Currently, the profession of a psychiatrist is one of the most important. An own plane of intelligence conditions its importance and seriousness. Today, the modern world makes a person develop much faster than it used to five to ten years ago. A vast amount of information can cause a variety of mental disorders, and a person may not even know about the disorders for many years. Thus, these disturbances will have an adverse impact on an individual's life. The profession of psychiatrist requires serious training because knowledgeable people can transform people’s lives. The occupation of a psychiatrist is important in medicine because many physical illnesses are psychosomatic in nature. According to Bhugra et al. (p 417), this profession deals with diagnosis, prevention, management, origin of mental illness, behavioral and emotional disturbances.
History of the profession
The profession of a psychiatrist is relatively new though it has deep roots in the medical field. Hippocrates was the first to describe the psychiatric deviances. He explained them with the humoral theory of their origin. In the middle Ages, Avicenna suggested that physical disability in the brain relates to mental illness. Later, in 1803, the German physician Johann Christian introduced the term "psychiatry". There were many theories about the science of mental disorders at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, but two areas that are psychoanalysis and positivist approach occupied a particular place. Theory of the Unconscious (Beveridge 431) led to the School of Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud).
Professional Settings and Features
A good specialist in this profession provides a qualified medical assistance using approved modern methods of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, for use in medical practice. "Medical professionalism is linked to an occupation that regulates itself through systematic mandatory training and collegial disciplines". A professional also specifies the management of patients following the established rules and standards. One more necessary feature of a psychiatrist is to develop a plan of inspection of a patient, clarify the scope and methods of rational examination of a patient, to obtain complete and accurate diagnostic information in the shortest space of time. Psychiatrists can make a diagnosis based on clinical observations and investigations, anamnesis, clinical and laboratory data, and instrumental studies (Homer 3).
According to Malhi (254), a specialist appoints and supervises necessary treatment or organizes necessary diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, procedures and activities in accordance with the established rules and standards. Psychiatrists work in a number of settings, including psychiatric hospitals, neuropsychiatrist clinics in scientific centers, community agencies, university medical centres, nursing homes, courts and prisons, government, industry, rehabilitation programs, military settings, and emergency rooms. The salary level of a psychiatrist ranges from one hundred US Dollars to two hundred and seventy three US dollars, depending on location and experience (“Psychiatrist Salary” 1).However, higher incomes come from private practices.
Subsequently, the first stage of undergraduate and graduate medical education in the United States is four years of college where a student has the right to choose the items that he/she would study a semester. These students do not necessarily present in the classroom every day, as 3-4 days a week is enough. A future psychiatrist enrolls in medical school after college, based on interviews and tests. The training lasts four years and students have opportunities to choose any subjects of their choice. The medical students pass exams after the completion of a certain cycle of subjects for example surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry (Bhugra 420).
A graduate of the Medical Institute takes a doctors degree but without the right to practice, as it is essentially a master's degree. The degree certificate allows them to engage in research and teaching. To acquire right to work license for the medical profession, graduate students complete a residency, where the length of training for family physicians, pediatricians, and internists takes up three years. Additionally, it takes up to four years for neurologists, psychiatrists and other specialists. To obtain the right to work license, there is a fourth test, which students should pass during or after a residency. Students take the test for two consecutive days, eight hours and are dedicated to the rules of medical management (Malhi 257). A person should have certain personal qualities to become a full-fledged and successful psychiatrist. Similarly, stress resistance is one of the main qualities of a successful psychiatrist. In addition, one should be confident, have high self-esteem, as if a patient does not feel a personal power in his/her psychiatrist, he/she would not take an expert seriously.
Contemporary famous Representative of the Profession
"The phrase ‘‘I’m listening’’ used by the fictional character Dr Frasier Crane, epitomizes the popular perception of a psychiatrist as someone who essentially listens to the problems of patients" (Malhi 255). Thomas McGlashan (1942), who is a Doctor of Psychiatry at Yale University and the most famous modern psychiatrists, also shares the same sentiments. Dr. McGlashan is an honorary member of the Chestnut Lodge (Bentall 204). In 2006, the New York Times acknowledged Dr. Thomas McGlashan one of the most successful researchers in the treatment of schizophrenia. He is the author of numerous scientific articles and books, as well as the owner of a plurality of medical and social awards in the field of psychiatry (Bentall 206). His work has changed the understanding of psychiatry and he continues to work on some popular theories in the field of psychiatry. According to Bentall, many specialists know him by his famous research on "the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia and other mental disorders" (202). He reached his professional success in 1967 at the Medical University of Pennsylvania. He continues to work and develop his researches today.
Qualities of a Psychiatrist
One should refer activities of a clinical psychologist to the difficult professions. To begin with, a psychiatrist should be humane. A specialist has a responsibility to help a patient to recover. The main characteristics of a good psychiatrist are humanism, sense of duty, self-control, and conscientiousness. Clinical psychiatrist should have the data that are necessary for both psychology and medicine. However, one of the major ethical principles should be the principle of confidentiality or privacy. The principle contains information about diseases, intimate, and family life of a patient. In addition, the key feature of a qualified psychiatrist is the general and professional culture is self-discipline in work, neatness, and cleanliness. A person who wants to be a psychiatrist should know about the qualities that can prevent him or her from achieving professional success. These qualities are impressionable, excessive penchant for empathy, and self-doubt.
Conclusion
In sum, the profession of psychiatrist is one of the most complicated and respected medical professions. However, it is very valuable to society due to the increase in different information and changes in consciousness of the modern society. Every other person on the planet suffers from mental disorders, which indicated a need for such specialists.
Works cited
Bentall, Richard P. Doctoring the Mind: Is Our Current Treatment of Mental Illness Really Any Good?. New York, NY, USA: New York University Press (NYU Press), 2009. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 5 January 2016.
Beveridge, A. "Reading About . . . The History Of Psychiatry". The British Journal of Psychiatry 200.5 (2012): 431-433. Web.
Bhugra, D. et al. "EPA Guidance On The Role And Responsibilities Of Psychiatrists". European Psychiatry 30.3 (2015): 417-422. Web.
Horner, Michelle. Psychiatric Assessment. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Malhi, Gin S. "Professionalizing psychiatry: from ‘amateur’ psychiatry to ‘a mature’ profession." Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Oct. 2008: 255-257. Academic Search Alumni Edition. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.
“Psychiatrist Salary.” N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.
