WHY PSYCHIATRY?

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“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. Psychiatry became an area of interest during my first year of medical school when the behavioral science course was taught by Hyman Muslin, MD, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois, coauthor of The Psychotherapy of the Self, based on the work of Heinz Kohut, MD, the founder of the Self Psychology movement.  My dad’s battle with depression and the realization that there is so much to learn about the brain was the nail in the coffin, aka the deciding factor in my decision to pursue psychiatry.”

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EDUCATION & TRAINING

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Dr. Gil Lichtshein is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist. He earned his medical degree from
the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago and completed his psychiatric residency at The University of Maryland/ Sheppard Pratt Psychiatry Residency Program and his fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

 

Dr. Gil, as he prefers to be called, knew he wanted to pursue a career in medicine in Middle School as a way of helping and giving back to people. He finds psychiatry an ever-evolving field with constant learning opportunities about the brain and its functional pathways.

 

Dr. Gil is proud to be one of the early pioneers in using TMS in South Florida in 2010 when it was still in its infancy. It gives him professional satisfaction to see how the advancements in treatments such as TMS, psychedelics, dissociates, and empathogens and newer medications are helping treat psychiatric illness.

 

But most of all, Dr. Gil enjoys his time with patients and likes treating them over longer periods so he can monitor their progress and observe the benefits of treatment firsthand. He is particularly effective treating children and teenagers; observing their improvement and their ability to enjoy their youth is a source of professional pride. 

 

 SPECIALTY

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Dr. Lichtshein is passionate about the increasing variety of treatment options currently available, the better understanding of psychiatric illness, the growing awareness of the general public about mental illness, and the mainstream support for mental health screening and adequate treatment.

 

REPUTATION

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Dr. Gil’s patients describe him as a consummate professional who is very knowledgeable, supportive and attentive, to patient needs. They praise his excellent communication skills, his caring attitude, and his ability to listen without judging.

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RESEARCH & ACADEMICS

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As a dedicated researcher, Dr. Lichtshein has authored or co-authored numerous articles and has participated in more than 20 research projects. He is also a regular presenter for the University at Sea on various topics, including his most recent talks about updated treatments for ADHD, TMS, and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Since 2005, Dr. Lichtshein has served as an Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor of Clinical Biomedical Sciences, The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. He held prior academic positions at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Miami, FL. and the University of Florida School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry in Gainesville, FL.

 

AUTHOR

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In 2019, Dr. Lichtshein co-authored a book Doctor Mensch: A Prescription for Evil which was published on Amazon on July 22, 2020. The book narrates the fictional tale of a Boca Raton psychiatrist who descends into madness but manages to keep his emotional transformation from others. Acting on his animalistic instincts, he becomes a modern-day King of the Underworld.

 

“I have always been fascinated with the mob. My best friend from childhood was related to Paul Vario, the capo of the Lucchese crime family who was immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 movie Goodfellas. The protagonist in the book, a Boca Raton psychiatrist was based very loosely on my practice.”

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Click HERE to order the book on Amazon.