Psychology and Psychiatry...?!
Question: both have the philosophy of helping others in the area of mental health and whilst there is a difference in required education and training for each, do you think either of these two occupations could be each as fulfilling to the same candidate, goals and rewards wise, forgetting for the moment one prescribes medicine and the other does not? Is a psychologist ever perceived as a poor mans psychiatrist within the medical field, is there any class distinction between the two and just where does a psychoanalysist fit in, status wise?
Answers: both have the philosophy of helping others in the area of mental health and whilst there is a difference in required education and training for each, do you think either of these two occupations could be each as fulfilling to the same candidate, goals and rewards wise, forgetting for the moment one prescribes medicine and the other does not? Is a psychologist ever perceived as a poor mans psychiatrist within the medical field, is there any class distinction between the two and just where does a psychoanalysist fit in, status wise?
I would hardly say a psychologist is a poor mans psychiatrist.
To work in the field of psychology, you need at least a master's degree and preferably a doctorate (Ph.D. or Psy.D.)...which means you are a doctor of psychology. In most places, psychologists can't prescribe medication...however, there is talk of change in this area...giving psychologists the ability to prescribe. I think it is already happening in one or two states.
Psychologist MAY do therapy, but the field is extremely broad and there are many directions a person can go within it. ...here is more info explaining this in detail.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm
A psychiatrist, on the other hand, is a medical doctor. They generally spend less time with each patient... They tend to handle the medical management aspect of psychological disorders as opposed to the counseling part that is a very important part of treatment. Most people will not recover from psychological problems with meds alone.
Both are very well respected professions.
Psychoanalysis is a form of therapy that is not commonly used these days. True psychoanalysis involves very frequent sessions (several times a week over a period of several years)...think Freud. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, refers more to therapy as we know it now.
The average salary for a psychiatrist is MUCH higher than the average salary for a psychologist (over $100,000 more a year). Still, many psychologists in private practice easily earn $100+ an hour.
Hmmm. I guess either could be as fulfilling to the same candidate. I personally would rather be a psychiatrist. That way I could prescribe medicine to my patients. If I'm a psychologist all I can do is talk to them. Sometimes....most times talk doesn't work. Also, psychiatry sees more interesting cases.....clinical cases. Psychologists do a lot of measuring....IQ, personality, etc. Psychiatry. Yep. I'd go psychiatry. Yes, there's class distinction.....with psychoanalyst being at the bottom because eclectic understandings of the brain ring more true than just psychoanalysis.
as far as class distinction is concerned, i think negative mindedness causes that to creep in every field and all areas. so no one needs to bother abt them.
psychiatrist- knows the medical side of mental health, he can tell ya abt structural and hormonal problems of brain and give u medicines.he is dealing with the anatomy and physiology of brain.(neuro surgeons deal with anatomy in detail not psychiatrists actually)
psychologist- is not dealing with medicines. he is not curing the hormonal deficiencies or structural problems of brain. he is coucncelling the patient and changing his attitude towards a perticular thing. he is inducing positive thinking in him.i have seen psychologists even referrring to IQ. so that is also under their field.
both the fields r fantastic...and where one can help other can't and vice-versa....so they must go hand in hand coz both r for the patient's betterment.
good question niceguyolder !