Differences between psychologist, psychoanalyst and psychiatrist

There is great confusion about the three professions that are closely linked to the psi field. Many people don’t know the difference about how psychologists, psychoanalysts and psychiatrists work, much less about what college or course is needed to pursue each of these professions.

Thus, it is very common for patients to ask me for psychiatric medications. But I, Felipe de Souza, who graduated in psychology, cannot prescribe any type of medication. It is also very common for people to think that psychoanalysis is a faculty and not know for sure what psychotherapy is.

In this text, we will clarify the main points.

To be a psychology professional, the interested person must attend a psychology college (which generally lasts 4 to 5 years). During the course, we studied several subjects and disciplines, including psychopharmacology, that is, the main psychiatric drugs and their action in the body. But, even having this knowledge, we cannot prescribe any type of medicine for our patients. This role is only for professionals who graduated in medicine and specialized in psychiatry.

During college, we also studied several approaches that can be used in the office and clinic. Among these approaches, we can find psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud and is, in addition to being a very useful technique to treat different symptoms, problems and mental and emotional difficulties, an important theory about the human being, which had influence in several other areas, such as anthropology, philosophy, letters.

Thus, we can say that the psychology professional does not prescribe medicine. With regard to psychoanalysis, the professional can specialize in the psychoanalytic approach. But there are also several professionals who prefer other approaches or ways of treating their patients, such as behaviorism, humanism, analytical psychology, among others.

In this text about the Labor Market, you will find more information about subjects in the faculty of psychology.

Psychiatry is a specialty of medicine. To be a psychiatry professional, the person must attend 6 years of medical school and, after this period, carry out the specialization in psychiatry (usually in 4 years). Upon completion, the professional will be able to prescribe medication for patients suffering from certain mental problems, ranging from simple problems such as insomnia and anxiety to patients with more serious disorders, such as schizophrenia.

In addition to prescribing medications, the psychiatrist can also carry out more psychotherapeutic consultations, using forms of therapy that do not use any type of medicine. So that, in a consultation with a psychiatrist, the patient can only talk to the professional, expose his problems and get from the psychiatrist ways to solve that specific difficulty.

To become a psychoanalyst, there are basically two ways. The most complete way is to take a training course at an institution linked to another international institution. There are also different lines of psychoanalysis and this is reflected in the existence of different institutions.

But in general, we can say that this more “complete” form is an extremely intensive course that lasts about 5 years. During this period, the professional will get to know in depth the theoretical knowledge left by Freud and other theorists, as well as undergo the analysis himself. After the analysis, he will have to do an internship, seeing patients and having supervision (guidance) from more experienced professionals.

Another way to be a psychoanalyst is to go to college first. In general, any college in the area of ​​human sciences (psychology, philosophy, history, letters, etc.) and then do a postgraduate course in psychoanalysis. In this graduate program, the student will also learn techniques and theories, but the period is shorter: around 2 years.

We also found psychoanalysis courses that are shorter than 2 years and do not require the student to have a previous degree. But these courses are generally not recommended.

Learn more: what is psychoanalysis?

Conclusion

After the explanations above, we can understand why those who are not in the area can confuse one profession with the other. After all, a psychologist can be a psychoanalyst, just as a psychiatrist can be a psychologist and use psychoanalysis to assist his patients!

What is important to know is that each profession has a group that coordinates and supervises professionals:

• Psychology Professionals – Federal Council of Psychology
• Professionals in Psychiatry – Federal Council of Medicine
• Psychoanalytical Professionals – International institutes such as the International Association of Psychoanalysis or the World Association of Psychoanalysis.

And there is still a question to be answered – how to choose the best professional to treat yourself?

Well, if you believe that there is a need for medication or if your doctor has advised you to take a certain psychiatric medication, look for a psychiatrist.

If you want to better understand your problems and find ways to change, choose a psychology professional and ask him what approach he specializes in. You can search for information about that approach and, after getting to know it better, you can assess whether you feel good about the approach or not.

If you want to carry out a profound process of self-knowledge, I suggest looking for a psychoanalyst. But as I said above, a psychoanalyst can also be a psychologist, so you might as well look for a psychologist who specializes in psychoanalysis.

The most important thing is to assess what kind of problem you are experiencing at the moment, if it is necessary to use any medication, if so, also to assess whether this medication is helping you or not. It is also extremely important to assess whether therapy with a psychologist or psychoanalyst is bringing results and personal growth and, finally, whether you feel good and trust that professional.

About psychoanalysis, see here:

Best psychoanalysis courses

Psychology or Psychoanalysis: Which Should I Choose?

About the neurosciences, which bring together knowledge from medicine and psychology and other areas, take our Free Course:

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