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Psychologist or Psychiatrist: Which Is

Right for You?

What Is Depression?
Differences between feeling
depressed or feeling blue.
Mood Swings? It Could Be
Bipolar Disorder
Signs of mania and
depression.
Understanding
Schizophrenia
Causes, symptoms, and
therapies.
Binge Eating Disorder: An
Overview
When food controls you.

By Tony Rehagen
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Joseph Goldberg, MD

Related to Mental
Health
FDA Drug Trial Snapshot If you have mental health concerns, you should seek help. But where do
you go? How do you know what type of doctor you should talk to? Do
ADHD
you look for a psychiatrist or psychologist?
Crisis Assistance

If youre unsure what the difference is, youre not alone. We get that all
Health & Balance
the time, says Tristan Gorrindo, MD, director of the American
Living Healthy
Military Families Support Psychiatric Association Division of Education. Theres a lot of confusion
out there."
Personality Disorders
There are similarities, but there are important differences, too. Heres
PTSD
Stress Management
More Related Topics

what you need to know to decide which is right for you.

How Theyre Alike

Psychiatrists and psychologists are different types of doctors trained to
help you deal with mental health issues. Both are there to talk you
through problems. They aim to provide you with the means to manage
the issues in your everyday life.

How Theyre Different

Education
Psychiatrists are medical doctors (MDs) who graduate from medical
school, have a year of medical internship, and have 3 years of residency
in the assessment and treatment of mental health disorders.
Psychologists have a doctoral degree in an area of psychology, the study
of the mind and human behavior. Theyre not medical doctors. A
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psychologist can have a PhD in philosophy or a PsyD in clinical or

counseling psychology. Typically, they do 1-2 years of internship. Unlike
psychiatrists, psychologists are also trained in giving psychological tests
(like IQ tests or personality tests).

ARTICLE

ARTICLE

8 Depression
Treatment Tips

Curbing Compulsive
Overeating

Because of their medical training, psychiatrists can prescribe medication

-- probably the most commonly known distinction between the two
SLIDESHOW
fields. But a few states allow psychologists to prescribe a limited number Phobias: What Are
You Afraid Of?
of psychiatric medications if theyve taken a course in
psychopharmacology.

ARTICLE

How Marijuana
Affects You

The Approach
Both psychiatrists and psychologists are typically trained to practice
psychotherapy -- talking with their patients about their problems. But
the differences in background and training translates into different
approaches to solving your mental health problems.

ARTICLE

ARTICLE

Types of Mental
Illness

Sociopath vs.
Psychopath

Psychologists look closely at your behavior. If youre depressed and

cant get out of bed, theres a behavioral activation, says C. Vaile
Wright, PhD, a director at the American Psychological Association.
ARTICLE
Psychologists will track sleep patterns, eating patterns, and the negative PTSD: Look for These
Signs
thoughts that might be causing or contributing to the problem.
Psychiatrists have a stronger sense of biology and neurochemistry,
says Ranna Parekh, MD, a director at the American Psychiatric
Association. Theirs is going to be a diagnosis of exclusion. For instance,
before we call someone depressed, were going to make sure they dont
instead have some vitamin deficiency or thyroid problem. Once theyve
made a mental health diagnosis, psychiatrists often prescribe you
medicine.

1 | 2 NEXT PAGE >

ARTICLE

What Is Misophonia?

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