Should Psychologists Be Allowed To Have Prescriptions?

The controversy over whether psychologists should be allowed to have prescriptions privileges or not has been going on for awhile now. There are many arguments for both sides. Individual differences and opinions come into play here. Individuals who have made a name for themselves in the world of psychology, may have their opinions be more valued than others who are maybe not so well known. Psychology is a big field and psychologists work with many different types of professions which may have some influence. The issue of prescription privileges brings a big debate in whether the reward is bigger than the risk. There are many benefits to giving prescription access to psychologists. Davis, & Tulkin, (2016), found that psychologists who were more in favour of gaining prescription privileges, were basing their decisions off of their strong, personal feelings about the care for individuals with mental health problems and the admiration they have for respected colleagues who were also in
The connections and interactions with other jobs such as psychiatrists, doctors, social workers, and more, might also be disrupted and negatively affected more than they already are. Rae, Jensen-Doss, Bowden, Mendoza, & Banda, (2008), show this in their study, where child psychologists and pediatricians have different opinions on prescription privileges for psychologists, which suggests that the relationships are bound to change if psychologists were to get access to medications. There could be more disagreement which could create unnecessary conflict affecting the professional individuals involved, as well as the client. Also if other professions already prescribe these medications for the client, then by allowing psychologists in the mix too, might complicate things and might be an unnecessary add on which has the potential to do more harm than