PSYCHIATRY TODAY - BIOLOGY VS PSYCHOLOGY

This research addresses preferences and theoretical learnings of prese nt-day psychiatrists along the continuum defined at one end by biology and at the other by psychology. A questionnaire was devised and sent to 5,702 randomly selected members of the American Psychiatric Associa tion in 1990. The response rate was 30.7%. The results were analyzed f or two groups: psychiatrists with fewer than 15 years of practice sinc e residency and psychiatrists with more than 15 years of practice sinc e graduation. Although the great majority of psychiatrists in both gro ups equally valued psychology and biology, the senior group attributed a greater importance to psychological methods, whereas the younger gr oup stressed equally the importance of biology and psychology. This su ggests that psychiatry has evolved over the years from a predominantly psychological practice to one with a more equal emphasis on psycholog y and biology. Recent advances in neuroscience may have shifted the pe ndulum toward a more balanced willingness of clinicians to consider th e broad armamentarium of psychosocial and biological treatments. The r esults point to the need for further conceptualization into the relati onship between biology and psychology and its incorporation into the p sychiatric residency curriculum.