Clinical Psychologists: Acquiring Prescription Privileges in Canada (Essay Sample)

Should Clinical Psychologists Work to Acquire Prescription Privileges in Canada?
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Introduction
In the psychology field, there is a protracted and contentious debate about whether psychologists ought to strive to acquire the authority to prescribe psychiatric medicines for the treatment of a variety of mental and emotional diseases. The authority to prescribe is reserved for traditional physicians, and the prospect of psychologists getting the same privileges has garnered widespread interest in numerous parts of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom during the last two decades. The case for granting clinical psychologists prescriptive rights arises from the demise of quality healthcare for psychological disorders and illnesses that current medical science colleges cannot satisfy. While opposers of the subject raise several concerns about psychologists' credentials, proponents of the topic emphasize the critical public requirements that are now unmet by the current mental health system (Lavoie & Barone, 2006). The situation has primarily exacerbated severely defective prescribing practices adopted under the umbrella of health personnel and a damaging psychiatrist scarcity. I believe that new requirements for prescription privileges would significantly assist mental health practitioners, psychologists, and psychiatrists, based on research papers and publications in this area of study.
Arguments for Prescription Privileges
Proponents claim that, with the capacity to create prescriptions, psychologists should be competent to rectify the great proportion of the incorrectly medicated population owing to general professionals' lack of psychological knowledge. Additionally, these proponents assert that most doctors with privileges to administer medicine to persons with mental illnesses are unqualified (Zimmerman & Wienckowski, 1991). As a result, it would be catastrophic if these doctors administered the incorrect drug. They cite one instance in which a physician suggested a patient suffering from depression take antidepressants, only for the patient to develop sleeplessness as a result. For instance, women's depression prescription is often misdiagnosed and undertreated, even more so when addressed by non - psychiatric physicians. When women consult their primary care physician, they are more apt to be given tranquilizers over antidepressant medication, which has been shown to be ineffective.
Psychologists would use this opportunity to empower clients to be more involved in their therapy plans. Typically, when a medical practitioner informs a patient that he is about to provide medication, the patient nods and expresses gratitude. This is not as efficient when treating psychological disorders, and engaging