4 answers
Jayleen
Student
3
Questions
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What are the negative effects of being a psychiatrist?
Are there any things that some people may regret after becoming a psychiatrist?
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4 answers
Gregory Barclay, M.D., DLFAPA, FASAP
Psychiatrist
26
Answers
Wilmington, Delaware
Updated
Gregory’s Answer
Hi Jayleen,
Congratulations on your decision to consider psychiatry as a future career! It is a very rewarding and exciting profession and I have fully enjoyed being a psychiatrist for 35+ years.
You are concerned about the negative side of being a psychiatrist, so I will focus mainly on that. Just let me say beforehand that the opportunity to enter someone's world of thoughts, emotions, impulses, beliefs, drives and past experiences is a great and humbling honor, and as a psychiatrist, you are granted permission to do your "work" in that space, the "work" being a combination of medical and psychotherapy skills that only psychiatrists possess.
Now, Let me answer your question with several answers.
1, There is always the issue of being typecast. This is something others experience as well, for example preachers. People just relate to you differently because of what you do for a living, no matter how hard you try to present yourself as a normal person. I think some of this relates to the way psychiatrists are portrayed in the media (usually as befuddled dishheveled men or stone faced cold women, each with steno pads in their hands and able to "analyze" anything said). Regardless, what you do is now who you are, and family, friends, and colleagues all relate to you through a distorted lens. You will be asked advice at parties regarding someone's strange family member, etc., and when people in social settings find out you are a psychiatrist, many will act as if you spit in their drink and nervously walk away at the first opportunity. Others may be overjoyed and begin sharing their deeply troubling stories with you as if you are offering a free consultation to them, etc. Years ago this bothered me, and it irritated me that family members always seemed uncomfortable around me (except for my kids, who always saw me as a dad, not anything else), but later I just found it sort of humorous, as I no longer needed their approval or acceptance.
2. Psychiatrists used to be considered the "go to" specialists for long term therapy. This was changing around the time I went to Medical School (in prehistoric times, e.g. 1979). At that time, the "medicalization" of psychiatry began to gain steam. Psychiatrists became, and still are viewed as, "medication doctors". Now, most patients, most colleague physicians, and all therapists - all of whom refer patients to you, assume and expect (and in some cases demand) that you prescribe on demand and limit your skills and work to medications only, leaving therapy to non-physician therapists. Many (probably most) psychiatrists are fine with this arrangement since it allows them to make more money and maintain a referral stream (important, unfortunately, in a private practice community). But it does severely limit one's scope of practice, and it reinforces the notion that all psychiatrists do is dole out drugs to people without listening to them (hard to do if one has to do 15 minute "medication check" appointments). The good news is that there is no rule whatsoever that requires psychiatrists to play into this. In fact, there is an emerging trend among younger psychiatrists in private practice to offer a full range of services, including psychotherapy (in which they are fully trained, in spite of what some therapists tell their clients to the contrary), and intentionally avoid the "split treatment" or "multi-disciplinary" model of treatment currently utilized in most other settings (psychiatrists do meds, therapists do therapy). You can practice any way you want as a psychiatrist, although if you join a corporate practice or similar large group, you will likely be pressured into prescribing on demand and not doing therapy, while in private practice you are freer to do so.
3. Psychiatrists end up working with many patients who are unstable, more so than the type of patients most therapists in private practice prefer to see. Accordingly, a psychiatrist is at higher risk to have patients commit suicide or engage in violent behavior, landing themselves in a correctional facility, or possibly being stalked or assaulted by a patient. This is an occupational hazard of psychiatric practice, but fortunately is rare. To put it in perspective though, all physicians experience situations where their patients die unexpectedly or abruptly and without warning, even pediatricians. A psychiatrist who is well trained and perceptive will likely have fewer setbacks because psychiatric patients usually signal their intentions verbally or non-verbally - it is often that the psychiatrist fails to "hear" or "read" the intention, so a well trained and perceptive psychiatrist has an advantage over their peers.
