Incoming MS1 interested in Psychiatry, Where do you see the field going?

[Clockdoc89]

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As the title says, I am interested in psych and have been since high school, but I still plan to enter Medical school with an open mind. But out of curiosity I would like to know where you all see the field going in the next 5-10 years in terms of new treatments/drugs and if these new treatments will add more objectivity to psych. For example, I was talking to my psychiatrist and she mentioned how gene testing is currently used but is too expensive but will become more utilized in the future. Also if there are any general comments about the future of the field that don't pertain to treatments, I would also appreciate that. Basically what would I be getting myself into 8-10 years down the road?

Thank you!

 

[Merovinge]

Gene testing in its current incarnation of helping to identify CYP metabolism is minimally useful except in very rare circumstances. It's largely a commercial placebo designed to make rich people feel like technology is helping them. At some point this will likely change and given the ease of exome sequencing and continued genetic work, this may lead to earlier identification of at-risk populations and new interventions.

The field will continue to go places as neuroscience is a heavily funded frontier. That and human misery knows no bounds, it never has and it never will. I believe their will be more objectivity in some domains but by and large psychiatry will continue to have more art/ambiguity than any other area of medicine. That's a good thing for a lot of psychiatrists. My work is much more enjoyable as I cannot be easily replaced by Watson running UptoDate algorithms. We will likely have more acute treatments which is also fun for folks who like high acuity/inpatient/hospital based practice.

 

[hamstergang]

But out of curiosity I would like to know where you all see the field going in the next 5-10 years in terms of new treatments/drugs and if these new treatments will add more objectivity to psych.

xkcd: Researcher Translation

Maybe something new will happen. People keep trying. But most likely 5-10 years from now is the same as now.