Psychiatry Definition: The Overlap Of Physical And Mental Health Treatment

Psychiatry is a field of study and a profession focused on the medical treatment of psychiatric disorders. Beyond addressing mental health concerns, psychiatry can offer justification for why individuals might act the way they do and how to change harmful or unwanted patterns of behavior. Below, learn more about the definition of psychiatry and its practical applications. 

To define psychiatry, individuals may find it helpful to consider it a beneficial area of medical science—much like oncology or cardiology. This discipline might look at mental health from a physiological and emotional standpoint rather than from a strictly academic perspective.

The various ways that psychiatrists might treat disorders can run the gamut from recommending talk therapy to administering electroconvulsive therapy. However, because they are medical doctors, psychiatrists are often most well known for their ability to prescribe medication to clients to treat disorders like depression, anxiety disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), among many others.  

Psychiatric diagnosis and treatment

To start the process of diagnosing and treating a mental health condition, a psychiatrist might first meet with a potential client to discuss the symptoms that they may be experiencing. Psychiatrists then might order or conduct a physical examination. This examination can rule out medical conditions, such as hyperthyroidism, metabolic syndrome, or syphilis, which can all present with symptoms of various mental illnesses.

After excluding physical causes, the psychiatrist may determine the client’s diagnosis and the treatment they think would be most effective. A psychiatrist may prescribe certain medications or treatments depending on a patient's disorder, psychological state, and lifestyle. 

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Psychiatrists are considered medical doctors. They have completed medical school, received a medical license, and often trained in a hospital. Psychiatrists might also complete other certifications, classes, and programs that can reassure potential patients of their status as reputable practitioners, as you might see in the case of continuing education units (CEUs).

Because they have received medical training, psychiatrists can diagnose and treat mental illnesses from a medical perspective. Much like a general practitioner attempting to diagnose a psychical ailment, a psychiatrist can guide patients through various assessments and conversations that may help the provider provide a diagnosis. As medical doctors, psychiatrists can choose from a whole host of treatment options depending on patient needs, including psychiatric medications or other forms of therapy. 

Contrarily, psychologists have a doctorate degree in their area of study but will not have attended formal medical school or completed residency at a psychiatric hospital. These mental health professionals can assess and diagnose individuals but do not have a medical perspective on the process or the training to provide medical treatments. Because of this training, counseling and clinical psychologists may not prescribe medications to their patients in most states. Instead, psychologists might use other tools or treatment options (such as talk therapy) to address the symptoms of mental illness.

Treating mental health conditions together

Although psychologists and psychiatrists may differ in the ways that they address patients' mental health needs, they can work together as a team when treating patients. For example, psychologists might refer patients to psychiatrists for medication, and psychiatrists may direct patients toward psychologists for talk therapy. The cooperation of both practitioners can be crucial to treating certain mental health conditions effectively and holistically.

Becoming a psychiatrist can require as much training as becoming any other type of doctor. First, an aspiring psychiatrist might obtain a bachelor's degree. Interested students might choose degrees in scientific fields like biology or chemistry. Degrees completed within a pre-med track might also be encouraged.

After completing their undergraduate course of study, students can then complete four academically demanding years of medical school. During this time, they may learn about the body, pharmacology, and pathology via rigorous labs and clinical experiences. Following this, doctors may complete an additional four-year residency at a hospital and begin focusing on the practice as a specialty.

The reasons people might visit psychiatrists can vary—and they may result from a disorder that is actively reducing their quality of life. There are numerous classes of mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which professionals use when diagnosing patients. These conditions include:

Specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry treat mental disorders in children and teens. Common concerns addressed by these professionals include neurodevelopmental conditions like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders like separation anxiety disorder, and mood disorders like major depressive disorder. 

In addition to concerns related to mental health, problems arising out of medical illnesses can be addressed by professionals treating older psychiatric patients. Because geriatric psychiatrists have mental health and medical education, they may be uniquely positioned to treat symptoms of comorbid conditions specific to older individuals, such as comorbid dementia and anxiety.  

Forensic psychiatry specialists provide their services to court systems, correctional facilities, law enforcement departments, and other government agencies. Individuals working in this medical specialty may evaluate individuals set to testify at trial, treat inmates in penitentiaries, or profile suspects during criminal investigations. 

Providers who understand the complex connections between physical and mental disease can work with care teams to alleviate complications arising from these concerns. Individuals working in consultation-liaison psychiatry often collaborate with professionals from another branch of medicine to provide comprehensive treatment. For example, a consultation-liaison psychiatrist might work in a hospital's oncology unit to alleviate symptoms of depression in cancer patients.