Medical doctors' training emphasizes pharmacology, to the extent that most patients walk
out of a psychiatrist's office with a "'script".
1973 Sci. Amer. Sept. 123/3 - Psychiatry..has two faces, one represented by
treatment at the psychosocial level and the other by treatment at the pharmacologic
level.
psychiatry ...The medical treatment of diseases of the mind.
emphasis added
psychology
1. a. The science of the nature, functions, and phenomena of the human
mind (formerly also of the soul).
...
c. In mod. usage, the signification of the word has broadened to include
(a) the scientific study of the mind as an entity and in its relationship to the
physical body, based on observation of the behaviour and activity aroused by specific
stimuli; and
(b) the study of the behaviour of an individual or of a selected group of
individuals when interacting with the environment or in a given social context. So
experimental psychology, the experimental study of the responses of an individual to
stimuli; social psychology, the study of the interaction between an individual and the
social group to which he belongs.
Don't try to figure it out. Just look for an "M.D." after the physician's name and a "Ph.D." after the non-physician's name. Physicians prescribe drugs and have a degree in medicine (not psychology).
I can't remember it either. I just use the nemonic:
So if you don't want a prescription, don't go to an M.D.
In terms of treatment, if the condition is best treated chemically, a psychiatrist is well-suited to treat the condition as a result of his/her training. Bipolar disorder would be an example because it is thought to involve a chemical inbalance.
If a condition is best treated by behaviour analysis and adaptation, a psychologist is
well-suited for consultation. Asperger's syndrome would be an example
because it is a personality type, and is not believed related to brain chemistry.