Why not psychiatry as a specialty?

[fly77]

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Thanks a lot,
Psych Resident )

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[cfdavid]

I would love to hear your opinions on this matter. I created a blog where you can enter your comments psychviews.blogspot.com

You can choose to be anonymous if you will make you feel more comfortable to give your true reasons. Your time to write some comments will be greatly appreciated and helpful.

Thanks a lot,
Psych Resident )

a lot of med students may not like the lack of procedures and some of the frustrations that come along with treating psych patients (then again, i'm sure there could be great rewards along those lines as well). also, most people probably only think of office based practice, where it's kind of a physically inactive job. also, kind of abstract in many ways without a whole lot of clinical diagnostic testing to validate a diagnosis (i.e. i don't know of any procedure where you can test various neurotransmitters in a localized (i.e. in the brain) way. i just think psych's not for everyone, but i totally respect the profession and realize how important the work of a psychiatrist is.

 

[thewebthsp]

For me, lots of medicine, esp differential diagnoses and pathophysiology are really really interesting... biggest reason why not psych.

Also no reimbursement in many directions.

 

[lord_jeebus]

For me, it's mainly lack of procedures.

If psychiatrists treated mental illness by sticking needles into people's heads, I would totally go into it.

 

[Biscuit799]

Definitely agreed. The biggest reasons include for most people probably include some personal mixture of 1-lack of procedures 2-ambiguity 3-lack of definitive testing/diagnosis 4-poor reimbursement/high premiums

Also I think that a lot of would-be-psychiatrists end up doing clinical psychology. Is it the same? No, but there's a lot of overlap, and it's easier to just get a BS in psych and a Psy D.

 

[doctorp82]

If psychiatrists treated mental illness by sticking needles into people's heads, I would totally go into it.

A turf war with acupuncturists would rapidly ensue.

 

[Baloo]

Definitely agreed. The biggest reasons include for most people probably include some personal mixture of 1-lack of procedures 2-ambiguity 3-lack of definitive testing/diagnosis 4-poor reimbursement/high premiums

Also I think that a lot of would-be-psychiatrists end up doing clinical psychology. Is it the same? No, but there's a lot of overlap, and it's easier to just get a BS in psych and a Psy D.

I wouldn't say that obtaining a Psy.D. or PhD in clinical psychology is easier than going to medical school. Obtaining one of these advanced degrees is directed specifically in the field you will be working in as a clinical psychologist. It's ignorant to comment on "blah blah blah" being easier than "blah blah blah." It takes 5 years to become a Psy.D. plus post-doctoral fellowships. Psy.D.'s come out of school with thousands of hours of practicum and neuropsych assesments under their belts. Also, Neuropsychology is great way to go, if you have difficulty digesting the abstract world of psychotherapy. Anyway, clinical psychologists have the right to prescribe in a few states, California, being new to the list. I'm sure many states will follow California's lead. Good luck with your decisions!

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

I wouldn't say that obtaining a Psy.D. or PhD in clinical psychology is easier than going to medical school. Obtaining one of these advanced degrees is directed specifically in the field you will be working in as a clinical psychologist. It's ignorant to comment on "blah blah blah" being easier than "blah blah blah." It takes 5 years to become a Psy.D. plus post-doctoral fellowships. Psy.D.'s come out of school with thousands of hours of practicum and neuropsych assesments under their belts. Also, Neuropsychology is great way to go, if you have difficulty digesting the abstract world of psychotherapy. Anyway, clinical psychologists have the right to prescribe in a few states, California, being new to the list. I'm sure many states will follow California's lead. Good luck with your decisions!

 

[Biscuit799]

I wouldn't say that obtaining a Psy.D. or PhD in clinical psychology is easier than going to medical school. Obtaining one of these advanced degrees is directed specifically in the field you will be working in as a clinical psychologist. It's ignorant to comment on "blah blah blah" being easier than "blah blah blah." It takes 5 years to become a Psy.D. plus post-doctoral fellowships. Psy.D.'s come out of school with thousands of hours of practicum and neuropsych assesments under their belts. Also, Neuropsychology is great way to go, if you have difficulty digesting the abstract world of psychotherapy. Anyway, clinical psychologists have the right to prescribe in a few states, California, being new to the list. I'm sure many states will follow California's lead. Good luck with your decisions!

Indeed. I was merely being succinct, apparently at the loss of accuracy. I didn't mean to imply that clinical psychology is "easier" than being a psychiatrist, in fact based purely on percentages, being a psychiatrist is "easier." I just meant that it's a more direct and obvious route because you're learning exactly what you need to know the whole time. You major in psychology, then go into clinical psychology. Whereas in medicine, you major in anything you want but must take bio/chem/ochem (which many psych majors don't like, I know, I used to be one), then go to medical school to learn about a bunch of stuff you probably won't use much of (assuming your interests includeh the more ambiguous psychotherapy), and only then start getting into the real stuff you want to learn in residency. Also, if you are going to get prescription privileges (in a state like Cali anyway), then why go into the tremendous debt to be an MD when you can do the same thing as a PsyD?

