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Why did you choose to be a psychiatrist?

As much as i desire to help, I get stuck not understanding if the only thing i'm truly interested in is understanding the mind and how it works. Would i be able to thrive in a profession that deals with helping people more then just dealing with medical aspects?
Do you have any suggestions for me?

psychology counseling psychiatry
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Dr. Reeta’s Answer

Psychiatrists are much more focused on the medical aspects of mental health and for the most part only prescribe medication (they've gone to medical school so they're MD's) Psychologists (PhD or PsyD), on the other hand, predominantly focus on clinical work and psychological testing (testing helps to identify intelligence level, whether or not you're lying or faking symptoms, as well as being able to assess for things like ADHD and autism).

If you're mostly interested in how the mind works (including thoughts, behaviors, emotions, etc.), then a path in clinical psychology is probably what you're looking for. But if you're really interested in the science behind all of that, then psychiatry is right for you :)
Thank you comment icon This was super helpful, thank you! josie
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Margaret’s Answer

Dr. Reeta's answer is really spot on and I just wanted to add that if you are interested in working with the therapeutic aspects of behavioral health and recovery, becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor is also an option. It requires a Master's Degree in a behavioral health field as well as supervised practice and an exam.
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