In the part 1 of this blog series, we had covered the difference between psychiatrists and psychologists in terms of education and training, prescription privilege and approach to treatment. In this part, we will look at the differences between psychiatrists and psychologists in terms of
Area of expertise
Work settings
Diagnostic Techniques
Let’s look at them in detail.
Disclaimer : The purpose of this blog is to help the common man in getting the difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist. Medicine being a huge domain, there might be minor differences in certain aspects depending on the geography, context etc.
Area of Expertise: (Psychiatrist Vs Psychologists)
Psychiatrists:
In any domain there are specific niches in which in depth expertise can be acquired. As far as psychiatry is concerned the area of specializations are child psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, addiction psychiatry etc. One can specialize in one of a combination of the above mentioned areas to render their services to the society.
Psychologists:
Areas of specialization available for psychologists include clinical psychology, neuropsychology, counseling psychology, educational psychology etc. They often focus on specific populations and issues like trauma, anxiety,depression, learning disabilities etc.
Work Settings ( Psychiatrist Vs Psychologists )
Psychiatrist:
Psychiatrists can work in mental health clinics, hospitals or have a private practice. One can also find some of them engaged in academia, research to contribute to the field of psychiatry. In the hospital settings psychiatrists work with other mental health professionals like psychologists, social workers etc to provide comprehensive care for the patient.
Psychologists:
When it comes to psychologists, you can see them in a wide range of settings including hospitals, educational institutions, community mental health centers, corporate settings etc In non-hospital settings they often offer counseling services and do academic research to advance their knowledge in the field of psychology.
Diagnostic Techniques ( Psychiatrist Vs Psychologist)
Psychiatrists:
Psychiatrists use a medical model to diagnose mental health conditions. The make use of assessments which include medical history of the patient and family members, psychometry and lab tests to establish or rule out cause of mental disorders.The understanding of the relationship between the physical , biological and mental domain makes their diagnostic approach comprehensive.
Psychologists:
Their primary diagnostic tools include behavioral and psychological assessments, interviews, observational methods which give them a hold of a person’s emotional and cognitive functioning. Their primary motive is to understand an individual’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors in various contexts so as to provide a relevant course of action.
This difference in the techniques used for diagnosis points out the complementary nature of psychiatrists and psychologists which if used can result in comprehensive patient care. If you take the best mental health centers, you can see a highly collaborative approach between psychiatrists and psychologists to deliver exceptional patient care.
So, hope you are clear about some of the differences between psychiatrists and psychologists. However, there are a few more aspects to touch upon which we will discuss in the part 3 of this blog series.
Cheers!!