 

[Baloo]

nice...

 

[Biscuit799]

nice...

?

 

[yeahok]

yeah, I agree with baloo and biscuit. My wife is getting her PsyD in clinical neuropsychology, and she's loving it. she started off college being a premed and probably saw things the way BISCUIT799 was describing, it being more of a direct path to purue a PsyD then to do med school and learn a bunch a stuff you don't want to. and clincial psych docs (psyD/phD) can get paid pretty damn well.

 

[Vox Animo]

I would love to hear your opinions on this matter. I created a blog where you can enter your comments psychviews.blogspot.com

You can choose to be anonymous if you will make you feel more comfortable to give your true reasons. Your time to write some comments will be greatly appreciated and helpful.

Thanks a lot,
Psych Resident )

I have tendency to day dream after about 45 seconds of someone talking to be. not very good skill for a shrink.

 

[Baloo]

?

concur...

 

[dutchman]

Psychs just happen to have the highest rate of divorce amongst doctors. Why? I dont know.

 

[Critical Mass]

Psychs just happen to have the highest rate of divorce amongst doctors. Why? I dont know.

Their spouses get tired of being psychoanalyzed and medicated.

 

[sunlioness]

yeah, I agree with baloo and biscuit. My wife is getting her PsyD in clinical neuropsychology, and she's loving it. she started off college being a premed and probably saw things the way BISCUIT799 was describing, it being more of a direct path to purue a PsyD then to do med school and learn a bunch a stuff you don't want to. and clincial psych docs (psyD/phD) can get paid pretty damn well.

If I had known what I wanted to do with my life before med school instead of figuring it out my intern year in internal medicine, I probably would have gone the graduate school route too. I don't regret anything because I am glad to be where I am, but med school was highly painful. Not necessarily because of its difficulty but because so much of it involved stuff I just plain didn't like. Like procedures, surgery, surgeons . . However, having said that, I am very happy not having to write a dissertation.

 

[justwondering]

1. dealing with psych pts is really frustrating, especially when they're inpt (ie i HATE getting consulted for a pt that is a psych pt when im on a different svc). too many hostile pts, etc. i just dont have the patience.

2. although i think meds are great for a lot of psych illnesses (and in many cases, thats the only way to go), as an med student (ie someone with less than 2 wks psych experience), it seems like most psych docs dont do much talking with pts and instead just prescribe. i saw a f/u visit for depression where its like "how do u rate ur depression on a scale of 1-10? etc". and the pt was talking abt feeling weepy, etc. if i had a psych issue like depression/anxiety, i think i would definitely see a psychologist and would consider a psychiatrist only if i wanted meds (or if they would do more than just do med checks). obviously psychiatrists are invaluable, but for those pts with less serious/acute conditions, i would probably recommend that they see someone (best would be a psychiatrist who does therapy) who would talk to them abt their problems and hopefully help them with CBT, etc.

 

[Anka]

I had a great psych clerkship experience (6 weeks where I am). The attending I worked with was excellent, the pathology was interesting, and you had a chance to make an intervention that worked (like medicating a manic patient and watching them cool off over a couple of days). I'd never go into psychiatry, though. There was too much social work, and while the attending I happened to work with actually talked to his patients, most don't bother. You get no respect from physicans in other fields (I saw this played out on my medicine rotation, where a psych rotator was one of the interns). I also couldn't see myself around the residents for years on end -- they were all too ... appropriate. Always appropriate. Never angry, never laughing uncontrollably because a situation or joke was funny, never sad. Just appropriate.

I also found another field I really like.

Anka

 

[pillowhead]

. I also couldn't see myself around the residents for years on end -- they were all too ... appropriate. Always appropriate. Never angry, never laughing uncontrollably because a situation or joke was funny, never sad. Just appropriate.

Anka

that's funny because on my psych rotation (inpatient and crisis stabalization), the residents were anything but appropriate!

 

[Biscuit799]

I had a great psych clerkship experience (6 weeks where I am). The attending I worked with was excellent, the pathology was interesting, and you had a chance to make an intervention that worked (like medicating a manic patient and watching them cool off over a couple of days). I'd never go into psychiatry, though. There was too much social work, and while the attending I happened to work with actually talked to his patients, most don't bother. You get no respect from physicans in other fields (I saw this played out on my medicine rotation, where a psych rotator was one of the interns). I also couldn't see myself around the residents for years on end -- they were all too ... appropriate. Always appropriate. Never angry, never laughing uncontrollably because a situation or joke was funny, never sad. Just appropriate.

I also found another field I really like.

Anka

That's funny bc conversely, my Dad is a mental health counselor (the MA equivalent of PsyD), and he says that he and all his colleagues make horribly insulting, inappropriate, politically incorrect jokes about the pts.