Psychiatrist or psychologist?

 

It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a psychologist  and psychiatrist .

In everyday language these two professions are called without differentiation "psychologists".

 

What is it exactly?

Do they have the same training?

Do they have the same goals?
 

The psychiatrist

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​A psychiatrist is a doctor who has received training in psychiatry. He intervenes in particular for people with mental disorders requiring the administration of medication .

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Unlike the psychologist, he can indeed prescribe medication  when psychotherapy is not enough.

 

The psychiatrist is recognized by the FMH as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Its title is protected by law.
It is part of a categorical approach, that is to say that it will rather group together symptoms in order to make a diagnosis allowing the identification of a category of mental disorders . This makes it possible to orient the patient in an adapted psychotherapy.

 

Please note : consulting a psychiatrist does not necessarily mean that you suffer from serious mental disorders or that he will necessarily prescribe medication.

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​The psychologist

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​The psychologist is a person who has followed a psychology course in a university or a private school under contract with the State.

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​The course includes 5 years of training in human sciences and psychology (Master II and validated dissertation). The title of psychologist is a title protected by law.

The work of the psychologist is to highlight and explain disorders, situations, behaviors or symptoms, bothersome for a person, by inscribing them in the patient's history in a dynamic way , that is to say, by taking account of human functioning.

A psychologist aims to make a problem understandable, to assess its scope and seriousness . He will then propose help adapted to the person.

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