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Background: Few studies have examined the predictors of psychiatrists' perceived success and personal satisfaction with their careers. The present study examines self-reported success and personal satisfaction with their careers in a cohort of psychiatrists followed for more than 20 years.Methods: A total of 29 psychiatrists, all of whom had participated in a study during their residency 21 to 24 years earlier, completed a self-report questionnaire. The first set of questions addressed the type and characteristics of their professional practice; the second set assessed aspects of their nonprofessional practice; and the third set assessed aspects of their nonprofessional, personal lifestyles. The personality traits of neuroticism and extraversion were assessed during the residency years and were used as predictors. Composite measures of self-perceived external success and personal satisfaction were computed. Regression models were constructed to determine the best predictors of these composite measures.Results: Neuroticism proved to be a significant predictor of external success but not of personal satisfaction, with higher scores predicting a lower rating of perceived external success. There were 2 practice characteristics--involvement with research and practising from an orientation other than psychoanalytic--that predicted perception of success. One personal lifestyle characteristic--the perception that one's nonprofessional life sustained professional life--also predicted perception of success. The best predictor of personal satisfaction was overall satisfaction with nonprofessional aspects of life.Conclusions: Personality, nonprofessional social support, and engaging in research are associated with greater perceived success and personal satisfaction with a career in psychiatry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors investigated the impact of patient suicides on trainees and psychiatrists and their utilization of supports., Methods: Graduates in practice and trainees of the residency program of the University of Toronto from 1980-1995 (N=495) were surveyed, retrospectively, with 239/495 responding (48%). Demographic and educational information, exposure to suicide, impact of the suicide(s), use of support systems, acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and impact of events and social relationship scores were collected., Results: One-half of the respondents (120/239) experienced at least one suicide of a patient, 62% of them (74/120) during postgraduate training. Biologically oriented psychiatrists in practice were more at risk for patient suicide. An important minority (one-quarter) among those who experienced patient suicide had substantially higher (morbid) scores than the overall group. They also scored higher on an acute stress disorder and a posttraumatic stress disorder symptom checklist. The impact was more severe when the patient suicide occurred during training than after graduation and was inversely correlated with clinicians' perceived social integration into their relational professional network., Conclusions: The experience of patient suicide is common during training and in clinical practice. The majority of trainees and clinicians are able to cope normally with the trauma, but in an important minority the emotional impact approaches morbid levels. Training programs should prepare students for this occupational hazard and implement systematic protocols to support those trainees who are especially vulnerable to their patient's suicide and reduce their social isolation from their peer group. Formal and informal professional networks should heighten awareness of the impact of patient suicide on practicing colleagues and take adequate measures to support them.

Background: Recent reports suggest that adverse effects on sexual function occur in up to 50% of patients who are treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. Previously cited low rates were more likely a function of underreporting than underoccurrence. There is less evidence about rates of dysfunction with serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) and reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMA) antidepressants. The purpose of this report is to evaluate disturbances in sexual drive/desire and arousal/orgasm in 107 patients who met criteria for major depressive disorder and received treatment with either moclobemide, paroxetine, sertraline, or venlafaxine., Method: All consenting eligible patients who met DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder completed the Sexual Functioning Questionnaire, version 1 (SFQ) and were assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) prior to and after 8 or 14 weeks of antidepressant therapy. Analyses were carried out to examine the effect of gender, drug type, pretreatment level of sexual dysfunction, and drug response on reported sexual dysfunction., Results: Compared with women, men experienced a significantly greater level of drug-related impairment in drive/desire (p < .05), whereas there were no statistically significant differences in levels of arousal/orgasm impairment between men and women. The reported impairment in drive/desire items for men ranged from 38% to 50% and from 26% to 32% for women. No differences were found across the 4 antidepressants in men, whereas in women, rates of dysfunction were generally higher with sertraline and paroxetine, but only significantly so in comparison with moclobemide on some measures (p < .03). Rates of sexual dysfunction with venlafaxine tended to fall between those of SSRIs and the RIMA agent. An unexpected relationship was found between favorable drug response and a decreased level of drug-induced sexual dysfunction., Conclusion: Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction occurs in approximately 30% to 70% of patients who are treated with sertraline or paroxetine. Lower rates are reported with moclobemide and venlafaxine. Clinicians should evaluate the various aspects of sexual dysfunction before and during antidepressant therapy.