<p>Are any of you psychiatrists? Psychology has always intrigued me and it’s something that I’d be interested in pursuing a career in. I’m curious to know what it’s like to be one. I know there are some misconceptions of psychiatrists though. If your not one though, what are your thoughts regarding them? Would you believe that they are helpful, or more people who are trying to extract money from you? Ultimately, I’m still in high school, but I’m just ensuring that a possible profession that I might pursue is more beneficial to people than harmful. I suppose I need to undergo more courses and gain further experience regarding the profession, but I’d like to know what the parents of cc think.</p>
<p>I can’t answer many of your questions, but I will say that there are psychiatrists and pyschologists.</p>
<p>Psychiatrists are medical doctors. You must graduate from medical school and do additional years of internship and residency (about 4 more years). Psychiatrists can address physical causes of mental illness with medications, but they might also do research or psychotherapy.</p>
<p>Psychologists generally get their PhD or a PsyD, plus a couple of years’ residencies. They might be involved in research or therapy. Additionally, there are those who become licensed professional counselors. I believe that they usually get at least a master’s degree and 2 years supervised residencies in order to practice.</p>
<p>[Psychology</a> vs. Psychiatry: Which Is Better?](<a href=“http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/psychology-vs-psychiatry-which-is-better]Psychology”>Psychiatry, Psychology, Counseling, and Therapy: What to Expect)
[Ask</a> an Expert: Psychiatrist vs. Psychologist](<a href=“http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/29001.htm]Ask”>http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/29001.htm)</p>
<p>Doctoral programs in psychology, the PhD in clinical psychology or the PsyD, are difficult admits…harder to get into than medical school. Commonly, there are 200-400 applications and 8-15 will be accepted. High GPA, high GRE scores, research experience as an undergraduate are all expected as a minimum. Good luck.</p>
<p>^^O right! Sorry, I meant psychiatry in my post. (I can’t edit it now) Thanks for the links though!
^O really? Wow, I hadn’t acknowledged that factor. I had no idea it was harder to get into than medical school. Would it be better to put undecided for a major when applying to colleges? I only have a 3.8 at the moment(though I’m hoping this improves with the AP classes that I’m taking this year).</p>
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<p>My thoughts on them are as individual as the psychiatrists themselves. The psychiatrist who diagnosed my son when he was 4 was (and is) great and another who saw him a few years ago was (and is) fabulous; the psychiatrist who was trying to fit my son into a box that he didn’t belong in was not-so-great/not-so-fabulous, though very well-known in his specialty. (Some practitioners, whether psychologists or psychiatrists, fall into the “this is my specialty and I see it everywhere” hole IME.) Some are helpful, some try very hard to be helpful but aren’t (for whatever reason, some of which are not their fault at all), and others… well, not so much.</p>
<p>Kind of like any other profession, in other words.</p>
<p>O ok, I suppose you’re either good at what you do or not. I definitely want to be good at my job so I suppose I’ll find out in college. Thanks for giving your opinion!</p>