IS PSYCHIATRY A SCARY SPECIALTY? | Ask a Psychiatry Doctor

Psychiatry might seem scary to some people, but actually, its a really safe and really interesting medical specialty. We do a lot of good. I think a psych ward is often more safe that a saturday night in the emergency department.

However, our past (where we haven't been so good) means that people can be frightened of seeing a psychiatrist. Thinking we just going to section them for example.

Some doctors are scared of patients with mental illness and of psych wards, thinking their places where lots of violence occurs. That's far from the truth. Our patients are ill with conditions that are treatable, though occasionally, people can feel threatened when mentally ill and act out aggressively. Because we know this is a risk, we're really good at spotting the signs early and de-escalating the problem.

[tsukiyakikid]

I have anxiety and I panic alll the time, but your voice is super calming. It doesn't fix the entire panic thing but it helps.

[dragon]

When in year 9, I got called into our school councillor because the staff thought I was suicidal. I wasn't at the time but I definitely was anxious and I had isolated myself from my classmates because I hadn't been able to make any healthy friendships so I thought it was about that. All of the staff were tasked with trying to talk to me but none of them did, either because they were too scared to or they just didn't care enought to. *SIX MONTHS* down the line was when I finally got called in. The councillor essentially bursted out crying when I entered the room and I had to be the calm one and explain that I wasn't. She criticized me and told me not to waste her time. My next class was with my favourite teacher and she got really scared when I tried to explain why I was late to class. I decided I wanted to be psychologist/ psychaitrist that day.
I was kind of worried that my personality wouldn't fit psych wards because I'm quite jumpish. This video reminded me that I started this journey so that I could minimise anyone else having to deal with uneducated adults when you feel so vulnerable and scared.

[JaneMatison]

Thank you Dr Elliott! I'm starting my career as Psych Registered Nurse next week! During my degree so many nurses (including educators) told me not to do it and it's not real nursing, but I can't wait!

[CatSingerB]

Thank you for your positivity. I'm a biologist and I have a history of healthcare related work close to doctors. Your rationality, openness and what you preach are a breath of fresh air for a very frustrated patient and co-worker alike!

[mastrotube]

Are you not scared of developing secondary trauma responses to your patients stories?Does listening to your patient emotionally drains you?If yes, how do you avoid that?

[carrat]

As a person with MDD I've been hospitalized before following an episode, it's really scary. Thanks for talking about this stuff.

[starlight]

I really want to specialise into psychiatry, I’m in my final year of medical school right now. There’s so much stigma associated with mental illnesses even in the medical field that when I express my interest in this field my peers are like “why, are you mentally ill?” :/
Like you can only care about illnesses if you personally experience them.

[hakimej]

Thank Elliott you for this video, it is calming to have words put on fear. Another factor that could be at play in making psychiatry scary: the same way a lot of people won't go and swim the same way in the sea after they have watched the film Jaws, a lot of people might become scared of mental illness after having watching plenty of horror movies depicting it in a "scary way". I have the impression that the impact of media in creating societal traumas is heavily underestimated and unfortunately people fearing mental illness might be one of the numerous consequences of that...

[buildtherobots]

Thank you for pointing out that many patients are scared or distressed. I feel like many psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals often forget or are oblivious to the distress of their patients, especially when they are seeking help.

As someone who was first referred to psychiatry while in undergraduate university and also stuck with a choice of four psychiatrists that I was allowed to see, I didn't have a very positive idea of psychiatrists for a long time and wondered if it was just the ones hired by the school or if most psychiatrists were just weird in general. I have since been able to mostly rise above forming an opinion before actually meeting the doctor in person. Oddly enough my change in attitude was catalyzed by a time period of desperation combined with an insurance provider that was not able to deliver the available appointments and ease of access they promised in contract.
I'm happy to say that I have since had some very positive experiences working with psychiatrists and have found a doctor who is empathetic to the challenges of getting care.

