Dear Bob Crane,
A psychiatrist is an MD who treats what are defined as mental disorders. S/he generally does not provide psychotherapy, but does more med(ication) management with psychopharmaceuticals. Being in contact with psychiatrists (and providers too, I suppose) on a regular basis, I can tell you that the difference between a provider and a psychiatrist is HUGE. A psychiatrist is a physician and is trained to ferret out mental disorders. They may seem cold and callous to you, but let me tell you, when you are dealing with a floridly psychotic, acutely depressed or highly manic patient, a psychiatrist is exactly what is needed.
I can't say enough good things about psychiatrists - just like I can't say enough good things about providers, LOL. But they are different cures for different ailments, that's for sure. If anything, mental health professionals do a very bad job in communicating to the public what they actually do for a living. Most people can't differentiate between psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists, all of which do have very distinct and different job descriptions. In addition, people seem to watch TV shows where one inaccuracy perpetuates another, in terms of mental disorders and who does what with them.
Finally, I do know some fine psychiatrists and yes, they REALLY do care about their patients. Of course, there are jerks in every profession, providers included. But were I hard-pressed, I'd say that psychiatrists have saved many more lives than providers - on a daily basis. The skill is in diagnosing and treating someone with a mental illness, which sometimes is very difficult and takes many years of experience to perfect. Rarely do provider clients commit suicide - but I don't know one psychiatrist who hasn't had one or two attempts among his/her patients per year - and has saved them through skillful med management, understanding of the illness and appropriate treatment. As someone who DOESN'T have prescription privileges, I rely heavily on my consulting doc's to help out with diagnoses and appropriate meds.
So you probably won't get a negative response out of me on this one. But hey, I understand. Everyone has horror stories about physicians, and they're easy to disclose. Not like having bad ones about providers, but having to keep mum except for in anonymous reviews...
Time for chocolate,
the Love Goddess
