What we’ve said about Psychiatric training

“You've got to know your algorithm. If you don't know your algorithm, you won't know when to deviate. You won't be able to have it in your head immediately and ready to use. There's been some discourse, I think, on Twitter these days about crystallized knowledge”

“I would recommend when you start out doing everything the same way every time because that helps build a habit first once you do that you'll be able to deviate more from the interview process”

“I would recommend using the rating scales, doing them relatively robotically to start if it makes you comfortable, and understand that over time you'll get more and more comfortable and those things will get into your brain”

“if you have not read through all the dsm-5 you should do so because each diagnosis has a differential diagnosis section under the diagnostic criteria that can help you really strengthen your core knowledge”

“You memorize the criteria to pass the exams and you assume that means you understand something. But the real learning is in the surrounding texts and in the formulations, not these checklists' criterias”

“I don't think the DSM is actually limited. I think people's understanding of the DSM is limited. They've probably never even read under other specified bipolar disorder where they talk about subthreshold hypomania”

“the way I think about it is I learn a lot about psychopathology and pathology, and then I cram it into the little boxes of the DSM. To me, that's the healthiest way to do it”

“especially when you're starting out and you don't have a ton of experience, it's best to just follow the rules relatively strictly. And I think something like a hug is something that should only be done or violated once you have a lot of experience”

“My advice to the interns is stick with doctor. It's not about your ego. It's not about anything like that. It's to erect a role where it's that i'm in charge of your treatment and i'm here for your good”

“the temperament of a therapist typically is open, accepting, non-confrontational. And if you don't have this good conceptualization of the importance of setting boundaries, I see early therapists and psychiatrists really struggle with setting boundaries”

“To me, it's the most practical training. And I feel like I approach, I use the skills so much in medication management in not just therapy”

“your patient's not really here. So, you know, if you're worried they're going to explode or crumble, if you say this, they won't because they're not really here, but we can play with it”

“if you can do this under the pressure of your peers watching, that's how you prepare yourself to do this in a high pressured situation with a patient”

“the more mistakes you're making, the more you're learning, period. So like in group supervisions, in these things, like ask dumb questions, ask questions that you think like I should know this already”

“people need to have a deeper understanding of the personality and how it's conceptualized and what the borderline conditions are not just the stereotype versions”

“Knowing pop culture, media, art, and just general culture, that is so important to doing psychiatry correctly”

“The problem is that you build your foundational psychiatric knowledge on the most severe cases. So I see a lot of practitioners who think that if it's not severe, near psychotic bipolar, it's not bipolar”

“they may not adequately consider or have knowledge about the basic theory and concept and the frame of how these kinds of different techniques and therapies are utilized”

“just because I read a paper on some deep psychoanalysis three times a week and how that therapist responded to sexual transference doesn't mean I do a half-baked attempt at recreating what that intervention was”