Can anyone here explain what a child psychiatrist in private practice does typically, what kind of children they USUALLY see (a general idea, since every day is probably very different), and if they like it or not? Also, what kind of hours they work? I have been reading on this forum that child psychiatry is kind of miserable but that seems to come from people who did not choose this as a field... so i am asking those who DID choose child psychiatry, if they are happy with their choice or not. Thanks
day in the life of a child psychiatrist?
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I love it, but as most C&A Psychiatrists, I don't do this exclusively. The need for treating anyone through the door is to great. I would love to do it full-time.
2/3 of the patients are failing home or academics because of ADHD symptoms or because they are very emotionally reactive and always get into conflicts and into trouble (depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, mood disorders. Also the abused kids tend to fall in this category). The other 1/3 are mixed between Autism/Asperger/MR/TBI and the more unique patients (OCD, really gifted students that can't relate to anybody, stuff that is weird).
I could work more, but the clinic that employs me is limiting hours to 8-5. I am working on persuading them to let me spend one day per week in the local group homes, but otherwise, everybody comes to me.
Occasionally, I meet with teachers on classroom accommodations, IEPs and similar, I work on the local suicide-prevention task force, I work on the Medicaid formulary board. That's all the extra. And I monitor legislation and local policies and try to intervene when I see problems in this area.
It all keeps me busy, but it also is all very interesting. I would love to do C&A full-time. If we can entice someone else to come on board, I can get closer to that goal.
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I'm no expert on child psychiatry, but I've spoken to many C&A psychiatrists. I'd say 90% of those I've met really enjoy what they do, and I plan to go into it myself. I do think that you need to spend time working with a C&A psychiatrist to see if it is for you though.
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Adult inpatient psychiatry at the VA hospital has been wearing me down, and three days ago while on-call, after admitting a specific patient to the hospital with suicidal ideations for the 69th time in the last 2 years, I was ready to quit.
Fortunately, I came across Dr. Robin Altman's book, Shrink Rap: An Irreverent Take on Child Psychiatry. One paragraph in the Introduction saved my sanity:
"I've been a practicing Child Psychiatrist in Pennsylvania for the past thirteen years. I only see children. Most of my colleagues see adults as well, but I've found that I get plenty of adult contact talking to parents, and I like working with kids. They're cute, charming, funny, and I seem to have an inexhaustible supply of sympathy for them. The same is not true for my work with adults, whom I often want to shake and say, 'Get over it, man!'"
Amen, sister.
Fortunately, I came across Dr. Robin Altman's book, Shrink Rap: An Irreverent Take on Child Psychiatry. One paragraph in the Introduction saved my sanity:
"I've been a practicing Child Psychiatrist in Pennsylvania for the past thirteen years. I only see children. Most of my colleagues see adults as well, but I've found that I get plenty of adult contact talking to parents, and I like working with kids. They're cute, charming, funny, and I seem to have an inexhaustible supply of sympathy for them. The same is not true for my work with adults, whom I often want to shake and say, 'Get over it, man!'"
Amen, sister.
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The book's intended audience is the general public, but I enjoy reading books like this (and I am a second-year general psychiatry resident) because they usually explain concepts in psychiatry without all of the "psychobabble," which ultimately helps me to explain the same concepts to my patients without all of the "psychobabble."
One of the Amazon.com reviews of Shrink Rap mentioned:
"I love the simple and amusing manner in which Dr. Altman explains a concept as complicated as the way the brain works. I never understood why it takes 4 - 6 weeks for most psychiatric medicines to work. Dr. Altman explained that you have to 'trick the brain' with itself! Who would have thought it?"
I have not read that section of the book yet, but after I do, I will have an answer for the patient who wants to know why it will take so long for his antidepressant to kick in, that will hopefully no longer sound like a passage out of Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology.
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