Scott Alexander shares his experiences and reflections as a final-year psychiatric resident, discussing communication techniques, challenges in psychotherapy, and the anxiety of managing patient risks. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on his experiences as a final-year psychiatric resident. He discusses the differences between resident years, the challenges of dealing with patients and attendings, and the techniques he's learned for effective communication. He also shares his struggles with psychotherapy, his frustrations with psychoanalysis, and the constant anxiety of managing suicide risk among patients. The post ends with Scott contemplating the 'reverse lottery' nature of psychiatric practice and how a patient's suicide attempt has affected his approach to patient care. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores two contrasting attitudes in psychiatry, discussing their merits and pitfalls, while reflecting on his own tendency to favor a more straightforward approach. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses two contrasting attitudes in psychiatry: Attitude 1, which takes patients' requests at face value, and Attitude 2, which seeks to unravel underlying complexities. He provides examples where Attitude 2 is clearly beneficial, but also highlights its potential for misuse. The author admits to leaning towards Attitude 1, partly due to personal preferences and social pressures. He expresses uncertainty about whether this approach is always correct and worries about potentially missing important underlying issues. The post reflects on the challenges of balancing these approaches in psychiatric practice. Shorter summary

Scott reflects on his psychiatry residency experiences, discussing the realities of psychiatric hospitals, patient care challenges, and his transition to outpatient work. Longer summary

Scott reflects on his experiences halfway through his four-year psychiatry residency. He discusses the unexpected orderliness of psychiatric hospitals, the limitations of short-term psychiatric care, and the challenges of dealing with patients' requests and complaints. He contrasts the security theater aspect of inpatient care with the actual therapeutic benefits, noting that many patients don't find their hospital stay helpful. Scott expresses his exhaustion from constant moral self-questioning and looks forward to transitioning to outpatient work. He concludes by sharing his concerns about outpatient psychiatry, wondering if he might be useless or if the job is more difficult than it seems, given the mistakes he's observed in other outpatient psychiatrists. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares his experiences as a new medical intern, describing the complexities of hospital systems and his role within them. Longer summary

Scott Alexander describes his early experiences as a medical intern, detailing the complex system of orders and bureaucracy in hospitals. He explains his role as a middleman between patients, nurses, and senior doctors, and shares some of his initial successes and mistakes. The post provides insight into the challenges of coordinating care among various specialized professions and the reliance on computer systems. Scott also reflects on his first patient death and a humorous moment involving a patient's religious necklace, which reminds him of his blog. Shorter summary