What is the Difference Between Psychological & Psychiatric Theory?

Image by JR Korpa

The simplest explanation is that psychological and psychiatric theories represent two different beliefs about the root cause of mental suffering. 

Psychological approaches are often more relational. Mental disturbances are seen as the result of powerful emotions that influence us without our conscious awareness, that are not soley about what is happening within the individual. Even in the early case studies of Freud he frequently views the emotional disturbances of his patients as being caused by unpleasant relational experiences. Either that or they stemmed from the pain of being blocked from acting on certain emotions and consummating them through experience. Unrequited love is the most common example. 

From this perspective, treating mental illness is a matter of uncovering these hidden thoughts and feelings and helping people to metabolize them. There are hundreds of competing theories about the cause of these disturbances, but the basic procedure is the same. Excavate hidden thoughts and feelings in order to free people from the effects of them. Ironically, Freud is the father of this psychological technique, the talking cure, even though he was a physician trained to treat neurological disease.

Psychiatric theories, which were not developed by Freud, who was not a psychiatrist, takes a very different approach to treating mental illness. Mental illness is a result of faulty wiring in the brain. The chemistry of the brain is out of whack and fixing it is contingent upon finding the right combination of medications to help re-balance these chemicals. Much about the workings of the brain remain unknown, but neuroscience could possibly answer some of our questions, leading to more effective treatments. 

The implications of accepting either of these viewpoints are significant because it is frequently the case that accepting one point of view coincides with the denigration or outright dismissal of the other. 

A holistic approach is required, one that recognizes that some aspects of mental health are best improved upon with talk therapy, and some are more amenable to medication. Maintaining the sense that one’s preferred approach is right is less important than finding the most efficient route to alleviating suffering.