To ask why psychiatrists have a reputation for being unemphatic

[Nantobeb777]

just that

Not in my experience.
Why do you ask?

Mine was great. I have never heard that they lack empathy. What’s the issue?

For me, it's because their role is generally to determine medication and oversee the management of the patient, rather than to offer much in the way of talking support. Also because they are people who chose the path of becoming a doctor, which s typically about the accumulation of theoretical knowledge rather than developing the capacity for therapeutic relationships, or for offering compassionate day-to-day care.

Nothing wrong with any of that. It's just horses for courses

Do you definitely mean unemphatic or is it a typo?

If you mean they tend to lack empathy in how they come across, I would agree. But their most important roles are to get the diagnosis right and prescribe the right medications. To be honest, I think a lot of doctors don’t show much empathy and i think there are lots of reasons for that. Also they are pretty expensive so it is much more cost effective for them to do their bit and therapists to do their bit!

Unemphatic? They are fence-sitters? Not very enthusiastic one way or another?

I form a team with 6 psychiatrists. We work directly together with people. They are extremely empathetic. I have never heard one say anything that is not respectful and kind about patients. In professional meetings and such like they advocate for patients in a deeply caring way. They believe patients words and never discount their experience. However, when actually face to face with patients, at times, they seem more direct or matter of fact. This is because they have to be. They need to lay out the facts and make incredibly hard decisions. The patients are so poorly they need someone who shows control and like they know what to do. They need a dr who is clinical in diagnosis and medication. My job is to be that soft and outwardly empathetic person. I deliver the therapy not the facts and medical information. We balance each other out. But underneath they are the most empathetic people I have ever met. They didn’t get into such a difficult job with difficult training for the hell of it. They don’t stay in a system on fire, where they work many hours for free and miss out on their own families, because they do not care

'You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means' Inigo, Princess Bride