A psychiatrist is a Medical doctor who, after finishing the long qualifications necessary to become a General Practitioner of medicine, has taken up a speciality, in mental illness.
In addition to the psychic bruises and scrapes, fresh traumas and even deeply-seated old wounds from childhood that are the stock in trade of the psychologist, psychiatrists must help people with severe or organic problems like Schizophrenia, Manic-depression or Psychosis that are beyond the help of a psychologist.
Unlike a psychologist or therapist, who is not a doctor and is qualified merely to talk to you about your problems, the psychiatrist is allowed to prescribe medication. Western Society is over-medicated to be sure, but you cannot control a chemical imbalance like Schizophrenia by saying "tell me about your childhood".
I really don't know why the above writeup is the subject of so much heat. It's a fairly simple factual definition of the consensus view. Disagree if you must, but accept that is how the profession views itself.
For Cletus the Foetus's sake, I will reply: We have come a long way in understanding the human mind since the days of the inquisition. We even know a few treatments that work most of the time.
Unlike demons, chemical imbalances (or if you will: unusual, different states) can be proved to exist by measuring body chemistry. consciousness is a chemical phenomenon. When these states affect behaviour in such a way that the person cannot cope with everyday life, a psychiatrist's skills are needed.
Yes, there is potential for abuse. That's how it is with most things. Yes, there have been abuses. Does that make my definition wrong? Did I imply anywhere that people or medical science are perfect?
Yes, there are people who are different, handicapped or even gifted by their mental chemistry. They deserve the right to live their own lives if they so wish. You cannot claim that they are the only ones in mental hospitals. I know at least one person who has seriously come off the rails and last I heard has voluntarily checked himself into psychiatric care as he could not cope anymore. He thought he might be Jesus but hadn't cleaned his apartment in months. Different but equal my ass. I know from talking to psychiatric doctors that there are people with even more serious mental problems. You cannot deny that some of them genuinely need care.
Post-modern literary theory about it all being relative to your point of view, with no one right way is all fine and well up to the point where it hits reality, and someone becomes a danger to themselves and others.
Though it is true that a medical doctor's training is far more reductionist and scientific than the literary, cultural arts student background of the psychologist, this is what is needed in some cases, i.e. when the cause of the problem is in the organic brain and body, not in the experiences of the personality.
The psychiatric doctors that I know socially are warm, compassionate and caring people, who work with some desperately ill patients. Please do not deny them the ability to do any good.