ShareBy Zainab Al-Mashoor
KUWAIT: Mujtama Nouri, a non-profit organization affiliated with Sheikh Abdullah Al-Nouri Charitable Society, conducted a seminar on Sunday to shed light on the distinction between psychological and personality disorders. The event featured Dr Mariam Alawadi, a specialized psychiatrist, and Dr Hana Alamoudi, a psychologist.
Differentiating between the two, psychiatrists are trained in both medicine and mental health, while psychologists focus solely on mental health. Dr Alawadi emphasized that medications are prescribed based on the patient’s condition, determined through in-depth conversations. She added that medications alone may not be entirely effective without complementary actions.
Therapeutic methods, including cognitive-behavioral and motivational theories, play a crucial role in treating diseases and disorders through research. Dr Alawadi highlighted that a person’s state of mind begins to form in toddlerhood, influenced by family responses to their actions, with symptoms of mental disorders appearing during adolescence.
Both doctors stressed that mental disorders are often genetic, though external factors such as poor upbringing, comparisons, family ignorance and violence can contribute. Dr Alamoudi underscored the importance of therapy, mentioning its role in uncovering the core of problems and leveraging the subconscious mind to learn coping skills. She also emphasized the positive impact of spiritual values like yoga, prayer, meditation, and faith.
During the discussion, the doctors outlined five symptoms to identify if a person is depressed or in need of therapy, including inability to sleep or sleeping excessively, fluctuations in appetite, difficulty concentrating and memory loss, persistent mental and physical exhaustion, slowed actions, movements, hesitancy, guilt, numbness or loss of interest in activities, and suicidal thoughts due to untreated symptoms.
When to consult a psychiatrist versus a psychologist? Dr Alawadi states that there are diseases that cannot be treated with medicine, such as characteristics and personality. Medicine helps to control some behaviors and states of mind, but can’t change the environment that they come from, such as toxic relationships, domestic violence , etc.
Medicines work in diseases and disorders caused through body organs, where psychiatric illness can be divided into five sections. Groups that can be cured through medicine. First, severe disorders and anxiety, including social phobia, trauma, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc which have an organic aspect that changes with medications. Any type of psychiatric disorder can be treated through psychology if it’s in the initial phase, but if it’s severe, then pharmacological intervention should take place with the help of a psychiatrist.
Second, mood disorders such as depression can be treated mentally and emotionally, but when it becomes severe and reaches to suicidal thoughts, then medicine should be involved. Third, severe diseases such as psychotic disorders, schizophrenia with symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and extreme disorders are treated 90 percent through medicine and not psychologically. Fourth, eating disorder is also very responsive to medicines, and finally, cognitive disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Dr Alamoudi said different types of personalities come through genetics, upbringing, emotions and environment. “When we talk about personality, there is no right or wrong, it is differentiated through each person’s mental state and body. Some can adapt or deal with while others can’t.”
The seminar concluded with insights into dealing with personality disorders affecting daily life. Understanding, setting boundaries, recognizing that the issue lies not within oneself and finding personalized solutions were highlighted. The doctors added that therapy is often available at most public sector hospitals. Dr Alawadi closed the seminar with a prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