4. Finally, one's family can suffer some from the stigma of being related to a psychiatrist. I know it was hard for my wife (and still is sometimes) for her to tell others what I do for a living because she knows how they are likely to react. It was hard for my kids too, although for the most part when they were younger and I believe now as adults, they view me as their dad and nothing different, and are very proud of the fact that their dad is a psychiatrist. When they were younger and more concerned about peer acceptance, however, I taught them to tell their friends, when asked, that their dad was a "neuropharmacologist". This wasn't a lie, so they weren't in the position of lying, yet it was basically a deceptive half truth. But it helped them avoid being shunned because of what I did for a living, since "neuropharmacologist" makes people think of a person in a white coat in a lab conducting complex experiments vs. what they would think and ridicule them for if they said "psychiatrist" , e.g. a befuddled, dissheveled, confused man with a pipe, sweater, and a note pad "analyzing" dreams.
Let me know if you have other questions. You are a brave person to ask this question and I am honored to have had the chance to answer it based on my experience! Good luck in your next steps!
Congratulations on your decision to consider psychiatry as a future career! It is a very rewarding and exciting profession and I have fully enjoyed being a psychiatrist for 35+ years.
You are concerned about the negative side of being a psychiatrist, so I will focus mainly on that. Just let me say beforehand that the opportunity to enter someone's world of thoughts, emotions, impulses, beliefs, drives and past experiences is a great and humbling honor, and as a psychiatrist, you are granted permission to do your "work" in that space, the "work" being a combination of medical and psychotherapy skills that only psychiatrists possess.
Now, Let me answer your question with several answers.
1, There is always the issue of being typecast. This is something others experience as well, for example preachers. People just relate to you differently because of what you do for a living, no matter how hard you try to present yourself as a normal person. I think some of this relates to the way psychiatrists are portrayed in the media (usually as befuddled dishheveled men or stone faced cold women, each with steno pads in their hands and able to "analyze" anything said). Regardless, what you do is now who you are, and family, friends, and colleagues all relate to you through a distorted lens. You will be asked advice at parties regarding someone's strange family member, etc., and when people in social settings find out you are a psychiatrist, many will act as if you spit in their drink and nervously walk away at the first opportunity. Others may be overjoyed and begin sharing their deeply troubling stories with you as if you are offering a free consultation to them, etc. Years ago this bothered me, and it irritated me that family members always seemed uncomfortable around me (except for my kids, who always saw me as a dad, not anything else), but later I just found it sort of humorous, as I no longer needed their approval or acceptance.
2. Psychiatrists used to be considered the "go to" specialists for long term therapy. This was changing around the time I went to Medical School (in prehistoric times, e.g. 1979). At that time, the "medicalization" of psychiatry began to gain steam. Psychiatrists became, and still are viewed as, "medication doctors". Now, most patients, most colleague physicians, and all therapists - all of whom refer patients to you, assume and expect (and in some cases demand) that you prescribe on demand and limit your skills and work to medications only, leaving therapy to non-physician therapists. Many (probably most) psychiatrists are fine with this arrangement since it allows them to make more money and maintain a referral stream (important, unfortunately, in a private practice community). But it does severely limit one's scope of practice, and it reinforces the notion that all psychiatrists do is dole out drugs to people without listening to them (hard to do if one has to do 15 minute "medication check" appointments). The good news is that there is no rule whatsoever that requires psychiatrists to play into this. In fact, there is an emerging trend among younger psychiatrists in private practice to offer a full range of services, including psychotherapy (in which they are fully trained, in spite of what some therapists tell their clients to the contrary), and intentionally avoid the "split treatment" or "multi-disciplinary" model of treatment currently utilized in most other settings (psychiatrists do meds, therapists do therapy). You can practice any way you want as a psychiatrist, although if you join a corporate practice or similar large group, you will likely be pressured into prescribing on demand and not doing therapy, while in private practice you are freer to do so.