[jewel]

I have seen a psychiatrist for over 20 years. My husband surprised me with a divorce after a long term marriage. My parents and siblings never spoke to me again for getting that type of help. I went to a private Charter Centennial hospital. We had a back yard full of logs and ropes where we had to do tasks while doing it together. It was so special and was just outside Boulder, Colorado.

[missybayonette]

I don’t have much experience about acute situations but the stigma is something I have come across in different ways.
Years ago I had the privilege to
attend training for new police constables in the UK where the topic was mental illness. The trainer who was a seasoned sergeant made a specific point about media after asking the trainees whether they thought people with schizophrenia were a danger. As he said ‘ which is going to sell more newspapers: ‘schizophrenic man kills family with an axe’ or ‘a man with schizophrenia holds down a boring job, has dinner with his family and hides from his in the garden eating chocolate?’ And it’s the latter that’s frequently true. People who have severe mental illnesses are often just as boring as those without. Jobs, families, hobbies....they just deal with something requiring management.

I later worked in the courts system dealing with detained people myself and several of them came through one particular state hospital. Apart from one person who had to be escorted with the aid of the Police and the nursing team by their side because they could not stabilize certain aspects of his behaviour, there was not much to note. The reputations and the diagnoses certainly were scary, but the actual interactions not so much.

[venetianjack]

I would love to have a discussion with you, as a male who’s been in and out of therapy for over 30 years. Yes it is scary and nearly traumatizing because when I seek help all anyone seems to want to do is fill me up on pills and never actually sit down to talk. It’s next to impossible to get a psychologist but a psychiatrist is a dime a dozen out here in the states.

[brookejackson]

As someone who has been hospitalized it definitely can be scary. I've also been very fortunate to have good providers. I've also had providers who I didn't like. One diagnosed me with BPD and didn't want to manage my medications because in his opinion I was just looking for attention.
I'm currently getting ECT and although I've been through that process multiple times it can still cause me anxiety. The whole short-term memory loss situation doesn't help with the anxiety but it's getting better the further apart the sessions are and I'm feeling better for the most part.
Thank you for this video. I enjoy learning new things and your videos are really interesting.

[aquious]

I asked my doctor to change my depression medication for 2 yrs, due to lessoning effectiveness and side effects and he refused, so I stopped taking them. When he found out, he discarded me from the mental health program. I did not refuse to take medication. I wanted agency in my treatment. There is no alternative for treatment where I live. I will never trust psychiatrists again.

[drshafrazkazia]

I Love this!! :) I think any junior doctor who is double minded about choosing Psychiatry NEEDS to watch this!!!

[JWAChicago]

I always get a lot out of your videos. Thank you for demystifying all of this. BTW -- good shirt. You look great.

[mekkio]

As someone who is interested on the subject as a whole, what books would you suggest as a kicking off point into psychiatry? I'd like to see a video on that. Thank you!

[stevenb]

"Bouncing around emotions", that's what I was trying to get across in my comment on the Poll. Now I just have to try and catch those good emotions bouncing around :D
Thoroughly enjoyable video, Thank you.

[beckag]

Love your videos! As someone whose experienced having to get mental health help and spending time in a mental health hospital. It can be scary at first but I had a really good experience everyone was so kind and wanting to help you one of the doctors was kinda mean but I only had to see him once (he told me I was a bad influence on my sister and told me I wasn’t a good sister for being there). I was in short stay one where it was low risk (don’t know if that’s the proper terminology).

It’s okay to be scared but it won’t be for very long and everything will get better. Some people don’t think their sick enough to get help because maybe their just a little sad or anxious I used to think that too but if you get help earlier the easier it is to get better. I waited too long but I hope of your reading this and feel even just a little bit anxious or depressed or is something is bothering you it’s okay to reach out.
7 Cups of Tea is a fee app and website where you can talk to a listener and it’s very helpful.

[eyeseajujubee]

I was really scared when I first went to see a psychiatrist because of the fear of them thinking I couldn’t manage my mental health issues and taking that autonomy away from me. In reality, she referred me to a biofeedback program that my therpaist didn’t even know about, and ended up providing me with an integral coping tool for my anxiety.