Psychiatrists and psychopharmacologists are both medical professionals who are able to prescribe drugs to treat mental illness. Both have gone through extensive schooling in order to earn their titles but there are clear differences between the two.
Top psychiatrists in NY are physicians who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health, which can include both emotional problems and substance use disorders. They go through comprehensive medical training in order to be able to diagnose and treat mental illnesses.
Psychopharmacologists and psychologists are not the same
Psychopharmacologists study the effects of drugs on behavior. This could mean either psychiatric drugs that are used to manage mental disorders or psychotropic drugs that are used recreationally. A psychopharmacologist studies psychology, psychiatry and pharmacology and they use their knowledge in all three fields in order to aid them in the study of drug development.
In order to become a psychiatrist, a person must go to medical school and learn about all aspects of health, physical and mental included. They learn everything there is to know about how the body functions and they understand the intricate relationship between medical illness and emotional illness – they’ll be able to know whether something is brought by a physical illness or a mental illness.
In order to become a psychopharmacologist, a person must complete schooling in pharmacology on top of psychiatry and psychology, which takes a very long time. The degree itself takes about two years to earn but this is after a student has gone through graduate and post-graduate work in psychiatry, psychology or even nursing.
Many psychopharmacologists work for drug companies
While a top psychiatrist in NY may have a private practice, a lot of psychopharmacologists may work for drug companies. They help to develop new medications, test existing ones and they sometimes will work as researchers. When doing that, a psychopharmacologist can explore how drugs act and they can discover different ways those drugs can be used to manage various conditions.
Psychiatrists will prescribe a medication to their patients that they’ve seen have a positive effect on others and while they know some information about the drugs they’re giving to their patients, a psychopharmacologist with a private practice knows the ins and outs of many of the medications they prescribe. And because there is so much information for them to know – with new drugs in development and even more in the pipeline – psychopharmacologists need to be on top of their game. Because of ever changing world of pharmacology, they are required to take the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology Examination in Advanced Psychopharmacology exam every five years.
To know more information about the differences between psychiatry and psychopharmacology, please visit the website of Dr. Wendy Wolfson.
Stacey Gotsulias writes for a variety of blogs.
Psychology vs. Psychopharmacology: What"s the Difference?
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