should a 20 year old college student see a psychiatrist or a psychologist for possible depression?

Hi, there!  Consider yourself lucky that your son would admit to you that he's depressed - a lot of young people that age wouldn't be so forthcoming.  If he wants help, he most likely really needs it so I would not hesitate one second to help him find a doctor.  He could start with a psychologist, who could evaluate him and also figure out if medication would help.

I have two sons who both started with depression when they were about 12 years old and they are both still on medication at 31 and 35 and I don't think they would be very functional without it.

Good luck, you could also tell him about this web site - there is a lot of good support here.  I wish you all the best.

A psychiatrist is a psychiatric doctor that can prescribe meds.  They are usually not who you see to talk about your problems.  They hear your symptoms and then hand out a prescription if needed.  They will be able to help you find a really good therapist or psychologist.  The psychologist/therapist is usually a Licensed Social Worker or clinical psychologist.  They use many different ways to help, including behavioral and cognitive.  There are many other modalities too.  Talking and medication usually work best together, because just taking the meds does not always help the problems.  Hope this helps!