In the area of mental health there are two professions that are often confusing and cited as synonymous, when they are not, many people do not know what the differences are between a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist, although sometimes there is mutual cooperation between the two professionals to deal with certain cases, it is not always necessary.
Once the psychology course is complete, professionals can work in several fields: neuropsychology, human resources, organizations, criminal lawyer . . . In this case, we will refer to clinical psychology, responsible for the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of changes in mental and adaptive health. Behaviors.
- Due to the immense complexity of the human mind and the number of factors that involve the psychological well-being of people.
- It is necessary to adequately address each patient.
- For this we must know what specialty is responsible for each area.
- Let’s see what are the main differences between a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist.
If we look closely at the etymological origin of the words that identify the two professions, we find clues about each professional’s profession.
On the one hand, the prefix? Psi derives from the Latin word “mind”. What’s that? Means?Theory? Or “science. ” Therefore, psychology can be defined as the “science of the mind”. On the other hand? Iatria? It is of Greek origin and refers to the concept of healing or medicine. By joining the two afijos, psychiatry would mean “medicine of the mind”.
The psychiatrist studied medicine and then specialized in the field of psychiatry. The psychologist takes the psychology course and then specializes in clinical practice.
As can be inferred, the skills and knowledge acquired by these professionals are different, the former must control the neurological functioning and anatomical bases of the human body, for the clinical psychologist knowledge of the social sciences is fundamental, which will allow him to analyze how people interact and how cultural dynamics work.
In both careers, subspecialties are based on the stage of personal development and the field of intervention to which they are engaged, for example, it is possible to study specific disorders in childhood, adolescence, adulthood or old age, or can we adhere to a specific field of action, which is also very diverse: family, social, professional, community, sexual?
The psychologist evaluates and treats psychological problems. That is, problems related to the mental processes, sensations, perceptions and behavior of people, analyzes their origin and their causes, always in relation to the physical and social environment that surrounds the person, in short, the clinical psychologist focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation and treatment of personality changes that can occur throughout our life cycle.
The area of expertise of the psychiatrist is the physiological and chemical evaluation of psychological problems, that is, it performs its work from a medical and pharmacological point of view, for example, it may seek to restore the balance of a certain hormone in the brain.
The psychologist, regardless of his specialization, aims to improve the emotional and psychological well-being of the patient, to do so, by applying certain techniques and using skills, seeks to respond to the discomfort of the person. provides the patient with tools to maintain changes made during the procedure over time.
The psychiatrist, with medical training and knowing how to interpret the brain chemically, has the ability and is able to prescribe medications, with anxiolytics and antidepressants being the most common, in addition the psychiatrist can also provide medical care and authorize hospitalizations.
In Brazil, when we go to a general practitioner or primary care physician and we explain our problem, they can refer us to a psychologist.
In consultation with the psychologist, the patient may be referred to a psychiatrist if the need for treatment is identified, in this way the two professionals will perform a joint intervention. On the one hand, the psychologist will work on the behavior and mental well-being of the person, on the other hand, the psychiatrist will be in charge of prescribing and supervising the corresponding medications.
Depending on the extent and type of conflict encountered, the patient can go to the psychologist without necessarily having to go to an appointment with a psychiatrist.
Psychiatrists and psychologists may, on certain occasions, perform a joint intervention.
The clinical psychologist understands the patient’s problem in terms of adaptation and inadequation, focuses on establishing the causes of the disorder, as well as the study of the predisponder and contributing factors that have transformed the patient’s behavior into pathological behavior. to get explanations about personality traits, their childhood, their evolutionary development, their physiological condition or their environment.
Psychiatrists understand emotional problems differently, in terms of normality and abnormality, so the disorder is an abnormality or dysfunction of the body, such as a chemical imbalance of the brain.
Psychiatrists and psychologists dedicate different times to their patients when they consult, this relates to depth and how to address the problem.
Psychologists usually set a period of between 45 and 60 minutes, so they have time to deepen psychological conflict and provide mental and psychological support, as well as perform the psychometric evaluations needed to support the evaluation.
Psychiatrists usually do not last more than 20 minutes, they do not usually perform such an integral psychological assessment, but are dedicated to knowing how the patient has evolved since prescribing the drug, their job is to adjust it to the evolution of the person, as well as perform periodic reviews.
Specialized mental health training provides both professionals with an in-depth understanding of brain functioning, which in many cases requires the collaboration of psychiatrists and psychologists in many cases.