I agree with Autumn Skies that some psychiatrists out there are the top of the mark. They are driven and dedicated, to go through medical school, train as an intern in psychology and psychiatry, and for some others go on to do more training plus their own analysis to become analysts themselves. The ones I know are always reading and meeting with each other to talk about aspects of their work. My own analyst is in 3 different reading groups which he does on top of a full private practice, one that also services the university in town. And unlike many psychiatrists, he doesn't push meds or think that they are the end all and be all. Plus he doesn't charge any more than an MA level therapist. Some people go into the field because they are truly committed to understanding and mitigating suffering. They aren't in it for prestige or money. Heck, my shrink treats a few for free. He probably gets to write it off, but the spirit in which he decided to do that was genuine.