Why the definition matters in a house?
From the book – Chapter 2: Psychology, Psychiatry and Counselling
Why the definition matters in a house
If psychology were only medicines, a sleepless student would be sent only to a tablet. If it were only talk, a thyroid that looks like sadness would be missed. If it were only culture, a treatable panic attack would be called a family curse. The three levels stop that narrowing.
Example. Two people weep after a job loss. One weeps, sleeps, updates a CV, and recovers in a month. One cannot rise, cannot eat, and believes nothing will ever change. Psychology studies both. Only the second is likely to need a clinic this month. The word 'psychology' covers the whole continuum; 'clinical psychology' is the door for the second.
Read the full chapter – Chapter 2: Psychology, Psychiatry and Counselling
Stories from real life
- Who Should We See First? – Anita, twenty-six, had been having panic attacks on her commute to Bengaluru for three months. Her heart pounded, her hands tingled and she was sure she…
- A Door Closes, a Room Opens – Daniel was fifty-two, a regional manager in Nairobi, when his company closed its office and he was let go after twenty-three years. For weeks he told…
- The Man with the Guaranteed Cure – Sunita's twenty-year-old son Vikas had been hearing whispers and becoming suspicious of the neighbours. He stopped studying and stayed awake at night. Frightened, Sunita asked everyone…
- Second Opinions and Small Pills of Fear – Kwame, thirty, lived in Accra and had been through a long stretch of low mood, poor sleep and no appetite. His family doctor sent him to…
Shloks
- Bhagavad Gita 14.5 – Sattva, rajas, and tamas — qualities born of material nature (prakriti) — bind the eternal soul to the body, O mighty-armed Arjuna.
- Bhagavad Gita 4.34 – Know that by approaching with respect, by questioning, and by service. Those who see will teach you.
More on this topic: What is mental health? A simple guide to the mind and who can help
More questions
- Understanding psychiatry – psychology, psychiatry and counselling
- In more depth – psychiatry
- Understanding counselling – psychology, psychiatry and counselling
- A Safe Space is Not a Strategy – counselling
- What are the types of psychology, psychiatry and counselling? (Chapter 2)
- What to look for?
- When to seek help? (Chapter 2)
- In more depth – when to seek help
- What are the types of psychology, psychiatry and counselling? (Chapter 2)
- How psychologists know?
- Psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor – what is the difference?
- Early warning signs of mental distress