A friend of mine happened to visit Toni&Guy a few days back with her cousin. She saw Provoke Lifestyle magazine displayed there and was excited to show her cousin my article, her cousin glanced through and looked at my friend and asked, “Why is your friend writing about mental health?” Not quite able to follow my friend asked her cousin what was wrong and she replied “I mean, why is your friend who is a physiotherapist writing about mental health?”.

This is something that happens to me and psychotherapists like me all the time. People misread psychotherapy as physiotherapy. It happens with my LinkedIn page too, I get job offers for physiotherapist and at times doubts about muscle plasm. Sometimes people including me just put plain psychologist as designation instead of psychotherapist to avoid the confusion. In general, it’s just not the misreading but most people lack understanding as to which doctor to approach for which mental ailment.

Commonly, anything to do with mental health is associated with psychiatry, but that is not how it’s supposed to be. To make things simple to understand let’s categorise mental health broadly into two – clinical and non-clinical.

Clinical psychology deals with patients who need medicine to cure their current mental state or who are born with some kind of mental handicap, like Down Syndrome and Spectrum disorders, for which a psychiatrist is the person to seek help from.

Non-clinical psychology is where prescription of medicine is not done and the treatment is through various kinds of therapy.

So now what’s the difference between a psychiatrist and the psychologist?
Psychiatrist and doctors who have finished their MBBS and MD and can prescribe medicines. On the other hand, psychologist are not doctors, they have finished PSY-D or PHD in psychology and are issued licence from the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) and are not authorised to prescribe medicines.

While psychologists can treat clients using therapeutic approaches such as behavioural modification, talk therapy, and mindfulness practices, psychiatrists can take treatment one step further by determining whether medication would help and, if so, prescribing it.

The most common doubt that is asked is if a person is going through depression, stress or anxiety, who should they meet? Again, it depends on the intensity, depression, anxiety or stress; especially in cases of acute depression medical intervention is needed, just therapy won’t work, there is a need for a psychiatrist to examine and prescribe medicines.

Mostly psychologists and psychiatrists work hand in hand, Psychologists primarily use talk therapy or behavioural therapy (psychotherapy) to help individuals understand and manage their emotions and behaviour. Psychiatrists, being medical doctors, can diagnose, prescribe medication, and provide a range of therapies, including psychotherapy, especially for more complex cases or those requiring medication.

Choosing the right health care provider is very important, in this age and time of life coaches and people from different walks doing short term courses and claiming to cure mental ailments is scary. Always look into the qualifications and expertise of the professional before choosing someone who is going to help you with your mental and emotional well-being. Make sure that the provider you choose is licensed to offer mental health services. Licensing and services depend on the provider’s training and specialty area.

Mental health is still a taboo, but do not shy away from seeking help. Many people are now breaking barriers and seeking help which is a wonderful welcome change. When you have decided to make the change, do it wisely with the right mental health professional who is suitable for your needs.

– Sandhya Krishnan is a Psychologist, Child and Adolescent Counsellor.