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PSYCHIATRIST Modern life is full of tension and pressures. There is the constant need to get ahead, to earn more and to live up to expectations of others, for this everybody is struggling a lot. There is stress at every corner. While most people are able to deal with the situation, in others it takes the form of an illness. Trained professionals are required to deal with both minor and major problems of emotional disorders. Psychiatry is the branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of mental illness. It has two major branches The first is psychotherapy, the application of psychological techniques to the treatment of mental illnesses. This branch uses non-drug therapies and will not use physical techniques such as drugs or surgery. Tools of psychoanalysis are used and the psychologist will try to probe into the psyche of a person by helping him to open up. The second branch is psychiatry, where medical therapies are used and the attack is made on the organic source of the disease. The physical and behavioural symptoms are diagnosed. Drugs and other means may be used for treatment. A psychiatrist has to be a doctor. One should do MS in psychiatry after the MBBS to become one. Thus, one can get into the profession either from the arts stream or the science stream. A person wanting to make a career in this line must decide which area he wants to get into. Career Paths For the first, the career path will be doing BA with psychology and honors in psychology, leading to MA in psychology, with training in clinical psychology. One can start working in a hospital after doing the course. But that is not all. New avenues are opening up. The first is counselling. Many schools employ counsellors these days, who provide educational counselling and deal with personal problems as well. A diploma in counselling is offered by the NCERT. The second avenue for growth is in industry. As the area of human resources has been growing, so is the demand for trained people who can understand and deal with people. Industries recognise that the human resource is very valuable and must be managed well. A diploma or degree in personnel management will help if one plans to go in industry. Finally, one can work in social orgnaisations providing help to people. For the second career path is to become a qualified psychiatrist. This means that you must be a doctor and do your MS in psychiatry after your MBBS. The MD usually takes three years and a person has to write a thesis on a particular topic under the guidance of a supervisor. One could also do a Diploma in Psychiatric medicine (DPM) from a recognised institute to become a qualified psychiatrist. This takes two years and a thesis does not have to be written. Some of the important institutes are the national Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore and the Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. One can study psychiatry at the important medical colleges such as the AIIMS, New Delhi, the PGI Chandigarh, and other medical colleges all over the country. There is of course, an integral relationship between both the streams: most hospitals have both clinical psychologists and psychiatrists on their teams. This is because mental disease may be caused by negative thoughts or changes in the brain's biochemistry. There are thus two distinct career paths leading to the career. One can be an arts student and study psychology or one can join the scineces stream and take the medical route. Scope
The career of a psychiatrist is becoming important because of the social cost arising from mental problems. In industry, it could be absenteeism and alcoholism. Psychiatrists may also be called upon to deal with problems related to children and in some cases, solve adjustment problems in marriages. In extreme cases, a person may acquire suicidal tendencies. As people are realising the social costs arising from such illnesses, the importance of the psychiatrist will undoubteldy increase. Contrary to popular belief, even young children suffer from such problems. Child psychology is becoming a separate discipline now. Again, during the age of 13 to 18 years, an individual faces a period of great changes and emotional turmoil. This is usually a passing phase and 80 per cent of the people are able to get over it without major complications. The others may develop problems that may be a cause of concern later in life. Add to this the cultural changes taking place and the increasing pace of life and we find that the incidence of mental problems is increasing in the country. In some cases, psychiatrists have helped in fighting crime by mapping the criminal mind. This gives a lot of scope of growth for anyone in the profession. However, though awareness is growing, jobs are limited to hospitals. Even here, the post of psychiatrist does not exist upto the district level. Only at the State-level institutes are psychiatrists employed. One could go in for teaching, but again, opportunities are not really too many. Finally, one can open a private practice. This may flourish in a city, but in towns one will have to get over the social stigma attached to visiting a psychiatrist. This situation could change in years to come. An upcoming profession
A person going in for a career in mental health should be patient and have the intuition to understand people. One of the most important attribute of the job is the ability to listen. A counsellor must not jump to conclusions or give value judgements. A genuine desire to help others will result in success. A psychologist has to sit through hours of counselling and help get rid of stress, trauma and other anxieties. The profession is growing slowly and new applications are opening up. Of course there is a long way to go before it gets as much importance in the developed nations. Gradually, things are changing. University departments have to accept the challenge and make their orientation more towards the needs of the real world. Medical professionals, on the other hand, can be absorbed in hospitals or take up teaching assignments in medical colleges. |