| The rise in mental health
problems attributed to our fast-paced and stressful environment
has facilitated greater demand for psychologists and psychiatrists.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, opportunities
in psychology and psychiatry will continue to grow over the
next decade. The website for the Bureau states: “Employment
in healthcare will grow fastest in outpatient mental health
and substance abuse treatment clinics. Numerous job opportunities
will also arise in schools, public and private social service
agencies, and management consulting services. Companies will
use psychologists’ expertise in survey design, analysis, and
research, to provide marketing evaluation and statistical
analysis. The increase in employee assistance programs, which
offer employees help with personal problems, should also spur
job growth.”
Though this estimate cannot be blindly applied, the fact is,
today, people are also waking up to the need for good, balanced
mental health. The rapid pace of urbanization and the resulting
effects on individuals have led to an increase in the number
of mental health problems. As a result, the demand for mental
health professionals, that is, psychologists and psychiatrists,
has also increased manifold. Dr Tej Bahadur Singh, President,
Association of Clinical Psychologist and Professor, concurs
with this, “The increase in mental health problems among people
has led to tremendous scope and demand for mental health professionals.
People are now realizing the importance of mental well-being.
Hence, there is a possibility of better opportunities for
mental health professionals in general.”
PSYCHIATRY VS PSYCHOLOGY
The fundamental difference between psychology and psychiatry
is that while psychiatry is a medical degree, psychology is
not. Psychologists primarily aid patients through counseling
and psychotherapy. A psychiatrist, on the other hand, can
prescribe medication and perform ECT (electroconvulsive therapy),
in addition to performing psychotherapy. Elaborates Varkha
Chulani, Clinical Psychologist, Lila Hospital, “While a psychiatrist
treats chemical causes of emotional disturbances through medication
and ECTs, a psychotherapist treats attitudinal causes of disturbances.
Everyone, who is disturbed, is not necessarily chemically
imbalanced, and vice versa.”
SPECIALIZATIONS
There are several fields within psychology and psychiatry
- some which both psychologists and psychiatrists can pursue.
Clinical psychology/ psychiatry
Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists diagnose and treat
various mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, including
cases of schizophrenia and depression. Clinical psychology
is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
of mental disorders. Distinguishing the means by which clinical
psychiatrists and psychologists function, Dr Singh says, “Clinical
psychiatry generally uses drug treatment to manage mental
health problems, while a clinical psychologist uses psychological
testing for diagnosis, and subsequently applies psychological
methods of treatment, popularly known as psychotherapy. A
clinical psychologist has nothing to do with drugs.”
Counseling psychology
Counseling psychologists help people cope with personal problems,
including those related to their career or work. Counseling
psychologists conduct counseling/ psychotherapy, teaching,
and scientific research with individuals of varied backgrounds
and ages. They use interviewing and testing techniques to
advise people on how to deal with problems of everyday living.
Child and adolescent psychiatry / psychology
Aarti Sharma, a clinical and counseling psychologist, who
takes counseling sessions for school children in St Xavier’s
High School, reveals, “The demand for child psychologists
in educational institutes is on the rise. In fact, a number
of schools even employ psychiatrists to deal with problems,
such as study related stress, adolescent problems, low self-esteem,
etc, that their students might be facing. Moreover, unlike
in the past, when a friendly teacher would be substituted
as a counselor, new schools now have a separate counselor’s
room or resource rooms, where students can merely walk in
and express themselves openly to the counselor.”
Industrial / organizational psychology
Industrial psychologists handle organizational development,
training, environmental control and improvement, quality control,
motivation and productivity, and can be hired by corporates
to either conduct employee training or can even be hired as
HR personnel.
In the current economic crisis, companies are expected to
hire more industrial psychologists. Shrabonee Paul, an industrial
psychologist from Denver, explains, “Knowledge and experience,
shared by an industrial psychologist during recession, would
help organizations cut down on unnecessary expenditure, non-productive
frills, and control quality aspects in the firm, which are
essential for growth even during hard times.”
Drug abuse and psychiatry / addiction psychology
This area deals with addictive and substance abuse behavior.
With the rise in alcohol and drug addiction among people of
various ages, this field has become very popular.
Forensic psychiatry / psychology
Forensic psychiatrists/ psychologists offer their expertise
in a court of law. For instance, they might help a judge decide
which parent should have custody of a child, or evaluate a
defendant’s mental competence to stand trial.
SKILL SETS
Patience, a friendly and understanding demeanor, good communication
skills, an open outlook on life, an ability to maintain patient
confidentiality, and an inner emotional balance, are crucial
to succeed in this profession.
POISED TO PRACTICE
Mental health professionals can opt to practice at private
or public hospitals and clinics. Some may even work with non-profit
or support groups. Dr Shetty discloses, “Private practice
is financially remunerative, but mental health practice anywhere
is challenging and fulfilling. Research and teaching interests
can be pursued in teaching hospital departments. However,
experts agree that a hospital setting provides a more challenging
work environment because one gets to deal with varied problems,
whereas private practice may be restricted to handling only
specific kinds of difficulties.
Whatever branch of psychology a student chooses to go into,
this is one career field in which every job makes a huge impact.
View a complete list of psychology
schools to get started.
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