|
Psychiatry?
I'm thinking about studying to be a psychiatrist. I think psychology is SO interesting and I think it's fascinating how the human mind works, etc etc etc.
But I'm not great with people. I suck at small talk. I'm just SO awkward around people I don't / barely know.
So does being a psychiatrist require one to be a people person? Or is there some branch in the field that doens't?
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Work & School category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Colleges & Universities?
Also beware that a degree in psychology would be shorter than a psychiatric degree, as psychiatrists have to go through medical school and then do an additional 2 years on top of that for the psychiatric/medication education. About 13 years after your bachelors, in all. And, something that's not well known, M.D.'s often look at Psychiatrists as being inferior d/t the myth that if you couldn't make the grind to become a doctor after all those years of study, you could go to school 2 more years and become a psychiatrist.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Psychologists, about 5-7 years after your bachelors's.
]
Not necessarily. The main branch which requires some degree of people interaction on a very regular basis is clinical psychiatry. This is the therapy/diagnosis part of the spectrum where you meet people and help them with their issues. It is, however, almost entirely one on one.
There's more than psychiatry (the specific dealing with mental illness) to psychology though.
Psychiatrist is exactly what you think it is, but there's also clinical psychologist. Psychiatrist is actually a M.D. You can proscribe medicine and have to go through medical school. Psychologists can just get a specific doctorate in psychology, and this is the general therapy area. Group counseling is an example of psychological therapy, the psychologist specializes more in applying skills to life and self discovery where someone has issues which do not require medication. Marital counseling is another example of this, where they're not likely going to be giving out xanex for a condition, yet there is a need for a professional who understands how people work to guide a couple to some insights they can't reach on their own.
There's also applications like profiling, which would be much less people-based. Profiling is a less common career, but not unheard of.
There's also experimental psychology. This is the generally least people interaction focused, because your role here is an observer who is outside the goings on. This is the area where new discoveries are made, people study and hypothesize and test. The work can be interesting, you do research to try to better understand the mind, but often such a position is either linked to work in psychiatry with patients, or linked to a teaching career at a university.
Teaching is, of course, another avenue.
A side comment before I go. Don't be so quick to label who and what you are. You're obviously young, probably under 20. You're thinking about small talk as an example, but that's not what it would be like for you. Small talk is people trying to relate to, understand, and like each other on equal footing. Being a doctor with the knowledge and experience to help people is quite another. When you have learned all of the things you need to know, you will be an authority on the kind of interactions we're talking about. It won't be an intimidating possibility, it's a situation where you're confident in your abilities and information and are using them to aid someone who's come to you for help.
Alot easier to do what needs to be done when you know what you're doing. Don't write it off just because you've got some shy tendencies.
]
Do you have to be a people person? Yes and no.
I have, in my time, met psychiatrists who were not the "people person" type. I'm sure they were very successful, but they were terrible doctors. In order to get the maximum out of treatment, the patient has to be able to really let go and tell the psych everything. I know that if I don't like my psychiatrist, I'll omit details, or flat-out lie sometimes.
You can get into research, but that's more psychology than psychiatry. A psychologist studies the functioning of the brain. A psychiatrist studies and treats mental disorders. You could probably get into psychology instead.
]
Psychiatry is a branch of medical school that focuses on the mind/brain. It is likely that you would be seeing patients and need to be able to speak with them and be open minded and show compassion. The difference between psychology and psychiatry is that a psychiatrist is a medical doctor and does things that M.D's do. You could work in the psychiatric department of a hospital. You could specialize in particular psychiatric disorders and treat patients with these disorders.
In general... whether you study psychology or psychiatry... you need to be able to counsel patients.
That being said... you sound young. If you love this field enough to go into it in college and continue throughout, you are going to have so much training and life experience by the time you are done that your awkwardness will melt away. It is AMAZING the difference in most people from age 18 to age 30, etc. I don't know how old you are... but I am pretty certain that after 8+ years of college, training, rotations, clinicals, residencies... etc., you will be a changed person :) You may end up being like MOST of us and be studying something related to psychiatry in school and realize you want to change your track. This happens ALL the time.
Do what you love. Thats what keeps us happy in life.
]
If you really enjoy psychology but do not like to communicate with people, then you could simply go into the researching side of it. That way you can't just study it, without having to really communicate with the patients.
Hope I Helped :)
]
More Questions: |