Wanting to be a Psychiatrist, responding to responses

[MrChance2]

Since I've been telling people I want to be a psychiatrist the most common response has been a somewhat joking "Ohh man, (me, someone in the room, my mother in law) could use one of those." I have yet to get the perfect response. I'm sure you have more experience with this than me. Can you help?

Thanks!

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[Psychotic]

Why are you having conversations with anybody, especially family, about this? Do you seek their approval? Why?

 

[Shikima]

I haven't found the perfect, snarky response yet.

 

[Crayola227]

"Being a doctor is sweet. I got an Rx pad and a 6 figure salary." Works like 90% of the time with 90% of the population. The gen pop usually can't argue with this.
For psych, you could throw in a line like, "and I don't have to deal with any gross stuff. My hours can't be beat either. My patients pour their hearts out to me. They love me." Probably a fair generalization for psych

Even if your parents are some sort of prestige slores this should hopefully at least draw them up for minute

 

[northernpsy]

I think most people who say stuff like that are just trying to make conversation and have a little fun so I would stick to something light hearted. Maybe make a joke about how even though you like them they still aren't getting your services for free.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

"A psychiatrist, Oh...are you trying to analyze me? (wink wink with obnoxious smile)"

No, I only work on people who aren't beyond help.

 

[thoffen]

Tell them that their use of projection as a defense here stems from their castration anxiety(male)/penis envy(female).

 

[Dharma]

Just don't talk about it. I became well adept at steering the conversion before things turned in that direction. Only the LONO (locals only; no outsiders) crew got the psychiatry response. And those who really knew me well, they understood. Fly low young blood.

 

[Merovinge]

Since I've been telling people I want to be a psychiatrist the most common response has been a somewhat joking "Ohh man, (me, someone in the room, my mother in law) could use one of those." I have yet to get the perfect response. I'm sure you have more experience with this than me. Can you help?

Thanks!

Depends on how much you want to engage them. I will say it is cool to be in a field that interests many people and is in the arts so heavily. When I am feeling prosocial I often respond that good help is hard to find but makes all the difference. People will often open up a bit and you may be able to direct them to help. I once convinced my Uber driver to get her fianceé into being evaluated for post-Iraq PTSD. My fianceé always comments that there are never movies about urology but so many are "psychey".

If you don't want to talk, don't bring up the field or just tell people your time isn't free or that you don't work after hours or something like that, most people get the hint.