psychiatry life
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Your questions have been covered in other threads. You may want to do a search.
Do psychiatrists actually get to counsel people to the same depth that therapists do? I think it depends on your definition of depth - it also depends on how one chooses to practice.
Is psych residency a bit easier than the others? It depends. If you mean less time-consuming, then, in general, I'd say yes. However, some psychiatry residency programs can be just as time-intensive as other departments/fields. I don't think training in any area of medicine is easy - there's a lot to learn.
Is it possible to be a resident and have a family at the same time? Definitely!
First things first...figure out whether you want a career in medicine. You've got to get into and through medical school to start.
Do psychiatrists actually get to counsel people to the same depth that therapists do? I think it depends on your definition of depth - it also depends on how one chooses to practice.
Is psych residency a bit easier than the others? It depends. If you mean less time-consuming, then, in general, I'd say yes. However, some psychiatry residency programs can be just as time-intensive as other departments/fields. I don't think training in any area of medicine is easy - there's a lot to learn.
Is it possible to be a resident and have a family at the same time? Definitely!
First things first...figure out whether you want a career in medicine. You've got to get into and through medical school to start.
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Psychiatrists (depending on the breadth of their training) can provide exactly the same quality and "depth" of psychotherapy as any other mental health profession.
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I'd say that psychiatrists can develop a MORE three dimensional perspective on patients than can therapists without the medical background, but it does take significant training from expert clinicians (who are not available at all residency programs) and time (you won't be expert by the time you graduate), and it may take a willingness to accept a reduction in income for some years (and potentially throughout your career) for some combination of reasons (eg, psychotherapy or analytic training post residency).
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It all depends on how much you want to take it.
There will be scenarios in any mental health job that direct you to get only what is needed. That's true for counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers etc.
Just one example: If you're working in a crisis psychiatry center, you will be directed to learn pretty much enough to direct the person for admission or discharge--if admission-involuntary or voluntary, if discharge--without or without meds, with a referral or not etc.
In such an environment--getting to really know your patient very well? IMHO no. You're just learning enough to follow the standard of care & process them. Of course over the years, you will see several (not all) patients on a repeated basis. You may also get to know them if you work in more than one aspect in the local area. E.g. if you work in the hospital, you'll see them in the ER, inpatient, and maybe even in outpatient if you do all 3. There are patients who become known like the back of the hand to several doctors in a hospital system.
However several psychiatrists only work in 1 job, and only interact with their patient in that context.
The bottom line is it really all depends on what you choose to do with it. I have seen doctors pretty much just throw a medication at a patient and limit their involvement to that. I do not agree with that approach, but hey, it happens, and to pretend it doesn't only adds to the problem. That is of course not the best of treatment. I've seen several doctors really get to know their patients well.
Agree. I'm getting an impression that to truly be an expert in psychotherapy, it'll take several years of training, patience & dedication to that aspect alone.
There will be scenarios in any mental health job that direct you to get only what is needed. That's true for counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers etc.
Just one example: If you're working in a crisis psychiatry center, you will be directed to learn pretty much enough to direct the person for admission or discharge--if admission-involuntary or voluntary, if discharge--without or without meds, with a referral or not etc.
In such an environment--getting to really know your patient very well? IMHO no. You're just learning enough to follow the standard of care & process them. Of course over the years, you will see several (not all) patients on a repeated basis. You may also get to know them if you work in more than one aspect in the local area. E.g. if you work in the hospital, you'll see them in the ER, inpatient, and maybe even in outpatient if you do all 3. There are patients who become known like the back of the hand to several doctors in a hospital system.
However several psychiatrists only work in 1 job, and only interact with their patient in that context.
The bottom line is it really all depends on what you choose to do with it. I have seen doctors pretty much just throw a medication at a patient and limit their involvement to that. I do not agree with that approach, but hey, it happens, and to pretend it doesn't only adds to the problem. That is of course not the best of treatment. I've seen several doctors really get to know their patients well.
Such a thing is more likely to happen if you choose to work on an outpatient basis. In that setting you do see patients for years, and will get to talk to them about their long term issues.
Agree. I'm getting an impression that to truly be an expert in psychotherapy, it'll take several years of training, patience & dedication to that aspect alone.
This depends on the program. However in general psychiatry IMHO is much easier vs several other residency programs. This is in general. I have seen several psychiatry programs where one is worked hard in what most residents consider a malignant sense. However, don't kid yourself that residency is easy. While working 50-70 hrs a week without many all nighter calls is certainly easier vs other residency programs, that's still a lot of hard work, and you have to study for your exams in your free time.
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You'll probably want to seek additional psychotherapy training and supervision above and beyond what is available at your residency program. You will also have to reconcile yourself to making less money than you otherwise might. But if you're cool with that, then yes, definitely. 🙂
