Consider the issue of whether counseling or clinical psychologists should be able to prescribe medication. Some have argued that it is ludicrous that family physicians and surgical specialists, who may have no psychological training at all, are allowed to prescribe the entire range of psychoactive drugs for treating mental illnesses, while psychologists, who specialize in treating mental illnesses, cannot prescribe any medications. Although historically most psychologists did not have the training in pharmacology that physicians were given, in recent years many graduate programs in psychology have added coursework in physiology and pharmacology to narrow this gap. While most would agree that psychologists probably should not be able to prescribe non-psychoactive medications, the wisdom of prohibiting them from prescribing any medications seems doubtful. This issue may be especially important in rural areas, where access to health care may be limited. Because psychologists are pressing for legislative changes in some states that would allow them to prescribe some medications in some circumstances, this debate is likely to become more visible in the near future. How do you feel about this issue? Do you see any potential dangers if psychologists begin prescribing medicine?
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