3. Psychiatrists end up working with many patients who are unstable, more so than the type of patients most therapists in private practice prefer to see. Accordingly, a psychiatrist is at higher risk to have patients commit suicide or engage in violent behavior, landing themselves in a correctional facility, or possibly being stalked or assaulted by a patient. This is an occupational hazard of psychiatric practice, but fortunately is rare. To put it in perspective though, all physicians experience situations where their patients die unexpectedly or abruptly and without warning, even pediatricians. A psychiatrist who is well trained and perceptive will likely have fewer setbacks because psychiatric patients usually signal their intentions verbally or non-verbally - it is often that the psychiatrist fails to "hear" or "read" the intention, so a well trained and perceptive psychiatrist has an advantage over their peers.
4. Finally, one's family can suffer some from the stigma of being related to a psychiatrist. I know it was hard for my wife (and still is sometimes) for her to tell others what I do for a living because she knows how they are likely to react. It was hard for my kids too, although for the most part when they were younger and I believe now as adults, they view me as their dad and nothing different, and are very proud of the fact that their dad is a psychiatrist. When they were younger and more concerned about peer acceptance, however, I taught them to tell their friends, when asked, that their dad was a "neuropharmacologist". This wasn't a lie, so they weren't in the position of lying, yet it was basically a deceptive half truth. But it helped them avoid being shunned because of what I did for a living, since "neuropharmacologist" makes people think of a person in a white coat in a lab conducting complex experiments vs. what they would think and ridicule them for if they said "psychiatrist" , e.g. a befuddled, dissheveled, confused man with a pipe, sweater, and a note pad "analyzing" dreams.
Let me know if you have other questions. You are a brave person to ask this question and I am honored to have had the chance to answer it based on my experience! Good luck in your next steps!
Thank you, Gregory!
Jayleen
Aisha Taylor
Mortgage Closing Specialist
464
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Aisha’s Answer
Hello Jayleen,
Being a part of the psychiatry profession is indeed a challenging yet rewarding journey. Each day, you get the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals dealing with mental health issues. However, these interactions can sometimes be emotionally intense, which may lead to feelings of exhaustion or even secondary trauma over time. This could potentially impact your job satisfaction in the long run.
Striking a balance between your professional responsibilities and personal life is essential, especially for psychiatrists. This can be particularly tricky during the initial stages of your career and residency, given the demanding nature of the job and unpredictable work hours. These factors may sometimes restrict your personal time and self-care activities.
Being a part of the psychiatry profession is indeed a challenging yet rewarding journey. Each day, you get the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals dealing with mental health issues. However, these interactions can sometimes be emotionally intense, which may lead to feelings of exhaustion or even secondary trauma over time. This could potentially impact your job satisfaction in the long run.
Striking a balance between your professional responsibilities and personal life is essential, especially for psychiatrists. This can be particularly tricky during the initial stages of your career and residency, given the demanding nature of the job and unpredictable work hours. These factors may sometimes restrict your personal time and self-care activities.
Thanks for the advice.
Jayleen
Rita Chuang
Physician
189
Answers
Henderson, Nevada
Updated
Rita’s Answer
I am not a Psychiatrist but I'm a family practice doctor.
The negatives of being a doctor are the length of time in school and student loan debt. It's hard when you need to study and your friends are socializing. When you do your training, you work very long hours. Medicine is getting more difficult because the insurance companies have paid the same amount to me for the last 20 years which means you need to work harder to make the same money. This may be different if you work for a company. You often put your patients before yourself which means that you will also be putting your family behind your patients.
For me, previously they would give me 15 minutes per patient which is very little time so that's why you are often behind.
I recommend every premed student work as a scribe. This gives you a glimpse of what your life will be like as a doctor. If you don't enjoy it, then you did not waste time and money to go to medical school.
