Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in the mental health field. Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders.

What Does a Psychiatrist Do?

When you make an appointment with a psychiatrist, they’ll first ask about your mental and physical symptoms. This may involve a physical exam, lab tests, and/or a psychological evaluation. As part of the process, they’ll refer to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to determine what mental illness you may have. Published by the American Psychiatric Association, this manual is used by mental health professionals for diagnoses and by insurance companies for reimbursement purposes.

There are many classes of mental illness, including:

Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
Bipolar and related disorders
Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
Depressive disorders
Anxiety disorders
Feeding and eating disorders
Elimination disorders
Sleep disorders
Sexual dysfunctions
Substance-related and addictive disorders
Personality disorders

It may take more than one visit to get a proper diagnosis.

After making a diagnosis, the psychiatrist will tell you about your condition and work with you to develop a treatment plan. Treatment may involve any combination of the following:

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy
Medication
Light therapy, which mainly treats seasonal depression
Brain stimulation therapies, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and now ketamine therapy

Some common medications psychiatrists prescribe include:

Antidepressants
Antipsychotic medications
Stimulants
Hypnotics
Sedatives and anxiolytics
Mood stabilizers

Reasons to See a Psychiatrist

There are a number of signs that you might benefit from visiting a psychiatrist, including:

Problems adjusting to life changes
Anxiety or worry
Lasting depression
Suicidal thoughts
Hurting yourself
Obsessive thinking
Hallucinations or delusions
Uncontrollable alcohol or drug use
Body image problems
Poor concentration
Emotional outburst
Sleep issues

Mental health exists on a spectrum. Not all mental health issues require medical treatment from a psychiatrist. Many people seek counselors or psychologists first and are then referred to a psychiatrist if necessary. Ask your doctor about the right mental health practitioner for you.

What are the major psychiatric disorders?

A mental health disorder is one that negatively affects your emotions, the way you think, or the way you act.

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies several major psychiatric or mental health disorders:

Anxiety – High levels of worry or fear that can affect how you function every day
Depression – Long-term feelings of sadness or emptiness, or not getting happiness from things that would normally make you happy
Bipolar disorder – Alternating between feelings of depression and manic symptoms that may include intense happiness, high energy, or a need for less sleep, among other things
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – Having flashbacks or nightmares about extremely scary situations you lived through, avoiding things that remind you of what happened, and a feeling that you might be under threat right now
Schizophrenia – Changes in your view of reality and your behavior that can cause you to see or hear things that are not there