Unlike clinical psychologists, who focus more on psychotherapy, psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in medication-based management for those seeing relief from specific mental disorders.
Medication-Based Management Of Mental Conditions
Many professionals contend that psychiatry deals primarily with chemically reducing the symptoms of a disorder. At the same time, clinical psychologists treat the deep-rooted cause of the patient’s condition through psychotherapy that aims to unveil a patient’s repressed memory of much earlier psychic trauma.
Others seek psychiatric care for depression, acute and generalized states of anxiety, panic attacks, and phobia disorders such as agoraphobia which is the fear of leaving the safety of one’s home.
Formulating a diagnosis
Before beginning therapy and attempting to formulate a working diagnosis of the patient, psychiatrists usually want first to rule out any organic causes that may be the source or contributing feature to the patient’s symptoms.
Psychiatrists will often first refer a patient for a complete medical workup, including laboratory blood screening and neurophysiological testing by a neurologist.
These exams aim to understand better whether there is a causal connection between the patient’s emotional illness and a previously undiagnosed medical condition.
For example, loss of energy and motivation can be caused by a hormonal imbalance such as hypothyroidism.
Psychiatrists lean toward prescribing medication
Psychiatrists usually prescribe medications in combination with psychotherapy. Also, a patient will decide to confer with a psychiatrist solely to manage the patient’s medication and utilize a clinical psychologist’s professional services for psychotherapy purposes.
Many mental health professionals believe psychologists are far more adept in performing psychotherapy than psychiatrists because the physiatrist relies on treating the patient’s symptoms through medication rather than getting at the core of the problem through psychotherapy.
New treatment modalities
Newer treatment modalities now being used with some frequency by the psychiatric profession include Deep Brain Stimulation and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
It is believed that the above medical technologies can bring a patient’s brain back to a baseline level by disrupting neural networks that may have been responsible for the disorder.
The Diagnostic statistical manual (DSM)
Both psychologists and psychiatrists rely heavily on what is known as the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to formulate their diagnoses.
The DSM-5 provides a menu of over 200 descriptions of disorders or combinations of disorders, including associated symptoms and criteria for diagnosing a particular condition, such as:
- Bipolar Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Depressive Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Eating Disorders
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Types and purpose of psychiatric medications
Patients on long-term medication must periodically meet with their psychiatrist to monitor the medication’s progress and potential side effects.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants such as Zoloft and Paxil are used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. These are known as SSRI medications which stand for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Sedatives
Sedatives are depressants that act on the central nervous system and vary widely in potency. Sedatives slow down brain activity, thereby making a patient feel more relaxed. Sedatives are used for anxiety disorders and insomnia. Common sedatives include barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and sleep-inducing drugs such as zolpidem.
Hypnotics
Hypnotics are used to induce a sense of calm. Muscles and ligaments relax, breathing rate slows, and increasing drowsiness induces sleep. Examples of widely prescribed hypnotics are zolpidem (Ambien) or zaleplon (Sonata).
Mood Stabilizers
Mood Stabilizers work to decrease abnormal brain activity. They treat abnormal mood swings and reduce manic and depressive episodes.
Mood stabilizers are commonly used to treat bipolar disorder. Two of the most prescribed mood stabilizers are Lithium and Valproate.
Mood Stimulants
Mood stimulants are drugs that increase energy and alertness and heighten feelings of self-confidence. Unlike depressants, stimulants speed up the brain and the central nervous system’s activity. The most prescribed stimulants include Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine), Ritalin, and Concerta (methylphenidate).
Should you want more information, consider scheduling a consultation with an online Psychiatrist.
