Title: Treatment of Mental Illness - Mental Health Disorders - Merck Manuals Consumer Version
Headings: Treatment of Mental Illness
Treatment of Mental Illness
Types of Mental Health Care Practitioners
Drug Therapy
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Other brain stimulation therapies
Psychotherapy
Behavioral therapy
Cognitive therapy
Interpersonal therapy
Psychoanalysis
Psychodynamic psychotherapy
Supportive psychotherapy
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
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Content: Psychiatrists are not the only mental health care practitioners trained to treat mental illness. Others include clinical psychologists, advanced practice nurses, and social workers. However, psychiatrists (and psychiatric nurse practitioners in some states) are the only mental health care practitioners licensed to prescribe drugs. Other mental health care practitioners practice psychotherapy primarily. Many primary care doctors and other types of doctors also prescribe drugs to treat mental health disorders. Table
Types of Mental Health Care Practitioners
Types of Mental Health Care Practitioners
Practitioner
Training
Expertise
Psychiatrist
Medical doctor with 4 or more years of medical and psychiatric training after graduation from medical school
Can prescribe drugs, use electroconvulsive therapy, and admit people to the hospital
May only practice psychotherapy, only prescribe drugs, or do both
Psychologist
Practitioner who has a master’s or doctoral degree but not a medical degree
Often have postdoctoral training and usually have been trained to administer psychologic tests that are helpful in diagnosis
May practice psychotherapy but cannot do physical examinations, prescribe drugs (in most states), or admit people to the hospital
Psychiatric social worker
A practitioner with specialized training in certain aspects of psychotherapy, such as family and marital therapy or individual psychotherapy
Often trained to interface with the social service systems in the state
May have a master's degree and sometimes a doctorate as well
Cannot do physical examinations or prescribe drugs
Advanced practice psychiatric nurse
Registered nurse with a master’s degree or higher and training in behavioral health
May practice psychotherapy independently in some states and may prescribe drugs under the supervision of a doctor
Psychoanalyst
May be a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker who has many years of training in the practice of psychoanalysis (a type of intensive psychotherapy involving several sessions a week and designed to explore unconscious patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior)
Practices psychoanalysis and, if also a psychiatrist, may prescribe drugs and admit people to hospitals
Drug Therapy
A number of psychoactive drugs are highly effective and widely used by psychiatrists and other medical doctors. These drugs are often categorized according to the disorder they are primarily prescribed for. For example, antidepressants are used to treat depression. The most widely used class of antidepressants is
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, and citalopram
Other classes of antidepressants include
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as venlafaxine, duloxetine, or desvenlafaxine
Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors, such as bupropion
Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline and nortriptyline are seldom used anymore to treat depression because of their side effects. However, these drugs may be used if people also have a disorder causing chronic pain that interferes with activities and work.