Is psychiatry a dying field?

Question

Is it? I plan to do a psychiatric residency, but I've heard that it may not be around for long. If it is, should I consider neuropsychiatry or just neurology? Is neuropsychiatry a dying field since it also has "psychiatry" in its name?

Answer 1

I think psychiatry will be around for a long time, but it's obsessed with pill pushing alongside a corrupt capitalist pharmaceutical industry pushing drugs that clearly don't fix the ACTUAL root of the problem.

I would avoid psychiatry like the plague.  Become a psychotherapist instead or a neurologist.  These are respectable sciences.

In 100 years time people will look back on psychiatrists with the equivalent as we do to ancient tribes that drilled holes in peoples heads to alleviate a headache by letting the evil spirits out.

Answer 2

There is an organic basis for every psychiatric ailment. Sigmund Freud was defeated by psycho  pharmacology . Psychiatry has a future.

Answer 3

Interesting question. I am a Psychiatrist (but I mostly do research now). I can tell you without hesitation that it is not a dying field. There are more patients now than ever. Someone told me that Psychiatry dels with people that do not fit into Society, so even if we 'cure' schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression on the same day, there will always be someone in need.

Whether or not psychiatrists are 'pill pushers' is a much harder question to answer. I think there is little doubt that we over medicate certain diagnoses- pediatric Bipolar comes to mind right away. The much harder question is what do you offer people instead of medication. Most states and insurance companies will not pay for psychotherapy, tutors, case management, better parents, etc.... Often times the only thing you have to offer a patient is medication.

Neurology is an intersting field but they specialize in motor and sensory systems and that is just not intellectually stimulating in most cases. Neurologists have moved in the direction of maximum procedures (MRI's, EMG's, etc..) to make more money. Psychiatry is the only field left in medicine where you can talk to people about what actually bothers them...

Answer 4

Go for neurology. We need more of those neurologists in the world.