Pursuing a profession is a decision one has to live with for the rest of his life. The importance cannot be more stressed that the occupation chosen is one compatible with the individual. One must ask himself the main reason he has chosen a profession. Some individuals prefer high salaries over happiness. With this economic depression, that could potentially be an intelligent path. Others prefer to have lower paying salaries, as long as they’re happy. Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the specific study of mental functions and behaviors. Psychology is very similar to Psychiatry; however Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders. Psychology and Psychiatry have many similarities and differences in years of schooling, entrance exams, salaries, studies, and assistance to those with mental disabilities.
A difference in psychiatrists and psychologists is that psychiatrists begin their professions in medical school. After they attain their medical degree, then they typically apply for residency training, which lasts for four years, in a hospital’s psychiatric sector. Psychiatrists are then able to obtain a license to practice psychiatry in their own private clinic. On the other hand, psychologists endure between five to seven years of graduate school, in order to receive a PhD or a PsyD. In fact, psychologists that want to help patients in the clinical field rather than pursue research may choose to obtain a PsyD. Then, psychologists must hold an internship for a couple years before being able to attain a license to practice psychology (WebMD, 2005).
Psychiatrists and psychologists also differ in the fact of prescribing powers. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe drugs to patients because they are considered medical doctors whereas psychologists do not have this capability. However there are some states in the US where psychologists are able to prescribe drugs after prior consultation with a psychiatrist. Also, there is a false preconceived notion that psychiatrists only help people with crazy mental diseases such as schizophrenia or ADHD, in which prescription drugs are the primary method of treatment for these diseases (WebMD, 2005). While psychiatrists certainly do treat severe illnesses such as those, they also handle other cases in which many of their patients are not on medication but just undergo psychotherapy (therapy sessions).
There is a big difference in practices for psychiatrists and psychologists that are caused by fees. For example, the fee structure of a psychiatrist’s health insurance plan may reduce the amount of psychotherapy performed by a psychiatrist. “A study published in the journal Psychiatric Services in 2003 shows that psychiatrists earn less for doing therapy” (WebMD, 2005). In fact, a psychiatrist who charges for “45-50 minutes of psychotherapy earns $74-$107 less than he or she would for three 15 minute sessions of medication management” (WebMD, 2005). According to Marcia Goin, MD, past president of the American Psychiatric Association and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Southern California, the cause of this could be that insurance companies reason that psychotherapy, which is time consuming and may continue for several months, should be handled by providers who don’t charge as much. Furthermore, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says that “average charges for a 45 to 50 minute therapy session are $70-$130 for a psychiatrist and $65-$114 for a psychologist” (WebMD, 2005).
Some other differences in psychiatry and psychology are that psychologists utilize a large assortment of devices and tools to study a person’s psychological behaviors and personality. For instance, psychologists tend to use personality and behavior tests more than psychiatrists, which are used to expose how people perceive themselves and to explain their behaviors. Additional tests in psychology comprise of neuropsychological tests which measure brain functionality to analyze and examine the degree of impairment from a disorder or injury (All Psychology Schools, 2012).
In conclusion, psychologists and psychiatrists are similar due to their common association in providing therapy services to patients. However, there are numerous significant distinctions between the two occupations because the education requirements for each differ. Psychologists obtain a doctorate, while psychiatrists obtain an MD. All in all, psychiatry is the medical treatment of the psyche, and psychology is the science of the psyche.
Works Cited:
WebMD. “Psychology vs. Psychiatry: Which Is Better?”WebMD. WebMD, 2005. Web. 15 Dec. 2012.
“Psychology vs. Psychiatry: Do You Know the Difference?” All Psychology Schools. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012.
CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2012.
