What is the difference between psychiatry and psychotherapy? This question seems like the first line to a joke, but it relates an important distinction people should understand. Psychology and psychiatry are two coinciding pieces to the whole of mental health. Both professions specialize in the mysteries surrounding the human mind, and how the mind influences behavior and overall well-being. Each of these career fields has committed individuals who assist others in maintaining balanced mental health. However, though these professions overlap, they are still diverse in various aspects of their specific natures. Overall, a psychiatrist is a physician whose expertise lies in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental and emotional turbulence.
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Psychologists use psychotherapy to help people adjust to the struggles associated with life. In “Psychology and the Challenges of Life” Nevid and Rathus define psychotherapy as “A systematic interaction between a therapist and a client that brings psychological principles to bear on influencing the client’s thoughts, feelings, or behavior in order to help that client overcome abnormal behavior or adjust to problems in living” (Nevid & Rathus, 2013). Psychotherapy is a common form of treatment for individuals who struggle with mental disorders. Within this treatment, therapists use theoretical perspectives in combination with the patient’s background to structure a process for them to heal. Psychotherapy is built upon the foundation of psychological theory that center around personality, learning, motivation, emotion and abnormal behavior. Psychotherapy is applied in order to positively influence the patients mind and behavior (Nevid & Rathus, 2013). Though psychotherapy is used for psychological disorders, it can also be for individuals who are grappling with life; for instance, starting a new career, getting a divorce, or under increased stress. Psychotherapy revolves around problem solving and learning how to adjust to life; this is achieved through talking and face to face interactions with a counselor or psychotherapist (Grohol, …show more content…
Mental instability can be detrimental to one’s overall health and it is more prevalent than most people may realize. According to ABC News, one in five Americans suffers from a mental disorder (Conley, 2012). If these people were physically sick, they would generally be treated with a standard medical practice; however the human mind is more complex than the human body, therefore it requires a more complex treatment that may vary from individual to individual. For example, if one was diagnosed with depression a psychiatrist may prescribe them with an antidepressant, but a psychotherapist may have weekly talk sessions with them. Though both psychiatry and psychotherapy treat mental illness, neither of them possesses the same traits. Because psychotherapists and psychiatrists frequently coincide and work together in order to help the patient, their occupation descriptions overlap. However, there are various distinctions between a psychotherapists and a psychiatrist; the most crucial difference is typically the nature of treatment each profession distributes. Psychiatry attempts to treat patients of mental illness as a physician; they have medical training, they study neuroscience, and they are able to prescribe prescriptions. Psychotherapists, on the other hand, study counseling or psychology, and use psychological theories to treat patients rather than medication. Both professions require post masters
Psychologists use psychotherapy to help people adjust to the struggles associated with life. In “Psychology and the Challenges of Life” Nevid and Rathus define psychotherapy as “A systematic interaction between a therapist and a client that brings psychological principles to bear on influencing the client’s thoughts, feelings, or behavior in order to help that client overcome abnormal behavior or adjust to problems in living” (Nevid & Rathus, 2013). Psychotherapy is a common form of treatment for individuals who struggle with mental disorders. Within this treatment, therapists use theoretical perspectives in combination with the patient’s background to structure a process for them to heal. Psychotherapy is built upon the foundation of psychological theory that center around personality, learning, motivation, emotion and abnormal behavior. Psychotherapy is applied in order to positively influence the patients mind and behavior (Nevid & Rathus, 2013). Though psychotherapy is used for psychological disorders, it can also be for individuals who are grappling with life; for instance, starting a new career, getting a divorce, or under increased stress. Psychotherapy revolves around problem solving and learning how to adjust to life; this is achieved through talking and face to face interactions with a counselor or psychotherapist (Grohol, …show more content…
Mental instability can be detrimental to one’s overall health and it is more prevalent than most people may realize. According to ABC News, one in five Americans suffers from a mental disorder (Conley, 2012). If these people were physically sick, they would generally be treated with a standard medical practice; however the human mind is more complex than the human body, therefore it requires a more complex treatment that may vary from individual to individual. For example, if one was diagnosed with depression a psychiatrist may prescribe them with an antidepressant, but a psychotherapist may have weekly talk sessions with them. Though both psychiatry and psychotherapy treat mental illness, neither of them possesses the same traits. Because psychotherapists and psychiatrists frequently coincide and work together in order to help the patient, their occupation descriptions overlap. However, there are various distinctions between a psychotherapists and a psychiatrist; the most crucial difference is typically the nature of treatment each profession distributes. Psychiatry attempts to treat patients of mental illness as a physician; they have medical training, they study neuroscience, and they are able to prescribe prescriptions. Psychotherapists, on the other hand, study counseling or psychology, and use psychological theories to treat patients rather than medication. Both professions require post masters