ON PERHAPS BECOMING WHAT YOU HAD PREVIOUSLY DESPISED - PSYCHOLOGISTS AS PRESCRIBERS OF MEDICATION

The authors contend that organized psychology's efforts to gain limite d prescriptive privileges may be misguided. The modification of psycho logy's traditional scope of practice may produce harm in the form of l essened patient regard, devaluation of nonpharmacologic elements of pr actice, and markedly increased exposure to claims of malpractice. The authors also decry the disingenuous use of psychopharmacologically ''u nderserved'' populations as rationales for the pursuit of prescriptive privileges. Psychology may mount a major effort to make this change w ithout sufficient justification, in the view of the authors.