Dear Dr. Dora,
What are psychopharmacologists and what special training do they get?
Thinking of Drugs
Dear Thinking,
In New Yorker cartoons, psychiatrists are usually next to a couch, talking to a patient. All psychiatrists used to do talk therapy. But a recent study out of Columbia University showed that nowadays, only 11 percent of psychiatrists offer psychotherapy at all.
Today’s reality is that most psychiatrists are psychopharmacologists, only. In addition, nurse practitioners increasingly prescribe psych medications. In some states, psychologists can prescribe medications after several weeks of classes.
So there are a lot of psychopharmacologists out there. Most psychiatric medications, however, are prescribed by general practitioners.
No wonder psychiatric medications are the most prescribed class of medications—more than antibiotics, cholesterol lowering medications, or any other medications.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dora