How do psychiatrists and psychologists treat patients differently?
They don’t. They both treat patients with respect!
But each group has specializations. You’ll see this on their website and in their online reviews. Some psychiatrists just prescribe medication, and they might say they specialize in treating bipolar or, anxiety or depression. Others specialize in Ketamine therapy. This is a medication that is provided through nasal or IV methods. Most psychiatrists know how to prescribe medication for anxiety, depression, and bipolar. Be sure to look for what the psychiatrist specializes in. Some specialize in caring for children, others specialize in addictions, and some like myself are general practice psychiatrists. I see people 12 years old and up and work with people who have mood or anxiety or attention issues.
Psychologists also have other specializations. Some specialize in psychological testing. This is useful when it’s hard to tell if a person has anxiety or depression. Or maybe it’s hard to tell if the poor focus is from ADD, depression, or anxiety. On the other hand, maybe you’re wondering if you have a personality disorder because of the wild swings in your emotions. Or maybe you wonder if this is from autistic traits. Testing can reveal what is causing the problem. The tester will also usually explain what can be done for the issue identified. A psychologist can often do these tests in the office at the time of the visit, with little or no paperwork by the patient involved.
Some psychologists specialize in behavior approaches for OCD. Some specialize in interpersonal therapy, and people can learn communication skills to make new friends or even develop romantic relationships. Others specialize in cognitive therapy, which involves changing your thinking to change your feelings, and this is often quite helpful. A psychologist is good at being patient and helping someone be at ease and then talk about what’s going on in their mind. Sometimes psychologists can meet with patients for longer periods of time like 45 minutes or an hour, and sometimes that’s needed to dig into the crevices of a person's mind and figure out what’s going on. It takes a while to develop trust in the situation.
Some psychologists specialize in couple’s therapy, marriage therapy or family therapy. Some will specialize in family systems work and understand the repeating patterns of behavior between parents and children, and how that affected a child growing up, in terms of how they thought about themselves and their world.
You can go to your insurance company website when you get a sense of what kind of counseling or psychiatry help you want. There is often an indication of what psychologist or psychiatrist is in your area and what they specialize in.
Psychiatrists are also good for helping people feel relaxed and reveal the truth of what’s going on in their emotional lives. Visits tend to be shorter, often 15 or 30 minutes, but for some people, this is adequate because they don’t have more time with their busy schedule at work or school. If you need more time, bring that up immediately with the doctor. You can also ask the doctor's office how long the visits last and decide for yourself what you need before you even schedule a visit with a psychiatrist.