What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist?
A psychologist, psychiatrist and psychotherapist have something in common. They all deal with issues of the human psyche and psychology, problems of the inner world, which is why the names of these specialties contain the root “psych” (from the ancient Greek “psyche” - soul). However, medicine includes only a psychiatrist (doctor), and in some cases a psychotherapist, because they deal with different manifestations of mental disorders and use different methods.
People who go to a psychiatrist are patients, to a psychotherapist are patients or clients, to a psychologist and psychoanalyst are clients. This is explained by the degree of responsibility and activity in the work process of the applicant himself.
Understanding the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist, first of all it is worth saying that a psychiatrist works with people with mental disorders who have lost adequate contact with reality - those in acute conditions and chronically ill people. A psychotherapist provides treatment (psychotherapy) with people who are aware of reality, can talk and understand speech addressed to them, understand where they are and who they are.
The second thing that distinguishes a psychiatrist from a psychotherapist is that a psychiatrist deals with pharmacological therapy (prescribes various drugs: injections, droppers, pills) to treat and eliminate the symptoms of a mental disorder. A psychotherapist helps a person using psychological techniques and specialized techniques, without using drug therapy. Some psychotherapists have a basic medical education, in which case they will also be able to prescribe medications, or they may have a psychological (not medical, but humanitarian) education, and then they do not have the right to prescribe medications.
As we said above, a psychotherapist treats people who can be classified as sick with great reservations. Their clients are characterized by disorders of the neurotic and borderline level: disorders of the emotional sphere, various neuroses, phobias, subdepression, etc. Therefore, if you experience constant fears or suffer from panic attacks, feel a painful depressive state or decreased emotional tone, but in general you live , go to work, perform your functions in the family and society - then you should consult a psychotherapist.
So, a psychotherapist may have a basic education as a doctor and advanced training in the specialty of psychotherapy, or he may have a psychological education and also additional education in some technique of psychotherapy (psychoanalysis, gestalt, behavioral therapy, etc.). A psychotherapist helps a person get out of a depression, overcome a phobia or neurosis, and prevent the development of serious mental pathologies.
What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist? He comes to the rescue if serious mental health problems arise. A psychiatrist treats various affective disorders - for example, manic or severe depressive states, schizophrenia, suicidal tendencies, drug addiction, epilepsy, etc. He primarily treats the brain, as one of the human organs. A psychiatrist can talk with the patient and advise him, but the main methods of psychiatry are medication.
Neurologist
Despite the association with nerves that shake and quiver, a neurologist has a very indirect relationship with a person’s psychological state. It is in charge of the nervous system of the body.
A neurologist graduated from a higher medical institution with two years of residency in his field and knows everything about the structure of the spinal cord and brain, the mechanism of operation of nerve fibers, and pathological conditions resulting from their disorders.
Due to his specialty, this doctor is faced with strokes, encephalitis, brain tumors, neuralgia and osteochondrosis. Rehabilitation courses after brain surgery and spinal fractures are indispensable without it. If a person complains of causeless dizziness, he will definitely be referred to a neurologist, but they will help him cope with depression or neurosis in another office.
What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist?
A psychologist, unlike a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, works only with healthy people. It can help a person better understand himself and others, develop behavioral and communication skills, correct unwanted emotional reactions, resolve conflicts, and much more.
The psychologist deals with:
- diagnostics of psychological state and personality characteristics (study of character, self-esteem, motivation, emotional-volitional, intellectual and other spheres of personality)
- assistance in the processes of self-knowledge and self-development (in any area of life - creativity, profession, study, etc.)
- issues of psychological correction (behavior change)
- issues of development of psychological abilities (communicative, emotional, cognitive, volitional and other spheres)
- problems of age development
- career guidance (choice of profession), professional selection, etc.
- issues of psychological adaptation (to work or school, team, new living conditions, etc.)
- development of communication skills, resolution of social conflicts and social adaptation
- psychological prevention of deviant behavior (prevention of alcoholism, drug addiction, criminal behavior, etc.)
The main difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist is that a psychologist works only with the norm, while a psychotherapist can work with people who have certain, albeit mild, disorders (neurotic and borderline levels).
The main task of a psychologist is to change the client’s behavior, and the format of work depends on the specific goal: psychological counseling, psychological correction or psychological prevention. A psychotherapist can also engage in these types of psychological work, but the main type of his work is psychotherapy. He, so to speak, works on a deeper level and his task is to change the client’s personality (depending on the client’s request).
Currently, psychological consultations and practicing psychologists are not uncommon, especially in organizations and children's institutions - kindergartens, schools. But, unfortunately, some prejudice against them remains. And this is due to ignorance of the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist. But it is a psychologist who helps solve a wide variety of problems, including everyday, family, social ones: decide on the choice of profession, help develop your child’s abilities, cope with a conflict situation, work with motivation, will and intellectual abilities.
When to sound the alarm?
It all depends on the context of the situation and the reaction to it. Here's a simple example. A child is walking down the street with his parents, when suddenly a car comes flying around a bend, speeding a centimeter away from them, almost knocking everyone off their feet. The child is frightened, talks about this incident all evening and cannot fall asleep for a long time.
