Why not psychiatry as a specialty?

[fly77]

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

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[psybrdelic]

Hm, you may find the lame dilemna related post I put up interesting? Anxiety riddled decision I think.

 

[JasonUD]

I like psych, I find it very interesting, but I'm not so sure I feel qualified giving out advice all day long to these patients. Maybe its because I'm a young MS-I but I don't think I could do it. For me, the stereotypic view of a psychiatrist is an old man with a lot of experience...and that's certainly something that I won't be for a long long time! I'm 21 years old, what do I know about life!

 

[Jack Daniel]

I'm interested in psychiatry--but I'm also interested in family medicine. Since primary care docs have the opportunity to incorporate some basic psychiatry into their practices, I think I'll be happy with that. If I really get hooked between now and my residency years, maybe I'll switch.

 

[Frank l]

I'm interested in psychiatry--but I'm also interested in family medicine. Since primary care docs have the opportunity to incorporate some basic psychiatry into their practices, I think I'll be happy with that. If I really get hooked between now and my residency years, maybe I'll switch.

Me too. I'd love to do a family practice/ psych residency. I'd have to apply to allopathic residencies for that. If I can't get into one of those programs I'll just do psych.

 

[Jack Daniel]

Me too. I'd love to do a family practice/ psych residency. I'd have to apply to allopathic residencies for that. If I can't get into one of those programs I'll just do psych.

Good luck on the combined residency. It's a pity there aren't any such programs that are AOA approved. I think there is an approved program at Walter Reed--so it's probably for military only.

I've seen several DO FM programs that seem to really stress the psychiatric component of FM. I'm hoping that I would at least be able to recognize the need for referral or maybe be able to tackle some general problems myself.

 

[JonnyG]

why not psych? It might have to do with the fact that every doc i meet is like you have to be really off yourself to do psych. If you want more people to enter the field you have to change this perception.


Personally, I hate Freud so I would never go into the field (even though there are other styles)

 

[lilzelda]

why not psych? It might have to do with the fact that every doc i meet is like you have to be really off yourself to do psych. If you want more people to enter the field you have to change this perception.


Personally, I hate Freud so I would never go into the field (even though there are other styles)

Freud??? I never thought about psychiatry that way. I always associated Freud with sociology and psychology, most psychiatrist don't even do psychotherapy. But I agree that societies perception about mental illness and psychiatry need to be changed and its sad when u see real doctors making fun of some of the mental illnesses and just dismissing the field. But I'm interested in psychiatry and neurology, \do you guys now if the AOA has psychiatry residencies and where u can get a listing?

 

[Frank l]

I studied psych in undergrad. Most of my profs talked about the importance of Freud in reguard to how he really got people thinking, but said that more progress has probably been made disproving his theories than following them.
At any rate, Freud is not who everybody looks to anymore. Psych has gotten a lot better. (like, not so many lobotomies now.)

 

[Jack Daniel]

I studied psych in undergrad. Most of my profs talked about the importance of Freud in reguard to how he really got people thinking, but said that more progress has probably been made disproving his theories than following them.
At any rate, Freud is not who everybody looks to anymore. Psych has gotten a lot better. (like, not so many lobotomies now.)

This is my general perception, as well. That's why I'm usually very surprised to still run into younger psychiatrists who still embrace Freud and make his ideas the cornerstone of their practice. I wonder if clinicians could favor his ideas more than professors?

 

[Krazykritter]

If I went into psych, where would I send my fibromyalgia patients??

Just kidding though. Psych is just not something that I have any interest in.

 

[JonnyG]

I studied psych in undergrad. Most of my profs talked about the importance of Freud in reguard to how he really got people thinking, but said that more progress has probably been made disproving his theories than following them.
At any rate, Freud is not who everybody looks to anymore. Psych has gotten a lot better. (like, not so many lobotomies now.)

He was at the conerstone of my psych class i just finished in medical school. Mainly the different treatments developed by his disciples. Psychoanalysis is still done by many clinicians. The downside is with reimbursements new dynamic forms (ie as short as possible) have sprung up.

 

[lilzelda]

He was at the conerstone of my psych class i just finished in medical school. Mainly the different treatments developed by his disciples. Psychoanalysis is still done by many clinicians. The downside is with reimbursements new dynamic forms (ie as short as possible) have sprung up.

Maybe it depends on where u go to school and practice because we were told that a majority of psychiatrist do not do Psychoanaylsis.

 

[Dr JPH]

Why not Psych?

Too long and drawn out.

I like to see the patient, fix the problem and move on. Thats why surgery is my calling.

Nothing wrong with Psych, I would just be frustrated as hell and probably end up yelling at my patients.

 

[raspberry swirl]

im a DO going into psych (provided i match of course .... fingers crossed for march 15th!) i find psych to be the most interesting and the most challenging - you are helping your patients to overcome their own minds. it is unusual and interesting every day, and there are a variety of different types of ways to practice. research, private practice, inpatient, community, ER, forensic, geriatric, child and adolescent, you can do medical consult liason, you can work for a school system, you can do a variety of different types of things. you can work with depressed housewives or floridly psychotic schizophrenics, you can do psychotherapy or you can do neuropsych research. plus you will never have to worry about not finding a job! psychiatrists, especially child, are one of the most needed specialties... i think DOs have a unique perspective for working with psych patients, as we are counseled to incorporate a diverse approach in working with people. its just too bad that there aren't more DO psych programs.

 

[bth7]

I just read a good book on the recent history of psychiatry residency programs, how they changing, etc.

Check it out, I enjoyed reading it.

Of Two Minds by T.M. Luhrmann

For myself, I seriously considering a dual residency in IM and psych.

 

[Jamers]

why not psych? It might have to do with the fact that every doc i meet is like you have to be really off yourself to do psych. If you want more people to enter the field you have to change this perception.


Personally, I hate Freud so I would never go into the field (even though there are other styles)

Everyone harps on poor Freud. Little do they know that, without him, we would still think that children were stupid and nothing in our earlier lives impacted us later on. He has his faults, we all know that (way too much about sex and dreams) but he still helped to bring Psych. into the mainstream. The public's perception about psych. and mental illness in general is very flawed. Most people would rather be told they have necrotizing fascitis than see a therapist to talk about their childhood. In my own humble opinion, psych. is an amazing tool that almost every physician can use and it is really sad that more don't see it as that.