Hey I want to be a psychiatrist but I don't no what subjects to take?

Question

Hey I want to be a psychiatrist but I don't no what subjects to take. I am 14 and I dont go to school im home tutored but I wood really like some help to what subjects to take to become a psychiatrist and please dont critasize this.

If you wood like to contact me here [e-mail]

Answer 1

do some research on the internet about 'qualifications' of a psychiatrist.

I dont' know if you know this, but lots of people get psychiatrist and psyhchologist mixed up.

A psychiatrist deals with MEDICINES for mentally, emotionally challenged people.

A psychologist does the counseling for the person.

Answer 2

Finish your high school education and then get help from your college school counselor. High school is about getting the basics down, college is where you'd make the decision to be a psychiatrist.

However, if you still want to know what's required of you in college (because most classes related to psychiatry are not available in high school or if you took them you wouldn't get credit) then try contacting a psychiatrist and ask if they can explain how they got to where they are now. And ask what their job involves from day to day, etc.

Also do a little research on your own. Are you looking to be a psychiatrist, a psychologist, or something else? Do you know what psychiatry really is? And what it requires and involves?

Psychiatrists are medical doctors and psychologists are not. The suffix "-iatry" means "medical treatment," and "-logy" means "science" or "theory." So psychiatry is the medical treatment of the psyche, and psychology is the science of the psyche.

Psychiatrists begin their careers in medical school. After earning their MD, they go on to four years of residency training in mental health, typically at a hospital's psychiatric department. After completing their residency, these physicians can be licensed to practice psychiatry.

Psychologists go through five to seven years of academic graduate study, culminating in a doctorate degree. They may hold a PhD or a PsyD. Those who are mainly interested in clinical psychology -- treating patients as opposed to focusing on research -- may pursue a PsyD. Licensing requirements for psychologists vary from state to state, but at least a one- or two-year internship is required to apply for a license to practice psychology.

As medical doctors, psychiatrists can do what most psychologists in the United States cannot: They can prescribe drugs. Psychiatrists in private practice spend their time with medication management and not psychotherapy. Other mental health providers usually do therapy sessions, and when they see a patient who could benefit from medication, they send the patient to a psychiatrist for an evaluation and possibly a prescription.

Clinical social workers (CSWs) are mental health professionals who have master's degrees in social work and have been licensed to practice psychotherapy after completing at least two years of clinical training.

There are also more professions related to the human mind, mental illness etc, including the science of creating new and better medications, human studies, etc.

It's an admirable choice and best of luck to you!

Answer 3

To get into psychiatry, you have to qualify as a medical doctor first.

You need to do A-levels in subjects traditionally thought of as difficult, generally i think Maths, Physics and Chemistry.  Oddly, you don't need to do Biology.  You also need top grades in those and to do them in one sitting, that is, don't do one, then another the next year and so on.  In order to do them, many people would recommend doing the appropriate GCSEs first, which in your case would probably be the international GCSEs (IGCSEs) which have no coursework element, as this would allow you to do them as exams alone.  An alternative would be O-levels, as these are more academic and also have no coursework element, but they are harder to organise because they are not popular.  IGCSEs can be done at friendly schools and colleges which allow you just to sit the exams.  Our local home ed children use a couple of private mainstream grammar schools and the local Montessori sixth form college to do this.  There is a funding issue with the local authorities doing A-levels before sixteen.

Another option is to skip A-levels entirely and do Open University courses in the appropriate subjects.  I've heard the OU aren't terribly co-operative in this respect, and because of the pretty basic level of their courses, you use them as a way of getting entry rather than as bits of a first degree.

Another way might be to get testimonials written for you instead of qualifications.  Whatever you decide, it would probably be a good idea to contact medical schools first to find out what they want.

One other thing.  Are you sure you want to be a psychiatrist rather than a clinical psychologist, clinical neuropsychologist or a psychotherapist?  These have their own routes in and the work can be substantially similar, but the subjects you choose could be different.  However, if you do the "hard" subjects, it would probably help anyway with doing the degrees you would need for the psychological professions.

Answer 4

To begin with, Psychiatrists are certified as medical doctors, so your preparation right now should be the same as anyone trying to get accepted into Med School: lots of science and maths, human development courses, psychology classes, etc. In med school you will have to learn about drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, so study (and learn to love!) chemistry now!  The best "shrinks" are good with people, so working on your interpersonal skills -- listening more than you talk, sincerely caring about what makes others happy, angry, sad, frustrated -- will put you on a good path!

More formally, the Educational requirements are:

A psychiatrist must have an M.D. or D.O. degree from an accredited school of medicine or osteopathy (or international equivalent) and must complete at least 4 years of accredited residency training, including a minimum of 3 years in psychiatry. Subspecialty board certification requires additional training. Board-certifiable subspecialties include child and adolescent psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry.

Additional areas of interest that psychiatrists may pursue include the following:

    * Addiction psychiatry

    * Clinical neurophysiology

    * Forensic psychiatry

    * Neurodevelopment delays

    * Pain management

Also, some interesting books that you can read right now that will give you some insight into psychiatry are:

"Locked Inside" by Nancy Werlin

"Ordinary People" by Judith Guest (Read this first!!)

"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

"The Silent Boy" by Louise Lowry

Hope this gets you started! Good luck!