What's the difference between psychology and psychiatrist

Hi Azar,
Thank you for your question.

Psychology is the study of behavior and mind, embracing all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought. It is an academic discipline and a social science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases. In this field, a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist and can be classified as a social, behavioral, or cognitive scientist. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the physiological and biological processes that underlie cognitive functions and behaviors.

A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, unlike psychologists, and must evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments, or strictly psychiatric.

All the best.

To add to the previous response, some psychologists treat patients with mental disorders with a variety of therapeutic approaches. Such psychologists have either a PhD or a PsyD in the discipline and are usually called clinical psychologists.

There are many more types of psychologists than what the writer above has noted. I suggest that you explore further at the following web site: www.apa.org.

Psychiatrists have a medical degree and specialize in the treatment of mental disorders. In the 21st century the primary approach used to treat patients is with medications. Very few psychiatrists use talking therapy anymore.