The negatives of being a doctor are the length of time in school and student loan debt. It's hard when you need to study and your friends are socializing. When you do your training, you work very long hours. Medicine is getting more difficult because the insurance companies have paid the same amount to me for the last 20 years which means you need to work harder to make the same money. This may be different if you work for a company. You often put your patients before yourself which means that you will also be putting your family behind your patients.
For me, previously they would give me 15 minutes per patient which is very little time so that's why you are often behind.
I recommend every premed student work as a scribe. This gives you a glimpse of what your life will be like as a doctor. If you don't enjoy it, then you did not waste time and money to go to medical school.
Thank you for the advice.
Jayleen
Michael Henson
Retired
41
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Michael’s Answer
When choosing a career, you should choose one that sparks a desire in you! Any position that you choose should do that! There are people who chose a career or position based on what it pays, then there are those who choose a career that will ignite the spark inside of them!
Psychiatrists are some of those people whose spark was ignited by that profession! Your own personal life choices can make or break you in any career choice! The first step in any choice is to research the choices, ( there are many tools you can use to do the research)! In any career choice there are good and bad events that may arise! Your interest in psychiatry says that you have a deep passion to do wonderful things in the life of people you may come in contact with!
To be as effective as you can in your career choice, you must first understand yourself first and foremost! Self care usually protects you from any negative consequence's that may arise.. Realizing what it is that can cause emotions and feelings in you is critical for you to understand before you can help others. That way if you encounter a situation that may be troubling to you all you need to do is refer back to how you managed the situation and use the experience to guide and direct the person who you are in the position to help!
There are no perfect situations without trials and tribulations! You may find that you were born to answer questions that were never addressed before! Constant study of your career choice ensures that you will be the most effective and up to date psychiatrist on the planet.
Looking at any situation as a challenge is the key to becoming the greatest psychiatrist ever! The mind is the most complex and powerful part of the human body! As a psychiatrist you will be able to learn so many fascinating things that have made people wonder for centuries! Perhaps in your studies you uncover the key to making all people happy and content in just being human!
By focusing on the positive in any situation will guarantee you that should a negative situation present itself in your work, you can analyze it and turn it into a positive experience! Once you have been successful in helping one person, it becomes a natural way of doing business and seeing the growth you helped someone realize in their life is like the icing on a cake.
I am sure that you have in you all that it takes to make your career choice the best thing any person could ever dream of!
Psychiatrists are some of those people whose spark was ignited by that profession! Your own personal life choices can make or break you in any career choice! The first step in any choice is to research the choices, ( there are many tools you can use to do the research)! In any career choice there are good and bad events that may arise! Your interest in psychiatry says that you have a deep passion to do wonderful things in the life of people you may come in contact with!
To be as effective as you can in your career choice, you must first understand yourself first and foremost! Self care usually protects you from any negative consequence's that may arise.. Realizing what it is that can cause emotions and feelings in you is critical for you to understand before you can help others. That way if you encounter a situation that may be troubling to you all you need to do is refer back to how you managed the situation and use the experience to guide and direct the person who you are in the position to help!
There are no perfect situations without trials and tribulations! You may find that you were born to answer questions that were never addressed before! Constant study of your career choice ensures that you will be the most effective and up to date psychiatrist on the planet.
Looking at any situation as a challenge is the key to becoming the greatest psychiatrist ever! The mind is the most complex and powerful part of the human body! As a psychiatrist you will be able to learn so many fascinating things that have made people wonder for centuries! Perhaps in your studies you uncover the key to making all people happy and content in just being human!
By focusing on the positive in any situation will guarantee you that should a negative situation present itself in your work, you can analyze it and turn it into a positive experience! Once you have been successful in helping one person, it becomes a natural way of doing business and seeing the growth you helped someone realize in their life is like the icing on a cake.
I am sure that you have in you all that it takes to make your career choice the best thing any person could ever dream of!
Thank you so much, Michael!
Jayleen