How do Psychologists and Psychiatrists Differ?

Are you considering a career in mental health but confused by the numerous job titles? You’re not alone. Many prospective students don’t know the differences between psychiatrists and psychologists or mental health technicians and psychiatric aides. If you’re serious about helping mentally disturbed patients, though, you’ll have to learn exactly what you’d like to do; psychologists and psychiatrists need radically different schooling at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Doctor of Psychology or Medicine?

A psychiatrist and a psychologist will both have advanced degrees, but from different schools within a university. A psychologist must earn a master’s or doctorate degree from the Department of Psychology, which is usually housed in the School of Liberal Arts, the School of Science or the School of Social Sciences. As part of the degree program, psychology students complete supervised internships and graduate ready to see patients. By contrast, a psychiatrist earns a medical degree from the School of Medicine, graduates as a physician and must pursue specialty training in psychiatry for several years. Both professional positions require licensure to practice.

Which Graduate Program Fits You Better?

To be accepted by a medical school or psychology graduate program, you must be a strong student with a plan for your career. However, the two fields emphasize different skillsets. A strong candidate for medical school is a scientist who understand biology, chemistry and physics; most schools require a year each of biology, general chemistry, physics and organic chemistry coursework. The MCAT, the graduate test for medical school applicants, rigorously tests scientific knowledge. A psychologist is not required to master the natural sciences. Instead, psychology master’s and doctorate programs want to see students with a strong understanding of research methods, ethics, statistics and undergraduate psychology. These programs ask candidates to take the GRE, a test that examines verbal, analytical and mathematical skills.

Psychiatrist vs. Psychologist in the Workplace

Psychiatrists and psychologists can work in hospitals, private practice or other healthcare facilities. Both professions can see patients on an ongoing basis or work with short-term crisis cases, and both use the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM) to diagnose illnesses. However, psychiatrists and psychologists use different frameworks for treating mental disease.

As physicians, psychiatrists turn to medicine. Abilify, Prozac and other medications for mental illness are all prescribed by psychiatrists. Psychologists are unable to prescribe pills for patients and instead use therapy as the primary treatment mechanism. Of course, psychiatrists do use therapeutic techniques and psychologists do refer patients to psychiatrists for medication, but be aware of the primary focuses of each profession.

Ultimately, psychologists and psychiatrists have the same goal: Help patients achieve mental health. You’ll have to evaluate your own academic strengths and long-term interests to decide which career is best for you, but either profession is a noble calling.