Do We Need Psychology When We Have Psychiatry?

Question

I am a psychology major and would like to become a doctor of clinical psychology, so i figured that trying to work out any issues i have with the field, may be a healthy process.

So, if we have a field of medicine which can treat, quite well, many of the most severe psychological disorders, do we need psychology?

Answer 1

Psychiatry and psychology typically go hand in hand. It seems as though the norm is that psychiatrists merely provide medication and do 'medication checks' every few months or so (typically about 15 minutes long :) while only a few psychiatrists actually do psychotherapy. The clinical psychologist comes in and helps the person learn how to deal with and manage the mental health problem or whatever problem that the person is having.

I actually have the anxiety disorder known as ocd (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and received cognitive-behavioral therapy/cbt (you may already know but it's also called 'exposure and response prevention) which was just invaluable for my ocd symptoms. I also take prozac weekly, the time released prozac, 3x a week (as opposed to 1 or 2x a week for someone with a mild depression or generalized anxiety and the prozac really helps reduce the duration and intensity of the ocd symptoms. I currently see a general therapist but still utilize all that I learned while receiving cbt, and still see a psychiatrist for medication checks. That is since meds, unfortunately, are not a cure-all, not a panacea :)

Answer 2

My experience is that many psychiatrists treat a person medically and usually have not been trained in the same way that a psychologist has been trained.
Psychiatrist also have a propensity to prescribe medication. There has been some research to show that, while medication changes brain chemistry, so does counseling and psychological therapy, albeit at a slower rate, been also with more permanence because therapy teaches you to live a lifestyle whereas when medication is reduced or discontinued, the person may revert to old patterns of behavior.

Answer 3

If you become a psychologist you will learn how to deal with any issues that you have, I have met many psychiatrist who practice psychology besides giving out meds. The only psychiatrist that I know that does not do therapy per se is my daughter's and that's because she sees a psychologist every week and she sees a counselor at school. So she does not need to see the psychiatrist except every few months to check on how the meds are doing and to renew her prescription. But my psychiatrist is my primary therapist and my psychologist is my secondary therapist. I see my psychiatrist at least once a week if not more I see the psychologist when I can't see my therapist.

Answer 4

we do need psychology because there are people with less severe psychological disorders that just need therapy. Also, psychologists can work in many areas, they just can not prescribe medicine.