On perhaps becoming what you had previously despised: Psychologists as prescribers of medication

Abstract

The authors contend that organized psychology's efforts to gain limited prescriptive privileges may be misguided. The modification of psychology's traditional scope of practice may produce harm in the form of lessened patient regard, devaluation of nonpharmacologic elements of practice, and markedly increased exposure to claims of malpractice. The authors also decry the disingenuous use of psychopharmacologically “underserved” populations as rationales for the pursuit of prescriptive privileges. Psychology may mount a major effort to make this change without sufficient justification, in the view of the authors.