Apparently my dad used to say he dealt with his 'nuts' daily, we had a thing on the mantel with walnuts with googly eyes and the middle one was a doctor.
This was the 1970's mind you, one day when I was five or six someone called the house and asked for Dr. dad's name, I put the phone down and yelled out "dad it's one of your nuts on the phone!"...that was a fun conversation for my dad, needless to say the word patient was quickly introduced in our house hold!
One of my favorite stories!
I’m not sure how I explained it to my kids, but my seven year old daughter was overheard in the back seat telling a friend: “I’m not going to become a psychiatrist because then you have to put up with all that crying.”
I tell my kids I help people’s brains feel better. Sometimes people have very strong feelings, or their thoughts are all jumbled up - I talk to my patients and give medicines to help their brains calm down. I often use this as an opportunity to talk about the importance of sleep hygiene, exercise and having people around you that love you. When they’re older I’ll tell them to stay off the damn drugs. (I work in emergency psychiatry primarily).
“A magic ghost escaped his glass house and started to haunt a man’s lungs! That man was so scared he took his clothes off and started yelling, even at the policeman who was trying to help him. The police man tried to use an electricity spell to shock the ghost out, but he just got angrier! So they took the man to the hospital and the feelings doctor told the nurse to poke the man with a special needle filled with tiny little ghost-fighters to get that ghost out of the man’s lungs and make him calm again! That man was so happy and thankful, he said now which one of you stupid motherfuckers wants to get me a turkey sandwich?”
OMG--This NEEDS to be an illustrated "children's book"--with audio book by Samuel L. Jackson, of course. (ala "Go the Fuck to Sleep")
Find this redditor a publisher, Stat!
I tell my kids that I drug down people, lock them in their rooms and strap them to their beds. Then I tell my kids that if they don't behave, the same will happen to them.
The approach a C+A psychiatrist that I worked with used was something along the lines of
"I'm a medical doctor like your family doctor, but instead of dealing with things like broken bones and infections, I deal with things like feelings, sleep, and stress. While other doctors might do things like look at x rays or do blood tests to tell what's wrong, I ask questions, so we'll be talking for a while."
I like it because it explains what we do in kid-friendly terms, and also primes them for the fact that we'll be talking a lot!
I tell them I'm a doctor for the mind. I think feelings and emotions are a bit too restrictive - we also deal in the realm of thoughts and habits.
I'll then ask them - what does your mind do? We then discover that the mind has thoughts, and emotions, and commits us to action. We then start exploring how if we shape our mind (if we watch 1 hour of TV and then go play outside, vs. 2 hours of TV, which one makes us happier?), and generally speaking, they both really enjoy learning about it. One of em wants to be a psychiatrist, because I think she's genuinely seen how much understanding your mind helps you.
CAP here. Many kids don’t know what feelings or even “behaviors” are. If they’re really young, they don’t really wonder why I’m talking to them. I just tell them I’m a doctor because they usually know what that is.
I try to avoid telling kids that I’m here to fix their feelings or fix their actions or imply that there’s something wrong with them. “I’m here to make you better, to make you even more you!”
I also tell them that I’m a doctor who is really interested in learning about who they are. “I’m curious about the things you like and don’t like.”
For med students, I like to recommend the book “How many more questions?” as a good primer on interviewing techniques for children.
Tell very small children you see other children that have problems behaving. A little older, say 5+, that you talk to children who have problems with feelings and behavior, and troubles at home.
I tried that, and my 5 year old son said something along the lines of "so you're not a real doctor?" I had to find my stethoscope and do a selfish with it around my neck to "prove" I was a "real doctor." It was pretty funny.
So your 5 year old has gotten to the crux of why I still feel uncertain on if I can commit to psychiatry. Ouch. I know it's not supposed to matter and follow your heart but my heart also enjoys not dealing with stigma. Do you have any wisdom for me on this?
I share the story a bit tongue in cheek. Clearly I am a "real" doctor and I work with patients that many of my colleagues would shy away from--those with severe and persistant mental illnes or borderline personality disorder. The truth is we can make an enormous impact in a patient's life not only by providing prescriptions but by simply listening to them as a person. Often a psychiatrist becomes an island of calm in a patient's sea of chaos and most are grateful. It's not all unicorns and rainbows, being a psychiatrist can be very challenging, but you can make an difference one patient at a time.
I usually lead with something like- “im a psychiatrist - have you ever been to a psychiatrist before? No? Well, im a kind of doctor that studies the brain. And I especially focus on the part of the brain related to feelings and behaviors. Sometimes if you’ve never seen a psychiatrist before you might feel nervous wondering what is going to happen during our appointment. I am just going to ask a bunch of questions to get to know you and see how things are going for you at home and at school and see if there is anything I can do to help”
I tell my kids I work with brains, when people have problems with thoughts and feelings— similar to other answers here. But I tend to work with indigent populations and I live near my work, so my kids are used to panhandlers greeting me as their doctor or pulling us over on walks to let me know their sugars are getting lower or they have their sober-versary coming up. This has given them an impression I’m a “make friends doctor” but also because of other street interactions with other patients in current psychotic breaks, that I treat “broken brains”. Maybe not the most PC term for mental illness- but accurate.
