This is often a question that many people repeat themselves. What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? The truth is that although both professionals work in the field of mental health, the differences are very clear, as you can see in the following article.
In the field of mental health , multidisciplinary work is common , so professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists can work together. Each of them has certain limits when carrying out their work. We will see below what differentiates these two professionals who can become so confused. For this, it is necessary to clarify what functions each of them fulfill.
Specific functions of the psychologist
To be a psychologist it is necessary to study a degree in psychology , and to specialize it is necessary to do a master’s degree. This is how this mental health professional can become a clinical or health psychologist.
Their functions, although they can be very varied, are delimited by the deontological code proposed by the official college of psychologists (COP) . Its main functions are to evaluate, diagnose and prepare a treatment.
The treatment is fundamentally psychological. The psychologist through psychotherapy provides the patient with resources, strategies and tools to be able to face the problem which is a limitation in his life, and is causing him suffering and discomfort.
This professional works, therefore, putting all his attention on the psychological functioning of the patient : thoughts, behaviors, emotions, conflicts, beliefs and behaviors that are maintaining the problem.
Specific functions of the psychiatrist
To be a psychiatrist it is necessary to study medicine and later specialize in psychiatry. The goal of psychiatry is to treat mental illnesses based on the characteristics of physical illnesses.
These professionals have extensive knowledge of the human brain and its biological structure. The way these health professionals intervene is by focusing on brain physiology and chemistry. This is how they treat patients with essentially biological mental illnesses .
Mental or emotional disorders are treated by prescription of drugs. Some psychiatrists also specialize in psychotherapy to better understand the problems of their patients.
Differences between a psychologist and a psychiatrist
As can be seen, by knowing the specific role of each of these health science professionals, and specifically mental health, they are professionals who work in a different way. While the psychologist focuses on the psychological aspects of the patient, the psychiatrist focuses on the more physiological and biological aspects.
Although evaluation and diagnosis have similarities between these two mental health professionals, the treatment is totally different . The psychiatrist’s resources to prepare a treatment are pharmacological, being able to prescribe medications. While the psychologist performs a psychological treatment, using tools and strategies of psychology.
Therefore the approaches are different. The psychiatrist has a neurochemical and biologic approach , on the other hand, the psychologist focuses on the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that are associated with each problem.
As we have been able to observe, their training is different and their objectives also, considering mental health from different perspectives. For this reason, both professionals can work together , treating the entire mental health problem suffered by any patient.
Considering these differences, it will be easier for you to identify what a psychiatrist represents and what a psychologist identifies , so that there is no longer any doubt that they are different professionals.