1 answer
josie
Student
Champaign, Illinois
3
Questions
Updated
1295 views
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?
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1 answer
Dr. Reeta K
Psychologist
10
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
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 :)
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 :)
This was super helpful, thank you!
josie