Psychiatry Doctor

Nature of the work

Psychiatrists specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, addictive, and emotional disorders such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance-related disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders, and adjustment disorders. The psychiatrist is able to understand the biologic, psychologic, and social components of illness, and therefore is uniquely prepared to treat the whole person. A psychiatrist is qualified to order diagnostic laboratory tests and to prescribe medications, evaluate, and treat psychologic and interpersonal problems, and to intervene with families who are coping with stress, crises, and other problems in living.¹

Psychiatrists can receive training in the following subspecialties:

addiction psychiatry child and adolescent psychiatry clinical neurophysiology forensic psychiatry geriatric psychiatry

hospice and palliative medicine pain management psychosomatic medicine sleep medicine

Training/residency information

The residency training for psychiatry is four years. Up to two years of additional training are required to practice in one of the subspecialty areas.

References
1 The American Board of Medical Specialties. Guide to Physician Specialties. Evanston, IL: American Board of Medical Specialties; February 2008.
2 2010 Physician Compensation Survey [special feature]. Modern Healthcare . July 19, 2010: 20-26.