The terms psychiatry and psychology are constantly interchanged in conversation. The reason for this is some people believe they are one in the same. While there are similar elements between the two, they look at neuroscience in different ways.
Work Separately and Together
Nevertheless, both of these specialists work together to provide complete treatment to a patient. Through a mix of medicine, testing, and conversation, both a psychiatrist and a psychologist can help ease the emotional pain of individuals.
Medicine versus Therapy
The real difference between psychiatry and psychology is medicine. Psychiatrists are medical doctors. Thus, they are not only able to prescribe medicine to patients but also manage the prescriptions. Therefore, they can determine if the meds are working or need to be adjusted.
The psychologist deals with the emotional and behavioral issues of a patient. This can be a phobia, stress, anxiety, depression, or another dilemma. Through various tests and conversations, therapists can determine a possible reason for the conditions.
Working Together
If a diagnosis from a psychologist is deemed to require medication, then it may be moved to a psychiatrist. Not all cases will do so. In some instances, a therapist may send a patient to their general practitioner to prescribe medication.
The type of medication may be a reason a patient starts going to a psychiatrist. If the prescription is powerful enough, then they may want to get involved. In this way, they can determine its effect on the patient’s condition and if any secondary issues appear.
Psychiatrists can also raise or lower the medicine’s dosage or change it all together. In the end, their goal is to even out the patient so they can start or resume living a normal life.
Learning More About Both Fields
There are numerous online locations that provide psychiatry resource information. For example, sites like BehavorialHealth2000.com offer visitors a chance to take courses and listen/view lectures on a number of subjects in the psychiatric field. All it takes is one visit to get a better understanding of the two fields.