good reply, Rivi. 🙂

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Cheetah Girl you're totally right. I really shouldn't be so concerned about what other people think. I'm going to look into the authors you suggested 🙂...

I know I shouldn't be reading Psychology Today (because I heard that I shouldn't be reading it)..But why shouldn't I be reading it again? What's wrong with the articles published in there? The majority of them seem to be published by "True Scholars" (Ph.D people).

I think there is a difference between reading something and taking it as absolute fact. I think it is fine to read that publication if you recognize the difference between it and a scientific journal. You might read something in there and it might spark an interest to investigate the issue more deeply using scientific resources.

Also there have been times when I looked to popular media resources (although I'm not sure about Psychology Today specifically, perhaps I have used things like Time and Newsweek) to present a topic to a client or class of UG's. In these cases, I knew that what the popular media outlet was stating was consistent with scientific literature. It was just presented in a much more relate-able format. It served as good good jumping off point for discussion. And I often refer people to self-help books to compliment our therapy (not the flaky ones, the good ones). Things are popular for a reason right?

Dr. E

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I actually have an issue of Psychology Today sitting open in front of me right now that a friend brought over. I'd never read it prior to this issue, but one of the somewhat disconcerting aspects I've noticed is that, while the column authors do base much of what they write on empirical research articles, they take some HUGE leaps of faith in the conclusions they draw and points they make (possibly for the sake of entertainment value and securing readership). However, if you aren't necessarily well-acquainted with some of the literature they cite, and/or you aren't critically reading the articles, much of what's said could slip past and be accepted as fact, or at least as sound reasoning (which isn't always the case).

 

[wigflip]

I think there is a difference between reading something and taking it as absolute fact. I think it is fine to read that publication if you recognize the difference between it and a scientific journal. You might read something in there and it might spark an interest to investigate the issue more deeply using scientific resources.

I agree, and would extend that to both UG textbooks and empirical journal articles. That's one of the benefits of doctoral training: you learn to spot and weed out the junk, regardless of the source of its publication (hopefully). There are entire subfields of inquiry that are riddled with methodological issues (I won't elaborate--off-topic).

 

[Pragma]

I think there is a difference between reading something and taking it as absolute fact. I think it is fine to read that publication if you recognize the difference between it and a scientific journal. You might read something in there and it might spark an interest to investigate the issue more deeply using scientific resources.

Also there have been times when I looked to popular media resources (although I'm not sure about Psychology Today specifically, perhaps I have used things like Time and Newsweek) to present a topic to a client or class of UG's. In these cases, I knew that what the popular media outlet was stating was consistent with scientific literature. It was just presented in a much more relate-able format. It served as good good jumping off point for discussion. And I often refer people to self-help books to compliment our therapy (not the flaky ones, the good ones). Things are popular for a reason right?

Dr. E

I use the same technique in class and even go a little further for assignments. Sometmes I will ask students to go seek out their favorite topic in the popular media. Then their job is to evaluate how accurately the media protrayed the topic based on the empirical literature that I force them to cite (which they often do incorrectly 🙁).

 

[cara susanna]

It's easy to burn out on therapy, and you have to understand that you won't be able to help every client. Once you understand that, I think burnout is less of a problem.

Also, most people that I've met act pretty darn impressed when I tell them that I'm working on my PhD. I do get the "omg, are you analyzing me?" or the "You should write your thesis on me, hahaha!" comments but to me it's no different from medical students getting asked to look at people's rashes or law students hearing lawyer jokes.

 

[paramour]

I especially enjoyed the comment that psychologists only want prescription privileges so they can get their grubby li'l hands on more drugs for their personal use.

The end of this entire article seemed to be a bash the clinician piece. I have minimal to no interest in being a clinician, but sheesh, I can see how someone would be leery in going to see a psychologist if they were to read such an article with comments like be on the lookout for alcohol bottles, drug paraphernalia, and personal contact (because it's only a prelude to sexual advances). WTF people. They make it sound like it's commonplace for these things to occur.

Where's my doped up, sexually depraved, sleep-deprived, suicidal psychologist? I'll take three please! Just in case two call in sick. Two can be on-call.

 

[Rivi]

I especially enjoyed the comment that psychologists only want prescription privileges so they can get their grubby li'l hands on more drugs for their personal use.

No kidding. The majority of psychology today articles sacrifice theoretical and scientifc integrity for sensationalism. I think it is a poor representation of our field.

 

[DoctorLion]

where's my doped up, sexually depraved, sleep-deprived, suicidal psychologist? I'll take three please! Just in case two call in sick. Two can be on-call.

lol

 

[Ya Ya]

I just read an article in psychology today on why dogs hump. That is all.

 

[LivingOffLoans]

I would not rely on Psychology Today as a viable source of information...

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