Where is Psychiatry going?

[clowden]

Hey everybody. I'm a brand new polyannaish med student (complete with delusions of granduer) about to start in a month. Psychiatry and Psychology have always fascinated me and coming from the outside thus far I get such a mixed view of where people think the field is heading in the near future. Will Psychiatriy begin to head down the road Family Practice is on with physician jobs being outsourced to different types of practitioners? Will Psychiatrists be more restricted to inpatient and more severe cases if Clinical Psychologists become able to prescribe? I've heard the residency programs are going to get more competitive...why? Is it because more and more are running from primary care specialties?

Put on your magic hats and get our your crystal balls...where will this field be in 10, 20, 30 years? If I were to do psychiatry would I be able to pay back my ridiculous loans if salaries decrease 8 years down the line?

I worked with a dual PhD in Social Work and Psychology and he flat out TOLD me to be a doctor as I can do so much with it. (This isn't the reason I'm going into medicine, but it was an interesting argument). Is he being shortsighted or am I on the way to a career that will be satisfying and provide security for years to come?

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[Anasazi23]

Maybe I'm polyannish too, (I'm almost a third year resident), but I think psychiatry's future is pretty bright. Psychiatrists already have their veritable pick of the litter when it comes to job opportunities, and the work hours/pay ratio is quite good. Meaning, the lifestyle for the time output is favorable.

Psychiatrists will continue to be the gold standard in mental health treatment, regardless if a small number of psychologists prescribe basic meds in a few states. Your practice will be limited to severely mentally ill or inpatient if that's how you set it up for yourself.

New genetic testing techniques, along with other procedural-based interventions (botox, VNS, TCMS etc.) are some of the future testing and treatment modalities that we'll likely have available to us. While there is still a struggle, I think the net gain in mental health parity laws are also favoring psychiatrists. As stigma slowly fades, more and more people are seeking treatment. There will always be plenty of patients.

Your friend with the PhD is probably right. You'll have the most opportunities available to you, with a decent salary at least with a medical degree.

 

[clowden]

Thanks for your reply. This is what I am inclined to believe. There isn't muchanyone could say at this point to dissuade me from becoming a doctor, but reading some of the posts on SDN can get you kind of down. It's hard to strike a balance in opinion when it seems like everyone has an agenda. Anyone disagree with above?