Most people get confused between these terms psychiatrist, and psychologist. Often the terms are used interchangeably by people. But there is a distinct difference between them, regarding education requirements, training and practice. We got talking to Dr Sanghanayak Meshram, psychiatrist and sexologist, Mumbai to know the difference and who to reach out for help, when in need. Here is how he decoded the terms for us:
Psychiatrist: To become a psychiatrist one needs to graduate from a medical school. They do their MBBS or Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery for six years and continue their study in psychiatry for three years. They are practitioners who have an in-depth knowledge of the brain, emotions, thoughts, and feelings and provide help to people suffering from mental health ailments. They can prescribe medications and also offer to counsel depending on their diagnosis of the patient and his/her severity. They can take a call if their patient needs medication to treat symptoms of illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder or other diagnosed condition or counselling to treat the underlying stress. They can also do various tests to evaluate the mental health of the patient. Also, there are specialisations one can choose from during studying psychiatry like general psychiatry, child psychiatry, psychoanalysis, etc.
Psychologist: This group of practitioners obtain their degree by doing a major in psychology and then move on to do an advanced program for counselling. They deal with counselling and offer various therapies to deal with the said problems. They use certain psychological testing (like aptitude tests, cognitive behaviour analysis, rational emotive behaviour therapy, etc.) to analyse and derive their conclusions about a patient s mental health aspects. However, they will not prescribe medications to treat the problems and might refer you to a psychiatrist if the problem is beyond their realm of study. Here are seven things you need to know about therapy or counselling.
Whom should you go to for counselling?
A straightforward answer to this question is go to anyone whom you feel comfortable with. The problem with the Indian society is any friend, relative, uncle or aunt would like to double up as a counsellor. This is where the problem keeps escalating because of lack of professional help. So, instead of thinking who to approach just call up either a psychiatrist or a psychologist and fix an appointment to discuss your problem, advises Dr Meshram. Here are 10 signs that you need to visit a sexual therapist.
However, if you still want to know how your treatment would differ, he further explains, A psychiatrist is capable of dealing with the medical and psychological aspect of your condition, prescribe medication for a condition which is triggering symptoms of mental illness. There are times when a thyroid problem, anaemia, migraine might be the cause of a mental health condition and need prescription drugs. A psychiatrist can deal with that and therapy together, while a psychologist will help with therapy and counselling to deal with your problem.
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