Is it dangerous being a psychiatrist?

[PreMed86]

I really want to go into psychiatry, but the thing is, I'm not sure exactly how safe it is. Are the odds of me being attacked by some schizophrenic patient fairly high? I realize how silly this may sound, but I'm not joking, lol... Thanks for your time.

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[mdblue]

There are some studies on schiz suggesting increased risk of violence, but it's not specifically directed to the MDs. The D/A pts are more riskier to handle because of their impulsivity. That said, you'll be trained to handle these situations during your residency.
Overall it shouldn't inflence your decision to be a psychiatrist.
Best of Luck

 

[DrIng]

The other thing to bear in mind is that psychiatric facilities are structured with saftey in mind, there are lots of staff trained at diffusing situations, duress alarms as needed etc. Although our contact with people such as paranoid schizophrenics is increased you can come into contact with these peoplein a whole range of specialities and at least in pschiatry you're trained to deal with them... And besides what other speciality can you go home at night and think about the man who was chased by a giant onion...

 

[Dr.Wolkower]

If you want to do psychiatry you have nothing to fear.

Being a medical doctor is a risk factor for being attacked period.

Schizophenics are not more violent then other patients in fact being in the er taking care of normal patients intoxicated on alcohol or drugs is more dangerous-or driving a tiny car home for the er is likely to get you injured

 

[PreMed86]

Oh okay, thanks.

 

[yeti00]

Also, are you talking about forensic psychiatry? Forensic psychiatry, where you are often assessing inmates for their competency to stand trial, etc. is obviously a slightly different field than mainstream psychiatry. Psychiatry is a varied field, from child psychiatry to addiction psychiatry to geriatric psychiatry, inpatient vs. outpatient... you get the picture. Each has its own risk profile. I wouldn't say that you are any more at risk of being harmed by a patient than an ER doctor is by his or her patient, although that might not be comforting because ER doctors sometimes get hurt, too. Most branches of medicine come with their own inherent risk, but hospitals and patient care settings are designed to keep care providers safe.

 

[Dr.Wolkower]

great field great money-most of the patienys are not psychortic and you do alot ofdivorces testifying who is a better parent .

all my friends have carry permits for pistols so do i in 25 years of being an internist,emergency medicine docotir and psychiatrist i have threatened by phone 5 times,actually got in to fist fight with a patient twice. safest place i felt was moonlighting in a jail doing emergency nedicine/

i have friends who are surgeons who were acting in the or o their office by disgruntled former patients