Anyone here a psychiatrist?

what is it like? is it fun, cause I may want to b one 4 kids, a good idea? is it better to go for one for adults?(I think not...) what do you do? how much do you get paid? when you aren't talking to patients, what do you do? is there a lot of paperwork?...

do you really do that ink paints thing when you ask plp what they think it is?

Well ofcourse 4 years of undergrad...
Then there's a couple of options

1.masters in counseling (2 years), you earn about $60/70 an hour (this you have to pay for)

2. phd in counseling (5 years) - I think you earn maybe $90/95 an hour (tution is reimbured usually, but you get a low stipend every year)

3. phd in psychology (5 years + 1 year internship) - you earn anywhere from $110-150 an hour (tuition is reimbursed and you get a pretty good stipend) but you have to do a lot of research... write a lot of papers etc before you graduate

4. psyd (5 years) - you earn about the same as the phd in psychology. but you have to pay the tuition, it is high. There's only 2/3 schools that give scholarships, and these arent easy to get into. Also, you usually have to have work experience in a related field or a masters to get in (or be an amazing undergrad from a really good school), but all you do for 5 years is learn how to be a therapist...

lol, yeah, lots of options to choose from. When you start your undergrad you'll learn more about the options and what is best for you. Might I make a suggestion? Try and get some research experience asap, and volunteer at a place where you work with people (like a shelter or something). That way whatever path you choose, you're covered...

I've seen a psychiatrist and I am planning on getting a phd in psychology if that helps...
well first of all to become a psychiatrist you need to go to med school (4 years of undergrad, 4 years of med school, 4 years of residency and then a couple of years while you speacialize), so it's a long long journey...
there is always the option of becoming a psychologist... the only difference is you cant prescribe medication...
now what they do depends on the person. when you're working with kids, a lot of it could be assessments so basically trying to figure out if the kid has like a developmental disorder, or a language disorder etc... and also when you're working with kids, you're working with the family as a whole, not just the kid...
how much you get paid depends on what exactly you're doing... psychiatrists get paid about 250-500 an hour, psychologists, about 125-300 an hour...
again, the amount of paperwork depends on what you're doing, the assessments are A LOT of paperwork, the therapy part is a lot less...
the ink blot thing is a freudian thing, most psychologists dont use it, some psychiatrists do (but it really is rare now a days), and iyou obviously wouldnt be showing them to kids...

thanx, ty, very helpful, how long do you have 2 go 2 school 2 a psychologist??? just curious!

It's very challenging to work with kids. I am a counselor @ a group foster care home for teen females who were neglected and sexually abuse. Emotionally it takes a lot out of you, but at the same time it's fulfilling. It's a load of paper work and in this field to get a good paying job one has to go all the way with education and for a PhD you must attend medical school. I obtained my BA in Psychology and will be obtaining my BA in CRJ this summer because since this human services field sucks in pay I have decided to go to law school instead. In order to aid kids in a much more powerful role. As a psychiatrist you really can only aid them on one level and you don't have that much power and there are so many restrictions because of ethics. If you have a love for it then all these challenges shouldn’t be important, but you must identify them to see if it’s something that will fit into your future plans. For me I’m 26years old and am not willing to stop my life for medical school. I wish you the best and start volunteer work asap.

It's very challenging to work with kids. I am a counselor @ a group foster care home for teen females who were neglected and sexually abuse. Emotionally it takes a lot out of you, but at the same time it's fulfilling. It's a load of paper work and in this field to get a good paying job one has to go all the way with education and for a PhD you must attend medical school. I obtained my BA in Psychology and will be obtaining my BA in CRJ this summer because since this human services field sucks in pay I have decided to go to law school instead. In order to aid kids in a much more powerful role. As a psychiatrist you really can only aid them on one level and you don't have that much power and there are so many restrictions because of ethics. If you have a love for it then all these challenges shouldn’t be important, but you must identify them to see if it’s something that will fit into your future plans. For me I’m 26years old and am not willing to stop my life for medical school. I wish you the best and start volunteer work asap.

thanx so much 4 yur answer, this really helped!=D

I didn't even read anyone else's responses before I posted this so bear with me ok? You asked, "Is it fun" Ummm, I'm thinking no. I am just starting school to be a psyche major. No, it's not fun. It's dealing with people's inner most problems and thoughts. It takes a dedicated person to not walk away when they talk to 40+ women about how they were raped when they were a small child (or something to that point) But, don't let that discourage you from being a therapist or psychologist of any sort. If that is what you really want to do then I say go for it. But, if not? then try try again?