Only MD's can prescribe medication. Psychoanalysts are experts in psychotherapy. A psychoanalyst who is also an MD can prescribe medication when it is appropriate. But many psychoanalysts are not MD's. They are therapists who have several years' intensive training in psychoanalysis , a specific form of intensive treatment for people with a wide range of problems or symptoms.
Analysis is usually also a longer-term form of therapy.
Many times physical factors contribute to mental or emotional discomfort. Psychoanalysis is the only one of the mental health disciplines that routinely requires practitioners to undergo the procedure they are learning to practice. Institutes for Psychoanalysis in major cities often offer psychoanalytic treatment at reduced fees through Clinic programs. All rights reserved.