Why is it that psychiatrists are considered more highly skilled than psychologists…and paid 4 times as much?
I’m a psychologist and went to school for nearly 10 years in psychology. I know as much or more as psychiatrists re: mental illness, psychopharmacolgy, personality disorders, depression etc. Yet they make 4 or 5 times as much as I do. I challenge any psychiatrist out there to dispute these facts!
They go to pre-med school for 4 years….all they learn is science…chemistry, physics, biology, and math. NOTHING about emotions, bedside manner etc. Then they go to regular medical school…learn all about every orifice in the body, joints, ears, muscles, heart, legs…you get the idea…and then they do an internship to become an M.D., which can be in any area….and then if they choose psychiatry they spend at most 2 years studying any psychology!! Some schools even offer just a year of specialization to qualify for being a psychiatrist.
So I had to spend my 1st four years majoring in psychology, another 4 years in graduate school, again majoring in psychology, had to do a year of internship in psychology, had to write both a thesis for my masters’ degrees and a dissertation for my Ph.D….MD’s have to do neither…yet they are given the right to prescribe medication, which psychologists have obtained in some states, but not most…. do psychotherapy, which they know little about, make diagnosis from a manual psychologists call their own, (the APA….American PSYCHOLOGICAL association’s DSM IV-TR), and really learn little about psychology compared to psychologists. They are also known for their high rate of suicide…one of the highest of all professional fields.
And they have a very poor history of doing things like lobotomies, Electric Convulsive Therapy (ECT), and handing out drugs that later become known as dangerous eg., Thorazine, etc.
WHY do such individuals have more power, authority, and make more $$$$$$$$$$ than psychologists?
I do know "about" lobotomies, ECT, and harmful drugs that psychiatrists give out to further their research, rather than help people…. that’s why I’m not a psychiatrist! No wonder you don’t allow emails "straight haired, no curls woman"!
Neema, I don’t know who gave you the low rating but your references are great. Thanks!
Posted in psychotherapy education
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August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
i agree wholeheartedly. it is because of the MD. the MD is a professional degree that has long been associated with high pay. for many years I mean. but that does not explain why other professional degrees can equally be considered for high pay. there is a cultural fascination with MD’s in america. not all countries idealize MD’s like we do. we look to them for guidance, medical care, even nurturing when we go to the office. as if they have "special powers". the US has not been around a long time. MD’s started out with a good reputation and it has stayed. there is staying power with that degree. i work in a hospital. psychiatrists spend precious little time with their patients. in private practice they have them in and out for "med checks". the amouth of money they make it not based on any special knowledge that is unique to them.like you said, you have the same or very similar understanding. but it goes back to the high price put on an MD in the US. and it is not justified. i think the "med check" racket psychiatrists have should be outlawed. they are supposedly like bio-psychologists. another thing is that mental illness is a low priority in health care. with insurance plans which hold alot of weight. so when you see a psychologist, he or she is a specialist in mental health. whereas the "psychiatrist" has that almight MD after their name and can hide behind that. they are "more" than a specialist in mental health. they took all those science courses you talked about and God forbid they were on a plane and someone suffered a heart attack, because they have an MD they could help. you see where i am going with this? think about the people in the boardrooms who make the decisions about who gets paid what and make licensing decisions and such. most of them aren’t MD’s but are business people of some type. it used to be if someone had a college degree they were thought of as some genius. the same theory. i have a professional degree and i know first hand that having one does not mean you are brilliant. it means you have a measure of discipline as far as i am concerned. you were disciplined enough to stick to something long term. MD’s are the most worshipped of the professional degrees. my professional degree is at the doctorate level and i make it a point to let every MD I see that i too have a a doctorate and i put myself on the same leveling field as them right off. they have a doctorate in medicine, you have one in psychology and i have one in something else. but part of it and i think a large part of it is that the rights of the mentally ill in the US and around the world are virtually non existent so anyone who specializes in their care (short of "the md") is seen as part of the continum of the whole validity of the prospect of mental illness even existing and so forth. there are some people who don’t even believe there is anything real called mental illness. i am sorry you struggle with this. i struggle with it too because MD’s think their (blank) doesn’t stink.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
coz they have that exclusive mefical degree and not saying you didnt, but did a heck of a lot of work for it and paid a lotta money. also its very exclusive as i said
Keep up the good work!
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
I think you have a right to double your pay as much as those of the psychiatrist… here, i know a psychologist who has the same amount of that of the psychiatrist because she knows its worth it.. but c’mon now! maybe u will have more clients if your amount is not that big and at the same time good in explaining.
honestly i think that psychs should give a low payment, your helping ppl and yet your letting them pay?!?? its like a person who almost die but dont have money psychs wont help if they dont pay!!
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Personally, all the things you listed are the reason why I go to a psychologist and NOT a psychiatrist. They basically just look at you like a lab rat and throw pills at you. I think psychologists are a lot more considerate and they take therapy a lot more seriously.
Who cares what you’re getting paid? Charging as much as psychiatrists do does nothing but make the patient’s life harder - it turns therapy into elitism. You’re helping people, and I don’t think psychiatrists are better. I know lots of people don’t.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Nice try. You are not a psychologist! All psychologists learn about procedures like lobotomies, ECT, medicine treatment, etc. There are perfectly valid reasons for each of those techniques. And if you actually had experience in psychology, you would know that!
I won’t even mention all of the other baloney you spewed!
ETA: After seeing your update aimed as a put down, it only supports my side more. Why not go to peer groups online and complain, rather than here? You know that anyone could be in here, listening to your rhetoric, which could certainly affect those who are actually in need of psychological help. You should show that psychologists and psychiatrists often work together, with other medical professionals, to make sure that the person is healthy- all around. That is a very important concept you apparently missed in classes.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
You should see what you can do about lobbying for changes in state legislature or with one of the psychological associations. You have what it takes, you know enough about it, and it looks really good on your resume if you get involved in something like that. Seriously, get involved and learn what you can do to make some changes that will help people. There’s all kinds of debate going on about how things should be with Psychology, and it’s an evolving field with people on all different sides of various issues. You know which ones you care about most. You can do something!
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
….you scare me….stay outta my head………….:-)
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
well, i don’t know the difference, basically b/c in my small town all we have are "councelors".
we have to drive at least an hour away to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
http://www.integrativepsychiatry.net/bipolar_disorder.html
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/how-much-progress-have-psychology-and-psychiatry-really-made-a-freakonomics-quorum/
http://www.reidpsychiatry.com/
globalforumhealth.org/filesupld/forum10/Forum 10 Book of Abstracts.pdf
http://www.womenpsych.org/news/NewsSummer2004.pdf
http://www.unityhealth.com/apps/FindADoctor/pdf/intro_state_dane.pdf
August 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
I don’t consider one more skilled than the other.
You seem very angry about the profession you have spent so much time and energy on. It scares me to think of this much anger in a profession such as yours. Maybe you should ask for more money-I’m sure you’re worth it, or find something else to do. Life is too short being this dissatisfied with your job. What I don’t understand is why so long in school? A pharmacist goes 2 years to college, 4 years in pharmacy school and 1 year as an intern. You spent 3 more years and are making less than pharmacy graduates do upon graduating.
I hope you find joy in whatever you do, regardless of the money you make.