Psichiatry

The terms psychiatrist, psychotherapist and psychologist are often confused. A psychologist has studied psychology at university, while a psychiatrist has studied medicine and a psychotherapist has studied psychology or medicine and subsequently undergone specific training. The training lasts at least five years, as is customary for specialists in other disciplines. Aspiring psychiatrists must complete two years of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic assistance in a hospital department and one year of neurology. Up to twelve months in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry can be credited. In addition, up to two years of outpatient assistance and up to six months in internal or general medicine, as well as neurosurgery or neuropathology can be credited. In addition, psychiatrists need to know themselves better so as not to confuse their own feelings, needs, or desires with those of the patient when working with the patient. To this end, it is necessary to complete casework related to interaction and individual or group therapy.

The starting salary as an assistant physician in psychiatry and psychotherapy is over 4,900 euros gross per month in the first year, according to the collective agreement (TV Tdl 2022). Thereafter, the salary of the assistant physician increases annually. After 5 years of continuing education to become a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, a psychiatrist receives a salary of 6,300 euros gross per month. The gross annual salary of a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy with experience and full training is just under 98,000 euros according to the collective agreement of university hospitals. As a psychiatrist with his own practice, one can expect an average net income of 282,000 euros per year in Germany. 

The future prospects for psychiatrists are excellent. First of all, there is a shortage of specialists and staff in medicine in general, from doctors to nurses. According to the evaluation report of the Institute for Quality Assurance and Transparency in Healthcare (IQTIG), one in five psychiatric hospitals lacks specialized therapists. The specialties of psychosomatic medicine and child and adolescent psychiatry, in particular, regularly appear among the top groups in high demand. At the same time, according to the German Society of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (DGPPN), more than one in four adults in Germany suffers from a mental illness. Anxiety disorders, affective disorders such as depression, and disorders caused by alcohol or drug use are particularly widespread. While the supply of psychiatric care is stagnant, the demand for help is immensely high. In the future, too, there will be numerous fields of activity and career prospects for psychiatry specialists.