Psychiatry Education Programs
"Why choose psychiatry?
Despite sentiments to the contrary, I cannot imagine a more
exciting time to enter this specialty. There is growing recognition
that mental illnesses are prevalent, reliably diagnosed, treatable,
and that psychiatrists possess unique expertise in developing,
teaching and delivering effective interventions. A staggering
20 percent of people in this country will develop a mood disorder
sometime in their lives. Nearly 30 percent struggle with substance
abuse problems. A quarter of the general population must cope
with anxiety, panic and related diseases. In responding to such
disorders, psychiatry has protected the humanitarian aspects
that have traditionally been integral to all of medicine, has
successfully incorporated new technologies without being overwhelmed
by them, and has developed an impressive array of treatment
advances. Quite simply, most of our patients get better. For
anyone in the health sciences, there are few things more gratifying.
Perhaps this explains why physicians changing specialties tend
to enter psychiatry more than any other field. I have never
been surprised by these data; I know psychiatry's pleasures."
John F. Greden, M.D.
Rachel Upjohn Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
Executive Director, U-M Comprehensive Depression Center
Research Professor, Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute