RESPONSE PAPER

Response Paper: Psychology Assignment Unit VIII

Response Paper: Psychology Assignment Unit VIII

What are the current developments of psychologists gaining prescription authority?

Prescription may be defined as 'the right to prescribe medication'. There is an increasing debate on whether the psychologist should be given the right and authority to prescribe medication or not. Extending decree advantage to psychologists would accommodate an altered and, presumably, beneath arduous agency for an analyst to accretion the appropriate to prescribe. In the United States, acceding decree privileges to psychologists was attempted by assorted pilot programs in New Mexico, California and, a lot of notably, in the military. Recently, two states, Louisiana and New Mexico, accept anesthetized laws to admittance added avenues whereby an analyst may appoint medications. Currently, a movement with a name of 'Prescriptive authority for psychologists' (Carlson, 1990).

This movement has been initiated. Prescriptive authority for psychologists movement is a public health initiative to give prescriptive authority to psychologists Masters with 2 years of graduate training postdoctoral clinical psychopharmacology, followed by 1 to 2 years of prescription monitoring or a certificate from the Department of Defense program, Diploma or Certificate of Registration of Psychologists prescription (or FICPPM FICPP), allowing them to prescribe psychotropic medications to treat mental and emotional disorders. Before legislation and in states where it has not been approved, this role is played by psychiatrists who have a medical degree and therefore the authority to prescribe medication, but whose numbers are in a serious shortage, and especially primary care physicians, who can prescribe psychotropic drugs, but lack specific training in psychotropic drugs and lack any training in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. According to the American Psychological Association, the professional organization representing the interests of psychologists, the movement is a reaction to the growing need of public mental health services, particularly in less urbanized and therefore resource-poor settings where patients have little or no access to psychiatrists.

Why is this dilemma/movement controversial?

There is still a dilemma and controversy over whether psychologist should be given the right to prescribe medicines. This dilemma is usually attributed to the debate that whether psychology is a science or not? There is still a dilemma over whether psychology can be categorized as science or not. Psychology as a science arises when the man is an object of knowledge and behavior that may be observable and measurable and get to know in an objective, scientific rigor as required.

Man's behavior ...