Psychologists and psychiatrists are great tools to manage and cure mental illness. You can see on for a short time, or for years. There is a difference between them and it isn’t too hard to figure out which one you want to see.
The biggest difference is that psychiatrists can prescribe medication and psychologists cannot.
Psychologists:
They are great at listening to your problems and figuring out why you feel the way you do. They can give you different techniques and coping mechanisms to help manage mental illness. Although they can’t give you medication, they can help in other ways. Psychologists not only understand and have seen many people deal with mental illness, they know how your brain is working and the chemicals it produces to make you feel the way you do. If you are not wanting to take medication, or if you want other coping techniques, psychologists are the ones to see.
Psychiatrists:
Psychiatrists are also amazing at listening. But more than that, they can prescribe and regulate medication. They can choose the best medication for you and they spend hours figuring out which medication will work best and will take all of your feelings into consideration. If you want someone to regulate your medication while still listening to you, see a psychiatrist.