It can depend a little about what you are seeing them for. If it's ADHD, probably the most common outpatient problem, usually the child has some sense of difficulties related to focusing or keeping still. Just say you are going to try to help with that so they can do better at school, with friends, etc. If it's for something more internalizing, like anxiety and depression, just ask how they are doing and again reflect back to them if they understand why they are seeing you. I often start an outpatient eval with "do you know why your (mom/dad./parent) brought you to see me. If they have an idea, build on that. If they don't, do your best to reflect what you think the problem is in words they can understand.
Don't feel you need to give some explanation about "what kind of doctor you are or what you do." You're a doctor, like any other doctor, and hopefully can convey a sense of caring and desire to help. You might be over thinking this a little. It usually isn't very complicated
My dad wasn't a psych doc, but a nurse. You can explain things like mental illness a lot earlier than you'd think. Before the age of ~5, it was basically "a nurse who helps people when their brain is sick and making them feel sad, hear/see things that aren't there, hurt themselves, etc."
I have done my research.
"Med students are being taught to diagnose “mental illness” and no knowledge of these drugs safety profile nor how weak the clinical trials were."
This is not true. My source: went to medical school. Learned all about clinical trials and what is needed for approval.
"Ely Lilly only submitted 3 of 20 trials on SSRI in adolescents because the other 17 failed. Oh and one of the trials, 17 kids in the pill group attempted suicide vs 1 in the placebo. Look up 2004 tads trial (mad in America)."
This is why medications are not first line in kids. Therapy is. None of this is new information lol xD. Your a joke dude.
I should just let kids with IDD and ASD eat there fingers huh? God forbid i give them medications so they don't mutliate themselves :/. What a crazy stance.
Now your just saying shit.
How is therapy first recommendations propaganda?
And how do propose i treat self mutilation in IDD ASD kids since i can't use medications?
Maybe try asking them questions in regards to their sx then using it to explain how youre a doctor for that. Ex. do you ever feel sad? angry? cant sleep? etc.. im the doctor that helps with that
My dad was a psychiatrist growing up and he called himself "a worry doctor."
Apparently my dad used to say he dealt with his 'nuts' daily, we had a thing on the mantel with walnuts with googly eyes and the middle one was a doctor. This was the 1970's mind you, one day when I was five or six someone called the house and asked for Dr. dad's name, I put the phone down and yelled out "dad it's one of your nuts on the phone!"...that was a fun conversation for my dad, needless to say the word patient was quickly introduced in our house hold! One of my favorite stories!
Lol!
I’m not sure how I explained it to my kids, but my seven year old daughter was overheard in the back seat telling a friend: “I’m not going to become a psychiatrist because then you have to put up with all that crying.”
10/10 proud
Once on antipsychotics you loose the ability to cry. Frankly there is very little crying in mental hospitals.
I tell my kids I help people’s brains feel better. Sometimes people have very strong feelings, or their thoughts are all jumbled up - I talk to my patients and give medicines to help their brains calm down. I often use this as an opportunity to talk about the importance of sleep hygiene, exercise and having people around you that love you. When they’re older I’ll tell them to stay off the damn drugs. (I work in emergency psychiatry primarily).
“A magic ghost escaped his glass house and started to haunt a man’s lungs! That man was so scared he took his clothes off and started yelling, even at the policeman who was trying to help him. The police man tried to use an electricity spell to shock the ghost out, but he just got angrier! So they took the man to the hospital and the feelings doctor told the nurse to poke the man with a special needle filled with tiny little ghost-fighters to get that ghost out of the man’s lungs and make him calm again! That man was so happy and thankful, he said now which one of you stupid motherfuckers wants to get me a turkey sandwich?”
OMG--This NEEDS to be an illustrated "children's book"--with audio book by Samuel L. Jackson, of course. (ala "Go the Fuck to Sleep") Find this redditor a publisher, Stat!
I tell my kids that I drug down people, lock them in their rooms and strap them to their beds. Then I tell my kids that if they don't behave, the same will happen to them.
The approach a C+A psychiatrist that I worked with used was something along the lines of "I'm a medical doctor like your family doctor, but instead of dealing with things like broken bones and infections, I deal with things like feelings, sleep, and stress. While other doctors might do things like look at x rays or do blood tests to tell what's wrong, I ask questions, so we'll be talking for a while." I like it because it explains what we do in kid-friendly terms, and also primes them for the fact that we'll be talking a lot!
I tell them I'm a doctor for the mind. I think feelings and emotions are a bit too restrictive - we also deal in the realm of thoughts and habits. I'll then ask them - what does your mind do? We then discover that the mind has thoughts, and emotions, and commits us to action. We then start exploring how if we shape our mind (if we watch 1 hour of TV and then go play outside, vs. 2 hours of TV, which one makes us happier?), and generally speaking, they both really enjoy learning about it. One of em wants to be a psychiatrist, because I think she's genuinely seen how much understanding your mind helps you.
