What is Psychiatry?
Psychiatry is an important discipline of clinical medicine
that deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with
mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. It combines the biological,
physiological, and social aspects of mental health to offer care and treatment
to patients. It provides treatment for various disorders including clinical
depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, and anxiety disorders.
Psychiatry is derived from two Greek words “psyche” and “iatreia”.
Psyche means mind and iatreia means medical specialty. Thus, psychiatry is a
science that focuses on the human mind.
Psychiatry is divided into a number of subspecialties which
include child and adolescent, general adult, old age,
addiction,
consultation-liaison, emergency, and forensic. Addiction psychiatry
specializes in the study and treatment of patients with mental problems
because of substance abuses. Forensic psychiatry deals with mental patients
who have legal issues. Consultation-liaison psychiatry involves treatment of
patients with psychiatric problems from their medical-surgical problems of
being admitted in a hospital or a medical setting.
In psychiatry, there are a variety of mental disorders or
illnesses that need long periods of cure. Some illnesses exist for life-long
periods and some other illnesses are cured within short periods. The treatment
methods vary from one patient to another. Some of the available treatment
methods are
medication,
psychotherapy, hospitalization, and psychosocial interventions.
Psychotherapy is a systematic
method in which psychological techniques are used to treat the patients. The
effect of treatment varies too. Some patients show quick responses. But most
patients do not show even signs of response for long periods.
Psychiatry is practiced
by psychiatrists who are medical doctors with specialization in mental health.
These doctors have either an M.D (Doctor of Medicine) or a D.O (Doctor
of Osteopathic Medicine) post graduate degree.
Other professionals such
as psychologists, physical assistants, counselors, and social workers can also
help patients with mental problems. But, it is the psychiatrist who knows the
best and can prescribe medications for such patients.
