Like any other physical illness, mental illness has become very common. Studies suggest that one person in every four persons is suffering from some or the other kind of mental health problem every year.
Psychiatrists are medical practitioners who treat mental illnesses. They would effectively treat various behavioral, affective, cognitive, and perceptual abnormalities. A selfless person who is considerate of others finds themselves occupied with this profession. Because this stream of medicinal studies, apart from any other profession, requires a lot of patience and commitment towards the patients.
What does a Psychiatrist do?
Before taking the decision of becoming a Psychiatrist, every individual should ask themselves whether they want to be one. The work is very challenging especially when you have to deal with uncooperative or disoriented patients. So highly passionate and dedicated doctors can only exhibit their expertise in this specific profession.
Your vision to become a Psychiatrist can take twelve years of academic study along with clinical training, depending upon the specialization you are concentrating on. The following are the sub-specialization under psychiatry:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists: Those who have completed two years of fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry are eligible to be Child Psychiatrists. Though they are trained in treating patients in all age groups, their attention will be more gained by children and those in adolescence age.
- General Adult Psychiatrist: These people are capable of treating the whole spectrum of psychiatric disorders. Any kind of mental illness starting from mild distress to chronic mental disorders will be treated by these specialists.
Forensic Psychiatrists: These Psychiatrists are specialized in treating patients in prison or in forensic hospitals. They play a major role in evaluating the crime suspects to find out the underlying reason for their mental illness.
Geriatric Psychiatrist: As the name signifies, the Psychiatrists falling under this category treat the geriatric population. In addition to that, they also treat patients who suffer from dementia.
Addiction Psychiatrist: This category of Psychiatrists is specialized in treating people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs. They also help in the de-addiction of the patients too.
Consult Liaison Psychiatrist: Psychiatrists belonging to this category are well known as specialists in psychosomatic medicine. They mainly treat the mental health of patients, admitted to the hospital due to physical illness.
The skills required for being a Psychiatrist
All Psychiatrists are considered to be the primary caregivers in the mental health care field. To be an expert in this profession you need to possess certain interpersonal and cognitive skills to listen, understand and analyze the mind process of various types of patients. This helps to create a good rapport with the patients. The situations and circumstances of each patient will vary and hence the ability to figure out the required treatment is a necessity.
The path to practice as a Psychiatrist may look smooth but it is a profession for those who are really compassionate. A Psychiatrist should possess great observational skills to learn the behavior of the patient and analyze his thoughts. Then only he will be able to suggest an effective treatment or medication for the patient. There is a variety of methods for treating a psychiatric patient including counseling, psychotherapy, hospitalization, and medication. So only a good observer can suggest the apt treatment for each patient.
How can you become a Psychiatrist? – Just 5 steps to climb
- Bachelor’s degree
Earning a bachelor’s degree is the first step to becoming a Psychiatrist. While undergoing your studies at medical school, pay more attention to subjects like pre-med, physical science or psychology or a combination of the three.
Your course depends on the major you would like to choose. If you are planning to choose psychology as your major, then your coursework will be as follows:
- Developmental Psychology
- Personality Psychology
- Abnormal Psychology
- Life Science
- Statistics
- Biopsychology
- Ethics
Pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
Before joining medical school, you need to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). The test comprises three multiple-choice sections. A year before you join medical school, you need to take this test. An advantage of the MCAT is that in order to pass the test you can attempt it any number of times.
- Completion of M.D. or D.O. program
For the first two years, a Psychiatrist should undergo basic learning in various subjects like biology, anatomy, pathology and other science subjects. In the net half of your studies, you will have to work with other doctors and health experts in rotations. The doctors you need to assist will also be specialized in your specific field of study. Some students may opt to participate in research programs.
Mostly both M.D. and D.O. are the same. The only difference is that D.O. contains information on osteopathic manipulative medicine. The coursework for these programs is the following:
- Psychopathology
- Behavioral Science
- Psychiatry Clerkship
- Do your residency
After the schooling, you have to attend a residency program that lasts for four years in a hospital or a clinic. During this period you will be under the supervision of a licensed Psychiatrist. This program will help you gain hands-on training on what you have learned from your medical school.
- Applying for Board Certification
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) offers board certification. In order to get certified, every candidate should pass the computerized examination. Every individual is supposed to renew their certificate every ten years. The number of attempts for the exams is not limited.
Psychiatrists can get certification in general psychiatry or else choose any of the subspecialties like geriatric, forensic, addiction, or adolescent psychiatry. General psychiatric topics are also covered in the test. Those topics are:
- Developmental psychology
- Child abuse
- Diagnostic procedures
- Behavioral sciences
- Public policy
- Psychiatric disorders