We often make the common mistake of calling a psychiatrist a psychologist or a counsellor. So let’s check out the precise limits within which each of these specialities co-exist:

nPsychiatrist: Medical doctor (MD) who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. He can prescribe therapy including medication, if needed. He does not do tests.

nClinical psychologist: Licensed mental health professional (MA in Psychology or MPhil in Clinical Psychology) who can diagnose mental disorders, counsel, do tests and therapy. But he cannot prescribe medication.

nPsychoanalyst: Licensed practitioner who has studied psychoanalysis, a family of psychological theories and methods which claim to elucidate unconscious relations in a systematic way through an associative process. He usually uses Freudian analysis.

nFamily therapist: Individual who has studied family therapy as a science. He also does marriage therapy. Doctors, however, say it’s more of a Western concept.