Psychiatrist Versus Psychologist

The image above is an excellent summary of psychiatry versus psychology and where they meet. In mathematics, such diagrams are common in set theory and are called Venn diagrams. The light aqua areas pertain to the title of the circle only (psychiatry or psychology, but not both). In contrast, the dark aqua area where the two circles meet is what the titles have in common (both psychiatry and psychology).

Vocationally, I worked in mathematics research, so I had a scientific bent of mind. Once I received the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia from my psychiatrist, I viewed getting her help to find the correct medication to control my symptoms as the most important goal.

I was also seeing a psychologist, but I viewed her as necessary only to resolve traumatic issues from my childhood and not as someone who could help me manage my schizophrenia. As a result, I spoke little to her about living with schizophrenia and always skirted questions she asked about my sessions with my psychiatrist. 

During a period of bad mental health, I was so overcome by the symptoms that I began to talk with my psychologist about them since I couldn’t hold back anymore. This step proved fortunate. I found that my psychologist had experience with patients with schizophrenia and had been waiting for me to open up about mine. I saw her weekly, whereas I saw my psychiatrist only monthly, so the conversations with my psychologist were more frequent. I had less wait time between appointments where I could openly talk about living with schizophrenia.

My psychologist helped me plan a better interface between the people in my life and myself. The discussions concerned those close to me, like family and people who recognized me, but I would see only by chance, like check-out personnel in my local supermarket. She encouraged me not to trivialize my symptoms when they started to improve but to make sure I lived as stress-free as possible to prevent a relapse. My psychologist helped me fashion that life.

The role of a psychiatrist and psychologist depends on the individual. Still, I have found that fully respecting and honestly engaging with both mine has helped me to lead a more balanced and healthier life.

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