What is the difference between pharmacology and psychotherapy?

Question

Is pharmacology better than psychotherapy, why?

I understand the actual difference between the two. I just am curious about the differences. If psychotherapy works toward relieving the symptoms of a behavior deficeincy, and pharmacology works through the use of medicine, which targets certain parts of the nervous system, how anything else but medicine can actually work when the nervous system is the cornerstone of all behavior. How can anything else be effective? I am a psych major and the question came up between another student and I and now I am intrigued.

Answer 1

Physcotherapy - The treatment of mental and emotional disorders through the use of psychological techniques designed to encourage communication of conflicts and insight into problems, with the goal being relief of symptoms, changes in behavior leading to improved social and vocational functioning, and personality growth.

Pharmacology - The science of drugs, including their composition, uses, and effects.

Totally different things, so you cannot really say which is better than the other.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the difference between pharmacology and psychotherapy?
Is pharmacology better than psychotherapy, why?

Answer 3

Psychotherapy involves counselling, behavior modification and techniques such as hypnosis to enable the person realize and comprehend the scope of all his psychological problems. The solution comes from within the individuals. It is also the method used to treat mental illness and psychological disorders with out the use of drugs.

Pharmacology is therapeutic use of drugs not only targetted to the nervous system but to all systems of the human body. Psychiatry sometimes employs psychotherapy and pharmcology as well. Homeopathic or holistic medicine use natural remedies for all illnesses.

Is pharmacology better than psychotherapy.? It all depends. Sometimes, psychotherapy is not sufficient to combat mental disorders with out the employment of pharmacology. For example, in the case of an infection, one certainly needs antibiotics which falls under the category of pharmacology. And in a severe schizoprhenic, the use of pharmacology is necessary as psychotherapy isn't sufficient.

In this state as the patient is out of touch with reality. He can not be expected to actively participate in his treatment. Psychotherapy needs his active participation. The treatment goals come from within. It's a long process. Pharmacology is more of an outside help And it's faster acting. I tried to expalin it in simple laymen's term.

Answer 4

By the same cognitive routing that prevents us from being amnesiacs. New synaptic pathways are laid down constantly in response to " talk ", so it is no surprise that psychotherapy has some effect. This was a big selling point of psychologists, the fact of synaptic growth, until someone reminded them that all things going in to the brains memory do that. The question; is the effect of psychotherapy, good for you, bad for you, or just indifferent. We know the drugs work, even if we do not know how, all the time.

Answer 5

Yes. Pharmacology is a science dealing with medicine.

Psychotherapy is an art that is somewhat respected, but not nearly as much.

Answer 6

Pharmacology is the use of drugs to control mental illness. Psychotherapy is a form of counseling to deal with issues and does not involved drugs.

Best Wishes,

Sue

Answer 7

Psychotherapy is medical treatment for mental sickness whereas counseling is giving advice to a person by a professional.

Answer 8

Pharmacology deals with prescription drugs, psychotherapy deals with helping others cope with psychological problems

Answer 9

Two different schools of thought.
One says mental illness is due to physical aspects of the brain, such as biochemistry, structural damage or malformation...and the other says it's thinking patterns, that were learned.

Most studies show that neither is as effective as both together. Personally, I feel the physical aspects should be addressed first, because many of the psychological issues disappear if that treatment is effective.

Answer 10

One exists as a result of greed, ignorance, and complacency and the other, either uses that same system to better itself, buy itself more time and avoid the facts it canno't come to on it's own... OR ignores it all together and depends on the human mind to understand it's ability to heal itself.

Not everyone needs drugs... Most people are given them anyway.

It is an easy answer to a problem often too costly to heal by therapy alone because most Doctors believe that their time is actually worth hundreds of dollars per hour. (which everyone knows it is not nor should it be considering over 40% of the population of the USA, has absolutely no health insurance and 60% of people being treated for mental illness, can't function enough to work to afford it.

Drugs... for all of their side effects and the fact that most people put on any kind of mental health drug this year, have a 40% to 60% chance of the drug not working for them OR, they will take that drug, gradually increase the dose until it becomes maxed out or, they develop an immunity to it and will need to begin again on a completely new therapy that they have JUST become comfortable with.

Fact! Check it out!

Then...

In comes the benevolent God called Pharmaceuticals who will (if you give them ALL of your personal and financial information and first born child...) Pay for it for you... through there free drug programs (which are a HUGE tax write off for them which also makes them look like instutions that exist to help, rather than hurt people. Which in most cases... That is exactly what they do. Hurt people who are already hurt, already stressed out and already unable to cope as it is...

Anyone who has ever been to a pharmaceutical company Doctor/drug company luncheon... KNOWS that the two entities exist hand in hand. One is the beast and the other feeds it. LIVE BAIT in the form of every patient they can pimp out on whatever new drug is out at the moment! Cymbalta is the new one...