Becoming a psychiatrist?

Question

if i wanted to go to school to become a psychiatrist, what would that involve? how many years of school? would i have to go to med school? also, whats the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?

thanks for your help!!

Answer 1

It's pretty simple.

A psychologist treats patients through counseling and therapy. A psychiatrist also does but, in addition, can prescribe drugs and do electro shock therapy. A psychologist can't.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors and must go to medical school. Psychologists typically have PhD's and will be called doctor but are not doctors in the medical sense. A psychologist with a PhD is a doctor like a professor with an English PhD is a doctor, if that makes sense.

To be a psychiatrist you need a medical degree, which means getting a BA first equaling about 7 or so years, depending on how fast you take it. I'm pretty sure that at this point you need a PhD to become a psychologist.

Both are highly populated careers paths. Psychology is probably the most populated major at many colleges across the country.

Answer 2

Psychiatrist are the psyc. doctors that prescribe medication, psychologist cannot prescribe medication nor give medication advice, psychologist are typically talk therapists, i got my degree in developmental psychology, four years,

?to become a psychiatrist you need a general psychology degree and then masters i think total its eight years but im not sure...

Answer 3

psychiatrist prescribes medication a psycologist doesn't. Therefore, to become a psychiatrist, yes would would attend medical school.