Is a psychiatrist a doctor of medicine?

Answer 1

Yes, a licensed psychiatrist will have a medical degree such as the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), or The Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).

A bit more detail:

A psychiatrist has to go to medical school just as any other physician does, then has to study/work a few years longer doing his or her internship and residency to learn their chosen field of medicine in psychiatry. They treat the causes and symptoms of physical illnesses of the mind, such as Bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, etc. and can write prescriptions just as any other physician can.

On the other hand, a psychologist, who treats emotional illnesses and disorders, is not a doctor of medicine and cannot write prescriptions. But once they get their doctorate degree (Ph.d.), they are a "doctor", just not a doctor of medicine, but a Ph.d. A very well known psychologist with a doctorate degree in psychology is Dr. Phil McGraw, more commonly known as Dr. Phil.

Answer 2

Yes, all psychiatrists start as medical doctors. Some psychiatrists obtain formal additional training in psychiatry beyond medical school training and if they qualify can refer to themselves as 'board-certified' in psychiatry. However, state licensure as a medical doctor permits any physician to practice any form of medicine without board certification whether or not the physician has obtained any additional special training in psychiatry.

Consequently there are many physicians who practice psychiatry and who call themselves psychiatrists who have very little training in psychiatry. If you need to see a psychiatrist, always be certain before you begin seeing them that they are board certified in psychiatry.

You can easily determine whether or not any physician is board-certified in their specialty. In choosing only board-certified psychiatrists or for that matter, board-certified physicians practicing in any specialty such as cardiology or neurology, you can be sure that the speciaiist you are seeing has had significant supervised training in their field.

Most people are unaware that physicians may call themselves specialists in all areas of medicine without having had any formal training at all in their specialty.