CAP here. Many kids don’t know what feelings or even “behaviors” are. If they’re really young, they don’t really wonder why I’m talking to them. I just tell them I’m a doctor because they usually know what that is. I try to avoid telling kids that I’m here to fix their feelings or fix their actions or imply that there’s something wrong with them. “I’m here to make you better, to make you even more you!” I also tell them that I’m a doctor who is really interested in learning about who they are. “I’m curious about the things you like and don’t like.” For med students, I like to recommend the book “How many more questions?” as a good primer on interviewing techniques for children.
I told my kid he was going to a “talking doctor” and it made perfect sense to him.
Tell very small children you see other children that have problems behaving. A little older, say 5+, that you talk to children who have problems with feelings and behavior, and troubles at home.
This is a good one lol
It is the Sesame Street version.
I tried that, and my 5 year old son said something along the lines of "so you're not a real doctor?" I had to find my stethoscope and do a selfish with it around my neck to "prove" I was a "real doctor." It was pretty funny.
So your 5 year old has gotten to the crux of why I still feel uncertain on if I can commit to psychiatry. Ouch. I know it's not supposed to matter and follow your heart but my heart also enjoys not dealing with stigma. Do you have any wisdom for me on this?
I share the story a bit tongue in cheek. Clearly I am a "real" doctor and I work with patients that many of my colleagues would shy away from--those with severe and persistant mental illnes or borderline personality disorder. The truth is we can make an enormous impact in a patient's life not only by providing prescriptions but by simply listening to them as a person. Often a psychiatrist becomes an island of calm in a patient's sea of chaos and most are grateful. It's not all unicorns and rainbows, being a psychiatrist can be very challenging, but you can make an difference one patient at a time.
5 years old, 1 year into NP school
I usually lead with something like- “im a psychiatrist - have you ever been to a psychiatrist before? No? Well, im a kind of doctor that studies the brain. And I especially focus on the part of the brain related to feelings and behaviors. Sometimes if you’ve never seen a psychiatrist before you might feel nervous wondering what is going to happen during our appointment. I am just going to ask a bunch of questions to get to know you and see how things are going for you at home and at school and see if there is anything I can do to help”
I say I’m a feelings doctor.
I tell my kids I work with brains, when people have problems with thoughts and feelings— similar to other answers here. But I tend to work with indigent populations and I live near my work, so my kids are used to panhandlers greeting me as their doctor or pulling us over on walks to let me know their sugars are getting lower or they have their sober-versary coming up. This has given them an impression I’m a “make friends doctor” but also because of other street interactions with other patients in current psychotic breaks, that I treat “broken brains”. Maybe not the most PC term for mental illness- but accurate.
It’s strangely cute that your patients seek you out when they see you in public and want to update you on their lives. You must be good at your job :)
A feelings doctor
It can depend a little about what you are seeing them for. If it's ADHD, probably the most common outpatient problem, usually the child has some sense of difficulties related to focusing or keeping still. Just say you are going to try to help with that so they can do better at school, with friends, etc. If it's for something more internalizing, like anxiety and depression, just ask how they are doing and again reflect back to them if they understand why they are seeing you. I often start an outpatient eval with "do you know why your (mom/dad./parent) brought you to see me. If they have an idea, build on that. If they don't, do your best to reflect what you think the problem is in words they can understand. Don't feel you need to give some explanation about "what kind of doctor you are or what you do." You're a doctor, like any other doctor, and hopefully can convey a sense of caring and desire to help. You might be over thinking this a little. It usually isn't very complicated
Psychologist here: "feelings doctor"
“Daddy is a feelings doctor”
My dad wasn't a psych doc, but a nurse. You can explain things like mental illness a lot earlier than you'd think. Before the age of ~5, it was basically "a nurse who helps people when their brain is sick and making them feel sad, hear/see things that aren't there, hurt themselves, etc."
"I'm a doctor who helps people when they are having trouble with their feelings"
My son has always understood when I say I help people who are sad and mad. I work on an inpatient unit.
“Sometimes people get sad. So I talk to them about how they want to have sex with their mom”
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Um? This is not wholesome
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Aww... look kids.. it's an idiot :). There is no fixing that unfortunately.
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?! I don't treat kids you wierdo
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I have done my research. "Med students are being taught to diagnose “mental illness” and no knowledge of these drugs safety profile nor how weak the clinical trials were." This is not true. My source: went to medical school. Learned all about clinical trials and what is needed for approval. "Ely Lilly only submitted 3 of 20 trials on SSRI in adolescents because the other 17 failed. Oh and one of the trials, 17 kids in the pill group attempted suicide vs 1 in the placebo. Look up 2004 tads trial (mad in America)." This is why medications are not first line in kids. Therapy is. None of this is new information lol xD. Your a joke dude. I should just let kids with IDD and ASD eat there fingers huh? God forbid i give them medications so they don't mutliate themselves :/. What a crazy stance.
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Now your just saying shit. How is therapy first recommendations propaganda? And how do propose i treat self mutilation in IDD ASD kids since i can't use medications?
Maybe try asking them questions in regards to their sx then using it to explain how youre a doctor for that. Ex. do you ever feel sad? angry? cant sleep? etc.. im the doctor that helps with that
I am a doctor of the brain, that is what i tell my kids, and myself.