1. Psychology vs. Psychiatry? Confused by the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist? Hear both sides of the debate here an opinion editorial poster by jennifer hunter Psychiatry Psychiatrist are medical doctors and Psychologists are not. Psychiatrists begin their careers in medical school. After earning their MD, they go on to four years of residency training in mental health, typically at a hospital's psychiatric department. 1 After completing their residency, these physicians can be licensed to practice psychiatry. Because of these qualifications, Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medications. Whereas a psychologist would have to refer patients to a psychiatrist or other M.D. to provide medication for a patient. Psychiatrists not only prescribe medication but also offer therapy, since they are trained to do if the client desires. Not to mention, a psychiatrist can save the client money. A client may only talk to a psychiatrists for about 15 minutes and it is usually about the medication, side effects, and other concerns. Instead of wasting the money paying a psychologist by the hour without a guarantee of any kind of progress. It is a logical assumption that if a person is seeking therapy,they are likely to be experiencing adverse symptoms and would like these symptoms to be treated. A psychiatrist will treat your symptoms and restore your mental health. If a person is just looking for someone to talk to, then they should consider a psychologist or save money and hit up the local Saloon and Brewery and make friends. Psychology A psychologist is trained in people, while a psychiatrist is trained in medicine. If a client wants to be drugged up, why would the spend the extra money on the psychiatrist and risk getting an irreversible diagnosis when they could just go see their local high school where Psychotropic drugs are being sold. Governments, insurance companies and private individuals pay billions of dollars each year to psychiatrists in pursuit of cures that psychiatrists admit do not exist. Psychiatry's “therapies” have caused millions of deaths. 2 Instead, a client should see a psychologist first. This therapist will decide what kind of therapy will have the most effective treatment. Unlike psychiatrists routinely do not inform patients of non-drug treatments, they want clients to spend their money on a quick “fix,” often without telling of the serious side-effects. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights states that we are living “in a world where psychiatric doctrine and thought permeate our culture with the philosophy that we are mere animals who have no hope of finding happiness outside of a medicine cabinet.” 5 Stand up for your human rights, see a psychologist who will offer client-centered therapy and encourage you to seek the solutions to your mental health in your own time in a safe and effective manner. psy·chol·o·gy psy·chol·o·gy : noun \sī-kŏl'ə-jē\ 1. the science of mind and behavior 2. (a). : the mental or behavioral characteristics of an individual or group (b). : the study of mind and behavior in relation to a particular field of knowledge or activity 3. : a theory or system of psychology 4 psy·chi·a·try psy·chi·a·try : noun \sə- ˈ kī-ə-trē\ a branch of medicine that deals with the science and practice of treating mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders especially as originating in endogenous causes or resulting from faulty interpersonal relationships 3 Neither? Neither? Try a Clinical social worker (CSW). CSWs are mental health professionals who have master's degrees in social work and have been licensed to practice psychotherapy after completing at least two years of clinical training. According to the National Association of Social Workers, 60% of licensed mental health professionals in the United States are clinical social workers. Like most psychologists, a CSW cannot prescribe drugs, so they refer their therapy patients to psychiatrists to evaluate the need for medication. 1 Final Answer: Final Answer: In fields of Psychiatry and Psychology, both have their pros and cons. Both may be in need of some serious reworking such as new diagnostic criteria, standards for practices and better education. Whichever a person may choose, the client has potential to build a positive rewarding relationship with their therapist or the opposite. The best advice: check out their credentials before making an appointment. “… [Living] in a world where psychiatric doctrine and thought permeate our culture with the philosophy that we are mere animals who have no hope of finding happiness outside of a medicine cabinet.” - Citizens Commission on Human Rights 5 More Quotes to contemplate: “Remember that no biochemical, neurological, or genetic markers have been found for attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, compulsive alcohol and drug abuse, overeating, gambling, or any other so ‐ called mental illness, disease, or disorder.”-Psychologist Bruce Levine, Ph.D 7 “There is no biological imbalance. When people come to me and they say, ‘I have a biological imbalance,’ I say, ‘Show me your lab tests.’ There are no lab tests. So what is the biochemical imbalance?” -Ron Leifer, New York psychiatrist. 6 “Biopsychiatrists have created the myth that psychiatric wonder drugs correct chemical imbalances. Yet there is no basis for this model because no chemical imbalance has ever been proven to be the basis of a mental illness,”- wrote Ty C. Colbert, a clinical psychologist. 6 References: 1.) Downs, M. 2005. Psychology vs. Psychiatry: Which Is Better? [Online]. Available: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/psychology-vs-psychiatry-which-is-better 2.) Citizens Commission on Human Rights. 2010. Psychiatry: an industry of death [Online]. Available: http://www.cchr.org/download-material/fact-sheets.html 3.) Merriam-Webster. 2010. Psychiatry. [Online]. Available: http://www.merriam-webster.com/ 4.) Merriam-Webster. 2010. Psychology. [Online]. Available: http://www.merriam-webster.com/ 5.) Anon. 2010. The science without a soul [Online]. Available: http://www.cchr.org/download-material/fact-sheets.html 6.) Anon. 2010. Blaming the brain: the chemical imbalance fraud [Online]. Available: http://www.cchr.org/download-material/fact-sheets.html 7.) Levine, B. 2001. Commonsense rebellion: debunking psychiatry, confronting society. Continuum, Pubs. New York. 277. Cartoon by Alex Gregory ID: 123559, Published in The New Yorker January 22, 2007http://www.cchr.org/download-material/fact-sheets.html