i got some serious issues regarding psych

[Losername135]

---

Members do not see this ad.

first of all, i like psych. i enjoyed my 3rd year rotation, and i wanna go into it. i like the lifestyle, and i like working with the patints an all. i also like the complexity of the mind, and i like where the field is going, in terms of the genetics and molecular advancements being made regarding mentall illness.

enough bout that.

but i do have some fears that have been genrated recently. a friend of mine has bipolar, and recently told me that he hates taking his meds, and they sometimes make him feel very depressed. his psychiatrist told him to lower the dose, but he still doesn't like the meds. he actually says he feels better without taking medication.

also, i can't help but ignore when my friends tell me that i can't cure patients, and that psychiatry mainly involves a "hit and miss" type of therapy, it really gets me down.

i try to find some evidence that psychiatrist really do make a difference, but i can't find any! was hoping to get some links as to where i can find some papers or studies, or journals, that show that psychiatric treatment is making the majority of people better (and not just a small percentage of patients).


the most important thing for me, is that i don't wanna feel hopeless as a psychiatrist. in terms of patients you see, how many go on to progress well, and how many continue to spiral downwards, despite therapy.




even when i go on the youtube, and type in some uplifting psychiatry stuff, the first page results always show anti psych stuff, which is really annoying. what is more annoying, is that most of the people that view those videos, all seem to 'thumbs up' the vids. personally, i know that those vids are extremely biased against psychiatry, and are probably driven by an agenda. BUT, where are the pro psychiatry videos on youtube? why does everything about psychiatry seem to be hidden? i'm tryna find resources here, but can't find any.



in the past, i was very motivated to go into psychiatry. but now i am feeling a little uneasy, and usure. i still like the field, but i can't help ignore reality, and i want to get the opinion of those that are already in the field, and hopefully address some of my worries/concerns/fears i have.



many thanks.

 

[Chimed]

I can certainly appreciate your concerns. There is a lot of misinformation toward psychiatry and what psychiatrists are and are not able to do. Psychiatric illnesses are complex and can be devastating for those who suffer from it. With that in mind, there are without doubt a % of patients that do not benefit from our treatments. That is unfortunate and something that will continue to improve in the future. Therefore, it is not surprising that you'll run into people like your friend who have not benefited.

With that said, our treatments, by and large, can be incredibly helpful and have benefited an enormous amount of patients. I would direct you to look at some basic studies such as STAR*D and CATIE to verify that our medications DO work. You can also look at psychotherapy studies that have validated treatments such as CBT and IPT, which can be extremely helpful and improve peoples illness in often in dramatic ways. Psychiatry can literally safe a patient's life and we can make huge difference for them.

I'm going into my 5th year of working with psychiatric patients and I can say on a personal note that I feel that I'm making a difference. I have seen people with devastating illness who have not been able to go to work or function get their life back. It is very rewarding to see! However, there are people that just continue to struggle despite our best efforts, and you have to be able to realize not everyone is going to improve and live with that.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of specialties in medicine do not "cure" people. Think about diabetes, hypertension, cancer, asthma....The list can go on. People that need to have their patients "cured" tend to go into surgery.

 

[peppy]

As I commented on your other post, I think one reason that psych bashing is so prevalent is because of the stigma on people acknowledging they have a mental illness, so a lot of times people who have done well with psych care aren't going to draw attention to it like those who have a grievance with psych are.
One thing that helps me remember that what we do is important is hearing about the tragic suffering that survivors of suicide experience. Trying to help these patients, and educating their families when possible, can make a real difference.
It's true that most of what psychiatry deals with is chronic. But then again, that's a large part of medicine. Emergency departments and IM wards have their "regulars" too. Nobody is curing that 85 yo with CRF, CHF, COPD, and 12 other problems who comes in with an exacerbation every month. Though that's arguably better than the alternative. When I did my first IM wards month, it was amazing to me how many of the patients we admitted I wound up seeing in the local obituaries over the next few months.
Even in the procedural specialties like gen surg, there are still a lot of patients who don't end up being cured: Whipple procedures for pancreatic cancer patients; port insertions on patients with other advanced cancers; PEG tubes and trachs on ICU patients who are circling the drain; TIPS procedures are done for palliation of ESLD, etc.

Even with the chronically mentally ill, though, I dont think it's hopeless. We can still help people and make their lives better even if we can't cure them. Being a psychiatrist who makes an effort to be your best does help people.

 

[Chimed]

Er...Wonder why the OP was banned.

 

[zac16125]

I know when I want to assess the validity of something I automatically go to youtube, type the topic in the search box, and base my opinion of it on the first few videos that pop up. So that makes sense.