Psychologists or psychiatrists in Singapore often use abbreviations and medical terminologies in the course of their work that most of their patients cannot grasp immediately before doing some of their own research on the internet. So as experts in this area, it becomes imperative that we help everyone understand some terms you may come across on our website.
Enabling People to Comprehend the Lingo
Many of the technical terms or expressions that are used by psychiatrists or psychologists on an everyday basis may be incomprehensible to who are not professional mental health professionals. For someone consulting a psychiatrist in Singapore, it is important that he or she requests for the medical professional to explain the meaning of any jargon or lingo that the individual do not understand. Since the individual seeking treatment is paying for the service to help with mental health, it is his or her right to fully understand the significance of such terms.
Commonly Used Terminologies
Psychiatry
It is a branch or discipline of medicine that is concerned with the identification, treatment, and the deterrence of the occurrence of psychological and/or emotional disorders
Psychology
Psychology, as an academic discipline, involves the research and detailed studies of the human mind and behavior with the objective of understanding how humans think, act and feel. The discipline studies both the cognizant and incognizant experiences and also the thought processes.
As an applied science, Psychology can be used to diagnose and treat mental health issues as well as understand and solve human behavioral problems.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a method of collaborative treatment exploited by the clinical psychologist to comprehend the complicated thought processes of an individual so that the professional can recommend ways and means to mitigate the mental problems faced by the person.
Pharmacological Therapy
Pharmacological therapy implies medical care which entails using medications either exclusively or in conjunction with other therapeutic methods for treating illnesses or disorders.
EMDR
EMDR or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is a form of psychotherapeutic method helpful for patients experiencing distress from disturbing emotional experiences.
CBT
CBT or cognitive behavior therapy is a scientific method of treatment where the patient indulges in a series of talk therapy sessions with a psychologist or psychoanalyst for gaining a better understanding of his or her cognitive thinking process/processes. CBT is an effective tool used in the treatment of mental disorders like depression, bulimia, PTSD, and phobias.
Mental capacity
The capacity or ability of an individual to take his or her decisions independently as well as make choices is defined as mental capacity.
Differences between a Psychiatrist and Psychologist
To know the exact difference between the two professions click here.
More Terminologies
There are a lot more terminologies to cover and we will publish more of these definitions in future posts.
Written By Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic
