X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.psycgrad
Date:         Sun, 6 Sep 1992 10:21:04 PDT
              <PSYCGRAD@UOTTAWA.BITNET>
From:         Rick Adams <adamsr@NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Re: Psych-iatry vs -ology?
              at Sep 4, 92 7:19 pm

==>
==>      Once upon a time, someone mentioned the alternative of getting an
 MD-PhD
==> as a way to have be a prescribing clinical psychologist... This seems to me
 a
==> pretty logical thing, yet there weren't a lot of takers,  How come?

	Primarily (at least in my case) because there are so many aspects of
medicine that are inapplicable to the field of psychology. Such areas as
surgery, internal medicine, ob-gyn, etc. simply have no bearing on the
field.

	MANY of us have (or will) taken courses in biology, neuropsychology,
biological psychology, psychopharmacology, etc. as part of our programs
anyway. The addition of the few courses necessary to insure safe management
of psychoactive medications in a therapeutic setting would be FAR less
restrictive than the addition of a complete program in medicine.

	A lot of neuropsychologists ALREADY have the training necessary to
manage such treatment - often they are better educated in the subject than
the average psychiatrist. Why should such an individual be required to spend
the additional years (and money) to obtain an MD?

	Perhaps part of the animosity toward psychiatrists stems from the
fact that a clinical psychologist is expected to obtain an MD if admitting
privileges, prescribing privileges, or comparable salaries to a psychiatrist
are desired - yet ANY MD can treat a patient for any DSM-III-R "disorder"
they choose, with any treatment strategy, without ever having taken a single
course in psychology! There is an inherent imbalance there - one which can't
help but create animosity. If I (for example) am required to attend medical
school and obtain an MD in order to treat a client from a medicinal
perspective, why isn't a psychiatrist (or any physician) required to attend
a clinical program and obtain a Ph.D or a Psy.D before treating a patient
from a psychological one? A clinician will do the initial work up on a
client in an institution, and prepare the admission reccomendations - but a
psychiatrist will receive a higher salary to accept those recommendations
and sign the admission papers. THAT makes no sense at all.

==>      There has been a lot of psyhiatrist-bashing in this discussion, and it
==> has been said that they simply don't want to give up their piece of the
==> pharmacological pie.  However, I'm curious as to our collective reaction if,
==> say, school psychologists, rabbis/pastors/priests, and "counselors" in
==> general, were to legally diagnose and treat mental illnesses by taking a
==> couple of courses on assessment and psychopathology (to paraphrase some
==> opinions, why bother with all the rest of the non-essential courses that
==> clinical psychologists have to take and which don't enhance their
 therapeutic
==> effectiveness...?)

	My reaction?

	So long as the individual has been trained in the areas in which
they are practicing as thoroughly as the clinician, why not?

	There are already two very different approaches to clinical
psychology, the Ph.D and the Psy.D  The former emphasizes research and a
more "scientific" model (in most - but not all - cases), while the latter
emphasizes an "applied" approach. The course requirements for both are very
different (appart from some core items that would be essential for ANYONE
who wished to understand the assessment and treatment process). If one of
the group above were to complete those core items (most of which are common
to most counseling and psychological programs) than concentrate on the areas
of greatest interest - why _shouldn't_ that person have those privileges?

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