Will psychiatrists do therapy in the future???

[JediJeff]

I am going to be a college freshman in the fall and am debating between a future career as a private practice psychiatrist vs. clinical psychologist. I'm interested in having the ability to prescribe medications but I would also want to be able to do talk therapy (psychotherapy, CBT, etc., etc.) if in private practice. When I read about the future of psychiatry, all I ever see is that psychiatrists are basically going to start abandoning therapy and devote 100% of their time to medication management, which is worrisome for me. Is this really true???

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[Doc Samson]

I am going to be a college freshman in the fall and am debating between a future career as a private practice psychiatrist vs. clinical psychologist. I'm interested in having the ability to prescribe medications but I would also want to be able to do talk therapy (psychotherapy, CBT, etc., etc.) if in private practice. When I read about the future of psychiatry, all I ever see is that psychiatrists are basically going to start abandoning therapy and devote 100% of their time to medication management, which is worrisome for me. Is this really true???

No.

 

[atsai3]

I am going to be a college freshman in the fall and am debating between a future career as a private practice psychiatrist vs. clinical psychologist. I'm interested in having the ability to prescribe medications but I would also want to be able to do talk therapy (psychotherapy, CBT, etc., etc.) if in private practice. When I read about the future of psychiatry, all I ever see is that psychiatrists are basically going to start abandoning therapy and devote 100% of their time to medication management, which is worrisome for me. Is this really true???

Depends how much money you want to make.

-AT.

 

[Anuwolf]

I am going to be a college freshman in the fall and am debating between a future career as a private practice psychiatrist vs. clinical psychologist. I'm interested in having the ability to prescribe medications but I would also want to be able to do talk therapy (psychotherapy, CBT, etc., etc.) if in private practice. When I read about the future of psychiatry, all I ever see is that psychiatrists are basically going to start abandoning therapy and devote 100% of their time to medication management, which is worrisome for me. Is this really true???

I would encourage you to go on with your career. We need more psychiatrists’ who’s willing to talk to their patients and to give them therapy and feedback that they need. I strongly believe that if psychiatry allows their patients to talk about their daily lives that they can make an accurate diagnosis on their patients.

Go on with your career. I wish you the finest of luck

 

[JediJeff]

Depends how much money you want to make.

-AT.

Yeah, that's the argument I usually hear but honestly, is there that significant a reduction in salary if you do therapy all day (all 45 or 50 minute appointments) rather than doing a much greater amount of 15-minute med checks?

I strongly believe in talk therapy as well as the use of medication and I just don't know how fulfilling a career of just doing med checks would be compared to being able to use medication in conjunction with therapy.

 

[Antigone]

A private practice psychiatrist I know of charges $195 for a 50 minute talk therapy session and $135 for a 30 minute med check (during which some talking gets done as well). I imagine it would be more profitable to just do med checks, but she enjoys and is able to do both and be successful--good for her! I know I definitely want to do both in my career.

As for the prognosis of the field, I don't think psychiatrists as a whole will ever become completely uninvolved with therapy. I think insight gained from talk therapy informs medicine prescribing; also no matter how advanced the medicine, there will always be stressors, negative learned thought/behavioral patterns, and psychosocial issues to deal with.

 

[Poety]

Depends how much money you want to make.

-AT.

Where the hell have you been lurker?