What is the difference between psychology and psychiatry?
The difference between psychology and psychiatry concerns the focus and methods of each discipline. Psychiatry is a medical specialty used to treat mental problems with basic biological or neurological causes, such as chemical imbalance in the brain. Psychology involves treating emotional problems through behavioral therapy that focuses on patient thought patterns. Another main difference between psychology and psychiatry is the required study course for each field. Psychiatrists are usually trained doctors who have chosen this field of mental health as their concentration, and psychologists usually have advanced postgraduate titles along with licenses for practicing psychotherapy according to specific instructions.
In terms of psychiatry, these experts have a license to prescribe certain psychiatric drugs. These include antidepressants and mood stabilizers in patients diagnosed with conditions such as bipolar disorder or chronic depression. Psychiatrists jThey are also able to test patients for abnormal brain activity due to mental illness. Some of them refer to such patients to the radiologist for brain scanning that can detect these types of biological causes of abnormal behavior or thought processes. This type of medical treatment is usually combined with regular therapeutic sessions similar to those found in the psychologist's practice.
Some people believe that the prescription of drugs is the only noticeable difference between psychology and psychiatry, but the reality is a bit more complicated. Although psychology and psychiatry have similar goals of improved mental health and emotional well -being, psychology is more of a applied scientific discipline than a specific medical industry. He has several roots in philosophy and also borrows from various social sciences. Psychologists often focus on how to influence the patient's interaction by other peopleThey provide their different mental processes and behavior. Unlike the medical field of psychiatry, psychology also takes into account a wider range of factors concerning some types of emotional problems.
Many psychologists examine the personality, styles of learning and past experience when they relate to these types of conditions that interfere with the everyday life of patients. Some mental health experts who study psychiatry and psychology state that these disciplines include different opinions among many experts. Many psychiatrists focus on certain biological causes of mental problems, while psychologists look at disorders in knowledge as the causes of emotional disorders. Depending on individual mental conditions, some patients also benefit from a combination of treatment borrowed from psychology and psychiatry.