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Four factors that indicate mental problems in children:
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This reaction is completely natural; in this case, parents need to show patience and care and reassure the child.
The next day, the child still remembers the incident, leaves the house with caution, shys away from passing cars, but nevertheless walks down the street. This reaction suggests that the child is overly impressionable. But parents can still cope with this situation themselves, providing the child’s nervous system with comfortable conditions.
But if, after this incident, every time a child goes outside causes horror, if he begins to be afraid not only of the noise of cars, but also of other loud sounds: screaming, barking dogs, slamming doors, if in the end he stops leaving the house altogether - all this should make parents should consider consulting a specialist.
Psychologist and psychoanalyst: what is the difference
There is another concept that is still often associated with Western European fashion. This is a psychoanalyst. Who is he and what is the difference between a psychologist and a psychoanalyst? Psychoanalysis is one of the areas of psychotherapy; a psychoanalyst can also call himself a psychoanalytic psychotherapist or psychotherapist-psychoanalyst.
A psychoanalyst is a psychotherapist who uses psychoanalytic methods as a tool. His main idea is that in our psyche, in addition to what we know about ourselves, there is an even larger part that we are not aware of - the Unconscious. The main goal of psychoanalysis is to explore the client’s unconscious and thereby help him understand the causes of his mental problems: unreasonable fears, personality complexes and other obsessive states that interfere with being happy. Using psychoanalytic techniques, the psychoanalyst helps the client become aware of and understand their unconscious motives and better understand themselves.
Despite the fact that a psychoanalyst is not necessarily a medical doctor by training, psychoanalytic methods are sometimes effectively used to overcome borderline conditions, such as phobias and neuroses. It is not for nothing that the founder of this trend in psychology was Sigmund Freud, a psychiatrist and neurologist.
Where to find a psychoanalyst?
To become a psychoanalyst, you need to go through a long and serious training process. Therefore, you can find a psychoanalyst in professional psychoanalytic communities.
A list of some psychoanalytic societies is presented here
Snezhana Belkina, psychoanalyst psychologist
Reasons for contacting a psychologist
There can be a huge number of reasons that would force a person to seek help. For example, such a specialist must be present in the antenatal clinic and in the maternity hospital. Pregnant women can experience enormous stress related to personal problems, and then advice and support are essential. Many problems arise after childbirth. In medicine, there is even such a thing as postpartum depression. But, besides this, people turn to psychologists with the following problems:
- Dissatisfaction with yourself and your life.
- Constant stress at work that leads to depression.
- Discord in family life.
- Lack of support and understanding from adults. The problem most often occurs in teenagers. Such help often becomes a salvation from suicide.
- Difficulties with adaptation in elementary school.
- Post-traumatic complications.
- Psychological support for incurable and complex diseases.
Activities of a psychologist
Classes with a psychologist are the main tool that a specialist uses during his activities. They can be individual or group, conducted directly at the specialist’s place of work or on-site. A special focus is activities with children. They are held in different age groups. Moreover, this direction is subject to two strategies. The first is simple consultations to create conditions for comfortable studying, and the second is behavioral correction of relationships in a team, communications or personal problems of a teenager.
Psychologist assistance to married couples involves conducting sessions individually with spouses or simultaneously with both spouses. In each individual case, the specialist chooses the direction of study that suits the specific problem. He makes all his decisions based on his personal experience and practical recommendations of other colleagues.
Psychiatrist
Most encounter this doctor only when obtaining permission to engage in some activity, for example, driving a car.
The main work of a psychiatrist is related to severe mental disorders, often requiring regular hospitalization in special institutions . His main patients are people who in the old days were called mentally ill, but in modern realities they are, as a rule, recognized as incompetent and have a disability group.
Schizophrenia, mental retardation, dementia of various natures - for the average person these terms sound scary, but for a psychiatrist they are professional routine. Also in the area of his observations are people suffering from epilepsy or who have attempted suicide. This specialist deals with the psychophysiological causes of such conditions; his medication prescriptions are aimed at suppressing the disease, often they cannot be obtained without a prescription.
Medical tests
In addition to intellectual tests, a psychiatrist must examine a person’s internal state. This can be judged by the results of the following procedures:
- Biochemical examination. The content of one or another element in the blood can indicate various neuropsychic complications.
- Endocrinological examination. Hormonal imbalances can cause depression, panic, and psychosis.
- Immunological tests. Viruses, especially those that are sexually transmitted, are often the cause of mental disorders.
- Toxicological studies. These may not necessarily be drugs or pills. Brain disorders cause poisoning from industrial or household chemicals, heavy metals or hazardous waste.
- Electroencephalogram - drawing on paper curves of the activity of parts of the brain.
- Polysomnography is also an EEG, but it is applied during the deep stage of sleep. Allows you to identify many diseases that are difficult to diagnose while the patient is awake.
- Nuclear magnetic tomography. This is the most modern method for diagnosing brain problems. Allows you to see even the smallest details that the EEG cannot capture. It can detect cancer in its earliest stages and prevent stroke.
