You may be experiencing some really serious issues, and you want to turn to a professional but are confused about the different titled professionals which you can consult with. First and foremost, to determine whether or not you should go to a private psychologist like the private psychologist London or a private psychiatrist London for your mental health concerns, you need to understand the following basic differences between a psychologist and a psychiatrist:
Educational Backgrounds

Psychiatrists graduate from medical school and therefore psychiatry in itself is a medical specialization just like pediatrics, surgery or obstetrics and gynecology. Psychiatrists have to undergo normal doctor training which can be up to 5 or 6 years, in which later on they have to take further trainings in order to get their specialization in psychiatry.

A clinical psychologist - the one who are given the permission to carry out personal psychology consultations or therapies like the private psychologist London - gained a psychology degree from a university. Similar to psychiatrists, psychologist would have to get relevant experience of working in healthcare settings before they are allowed to undergo the Doctorate training required for their clinical psychologist position. Prior to their clinical psychology training, psychologists would work with numerous adults, children, and elderly patients under the supervision of experienced psychologists.
Approaches and Methods

Psychiatrists will investigate more about your issue through understanding your basic biological and neurochemistry processes, in which for example they will investigate whether a case of depression is linked to a vitamin deficiency or a thyroid problem. At the end of the day, psychiatrists may issue a prescription for medicines or vitamins to help resolving your issue.

Psychologists will look closer at your behavior, which may include tracking your sleeping patterns, eating patterns as well as negative attitudes or thoughts which might be causing the problems. Psychologists such as the private psychologist London have known to utilize more formal experimental approaches to investigate about someone’s states of mind, emphasizing more on behavioral mechanism rather than physiological processes. Psychologists will very likely use different types of psychological therapy, for example the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to learn more about the issue and its possible solutions.
Line of Work

Psychiatrists usually work with patients who have more severe disorders that require immediate medical treatments, like schizophrenia. People who have severe disorders with serious physical symptoms are usually referred to a psychiatrist instead of a psychologist like the private psychologist London due to the need of medication prescription.

Clinical psychologists such as the ones practicing in the private psychologist London clinic work with a wide range of patient groups and numerous different types of issues. Psychologists work with a more day-to-day behavioral mental issue such as eating disorders, dementia and depression, where they will use a particular kind of assessment or therapy to understand about the problem.

At the end of the day, going to a private psychologist London or to a psychiatrist is really a matter of personal preference. Some people do not like the idea of altering the chemicals in their bodies by drinking medicines, so they will go to a psychologist to undergo therapy instead of getting prescribed medications. Others may not be able to stand the physical pain, and thus they will go to a psychiatrist to alleviate their physical symptoms in a fast and efficient manner.