Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a medical physician that specializes in the prevention, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders. Psychiatrists use the biomedical approach, which emphasizes diagnosis and assessment as the initial phases of the doctor-patient relationship. In this phase, a psychiatrist may employ a number of medical laboratory as well as psychological tests. A psychiatrist will attend to the mental as well as physical aspects of mental health disorders.

Psychiatric assessment of a patient involves a diagnostic classification of the disorder and suitable treatment. In North America, the American Psychiatric Association publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that provides the standard classification system of mental health disorders. The fourth edition of the DSM is the manual currently in use. The World Health Organization publishes the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), which is used throughout much of the rest of the world.

Treatment provided by a psychiatrist for mental health disorders may involve physical and psychological interventions, including the provision of medications. At times, in order to provide treatment, a patient may require admission to hospital.

The training of a psychiatrist involves successful completion of four years of medical school, followed by a four or five year specialist residency. Residency emphasizes the medical, psychological, as well as social aspects of mental health disorders. A psychiatrist may sub-specialize in a number of areas including adult, child and adolescent, geriatric, addiction, forensic, and emergency psychiatry. Psychiatrists work in a number of settings including hospitals, universities, community health centers, and public and private clinics.