It may be helpful to you if I share with you how, despite not having a degree or any specialized training in mood disorders, for 12 years (from 2004 to 2016), I worked full-time as the Director of the Mood Disorders Program at Thomas Jefferson University/ Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
My work involved seeing patients with difficult-to-treat mood disorders, being an investigator for several research studies, and doing lectures, grand rounds, and clinical teaching about mood disorders. Gradually, even senior psychiatrists started to consult me regarding challenging issues in patients with mood disorders. I began to regularly see such patients for second-opinion consultations and was invited by other institutions to lecture on topics related to psychopharmacology, especially as it related to mood disorders.