Psychiatrist Job Description

A Psychiatrist is a doctor who specializes in mental disorders and treats patients with medications.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy.
• Psychiatrists are one of a very few health professionals who can prescribe psychiatric medications, conduct physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory tests.
• Psychiatrists may order tests like electroencephalograms and brain imaging studies such as computed tomography or computed axial tomography.

Many Psychiatrists are medical doctors with (MBBS, MD, DO etc) who specialize in treating mental illness using biomedical approach to mental disorders. Since the mind is a very vast subject that requires specialty treatments often Psychiatrists specialize in particular fields. Many Psychiatrists completed medical school and have medication training. The Psychiatrists apply their knowledge to one of the follow subspecialties:

1. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Child and Adolescent psychiatry.
2. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Adult Psychiatry.
3. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Neuropsychiatry.
4. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Learning disabilities.
5. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Behavioral medicines.
6. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Consultation-liaison psychiatry.
7. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Cross-cultural psychiatry.
8. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Emergency psychiatry.
9. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Addiction psychiatry.
10. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Forensic psychiatry.
11. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Neurodevelopment disabilities.
12. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in psychosomatic medicine.
13. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Psychotherapy.
14. Psychiatrists may elect to specialize in Pain medicines.

The field of Psychiatry is very broad and most want to specialize in one area. It takes a lot of training to become a Psychiatrist and to enable you to work effective one field in the area should be your sole concentration. Some Psychiatrists specialize in helping certain age groups for instance children and adolescent psychiatry. Those who work with the elderly are called geriatric psychiatrists or geropsychiatrists. There are those who practice in the workplace is called organizational or occupational psychiatrists. There are many different places a Psychiatrist can work from their own office, clinics, hospitals, workplaces, courtrooms, mental institutions and other places of interest.

People suffer from a magnitude of mental disorders from the very severe to the minor disorders that create problems. People who are overweight sometimes have an eating disorder that with the help of a Psychiatrist can control their problem. There are other eating disorders that need the help of a Psychiatrist and that is a disorder referred to as anorexia or binge eating, throwing up, and losing weight. A person can die from anorexia if not properly treated by a qualified Psychiatrist. There are many disorders that require the help of a Psychiatrist for instance a common problem is stress related and some people only have a temporary problem while others need constant medication in order to keep stress down to a minimum. Sexual disorders occur in men and women and need a Psychiatrist that deals in sexually related problems.



The requirements to become Psychiatrists are substantial and it takes many years of study and training. In the United States and in Canada Psychiatrists must first complete specific courses in medical school to earn their M.D. or D.O. and to complete their medical education. Afterwards they must work as a resident Psychiatrist for four years (five years in Canada). This extensive training includes studies in diagnosis, psychopharmacology, medical care issues, and psychotherapies. All accredited Psychiatry residencies in United States require proficiency in cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic and supportive psychotherapies. Psychiatrists as residents are required to complete four months of internal medicine or pediatrics and two months of neurology during their first year. Altogether in order to become a Psychiatrist a person must complete eight years of training and studies. Afterwards then you must complete both a written test and an oral test for the Psychiatric Board.

The mental health field is challenging and there are many discoveries everyday that help people with all sorts of problems that keep them from functioning on a normal basis. The Psychiatrists is the media that helps people with understanding, assessments, and medicines. The time they spend in their studies help them to better evaluate you providing better mental health care. This is just as important as physical health care. The mind can prevent you from functioning in society and even worse in some cases it is the reason that people commit crimes or do very bad acts of murder and mayhem.

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