Is a psychologist or psychiatrist better for a career with the study of the mind & phobias?
I need help. I know I’m only fourteen but I’m really interested in the study of the mind. I want to learn more. Mainly study the human mind & the phobias it has and why they act the way they do & why they have that certain phobia etc. I don’t know which would be better, psychology or psychiatrist ? I’m thinking psychology but I need some more opinions. So help ?
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A psychologist would probable be the best choice for you
same here!! i love psychology!!
i think a psychologist would be better
good luck!
In my experience in the UK, although some psychiatrists try to work psychologically for the main part psychiatry is about diagnosing "illness" and prescribing treatment, usually drug treatment. So they spot what is "wrong" and then give chemicals to try to change this. So they do a lot of training and can earn high wages, but is what they do that interesting, and does it really help in the understanding of the human mind? I don’t think so.
Psychology does not have the same status or earning potential. But you can train in different areas, eg criminal, clinical. In clinical psychology you do look at thoughts and how these link with behaviour, and you can work intensively with people.
Psychiatric nursing can also give you that opportunity if (and only if) you find a suitable post. Unfortunately a lot of the work in psychiatric nursing can be clerical/administrative/anything else that management decide is your remit, and the time you spend with people is therefore limited. However if you specialised in CBT/DBT/counselling or became a CPN your time would be more people-focused, but you would still be working in a system where chemical treatment is seen as first-line.
There is also a job called "graduate mental health worker" – not particularly well-paid and with a limited career structure (unless you then moved into clinical psychology training). For this you work at a GPs surgery and tend to deal with problems which benefit from a psychological approach, eg anxiety, depression, phobias. You have to have a psychology degree and then you do a post-graduate certificate while you are in post.