> By the same token, doctors are better equipped to understand (to the extent we can) the neurochemical reactions being caused by drugs and how they act on the brain.
I'm not sure how true that is. The amount of knowledge of (bio)chemistry required by most doctors in their day-to-day work is actually quite limited. A few years out of medical school, and many of them have already forgotten most of what they were taught in medical school, and the medical school curriculum really only gives a high-level overview of the topic.
I'm not a doctor, but my mother and brother are. My mother despite being a doctor will admit her chemistry knowledge is quite limited, but to be fair to her she doesn't need to know much chemistry at all to do her job–you don't need any detailed knowledge of biochemistry to prescribe an antidepressant or perform a caesarian section. My brother by contrast knows a lot about chemistry, but that's not due to medical school, that's due to majoring in chemistry as an undergrad.
I'm not sure how true that is. The amount of knowledge of (bio)chemistry required by most doctors in their day-to-day work is actually quite limited. A few years out of medical school, and many of them have already forgotten most of what they were taught in medical school, and the medical school curriculum really only gives a high-level overview of the topic.
I'm not a doctor, but my mother and brother are. My mother despite being a doctor will admit her chemistry knowledge is quite limited, but to be fair to her she doesn't need to know much chemistry at all to do her job–you don't need any detailed knowledge of biochemistry to prescribe an antidepressant or perform a caesarian section. My brother by contrast knows a lot about chemistry, but that's not due to medical school, that's due to majoring in chemistry as an undergrad.