Psychiatry

Psychiatrist with a patient

Psychiatry deals with the treatment and diagnosing of mental illnesses. They help treat mental illness through therapy and medications. Many people struggle with mental illnesses around the world. Some common mental illnesses are depression, anxiety disorders, and ADHD. There are many more mental illnesses than just these. Even though psychiatrists and psychologists have many of the same responsibilities they are a little different. Most of the differences is in the education needed to become either a psychiatrist or a psychologist. They also approach the treatment of mental illnesses. Psychiatrists tend to focus more on medications while psychologists tend to focus more on therapy. Even though psychiatrists tend to focus more are using medication they still use different kinds of therapies to help treat patients.

What is Psychiatry

Psychiatrists care for those with mental illnesses.

Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that has to deal with emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders. Doctors that specialize in psychiatry are called psychiatrists. Psychiatrists diagnose and treat those with mental disorders. Psychiatrists use many different tests to diagnose disorders. Psychiatrists also treat disorders in a variety of ways. Two very popular ways used to treat disorders are psychotherapy and medications. Psychotherapy is commonly called talk therapy because it involves the psychiatrist and the patient talking to try to help and treat certain mental disorders. Medication is also very commonly used in the treatment of mental disorders. One popular type of medication used is antidepressants. They are used to help treat a wide variety of problems.

Even though psychiatrists and psychologists seem the same, they are a little different from each other. The biggest difference between the two is their education. Psychiatrists are MDs that have graduated from medical school. After graduating from medical schools they have to do a few years of internship training in treating and diagnosing medical disorders. Psychologists on the other hand are not MDs. They need to have a PhD or a Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD) instead. After that they also have to intern a few years. They are also trained to administer psychological test unlike psychiatrists. There is also a few differences in how they treat mental disorders. Psychiatrists tend to focus more on the use of medications for treatment but psychologists tend to focuses on other forms of treatment like psychotherapy. Even though psychiatrists tend to focus more on medications, they still use psychotherapy.

Common Treatments Used

A psychiatrist helping a patient through psychotherapy.

One very popular used treatment for mental illnesses is psychotherapy. Psychotherapy involves the psychiatrist and the patient talking in order to work through problems. One goal of psychotherapy is to develop habits that help the patient with their disorder. It provides an environment where the patient can free share and work through their problems. As the patient shares with the psychiatrist, the psychiatrist helps find out ways to help the patient cope with their symptoms. Physiatrists then try to change some behaviors of the patient to help them.

Medications are also commonly used to treat mental health disorders. One common type of medication is antidepressants. They are often prescribed to help treat depression. They are not only used to help treat depression however, they are also used to help treat anxiety disorders other mental disorders. There are also anti-anxiety medications. The most commonly used medication for anxiety disorders are benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are used for short term use, they are not really a long term solution for anxiety disorders. Stimulants are also used for some mental disorders. They are commonly prescribed to treat mental disorders such as ADHD. Another type of medication used are antipsychotics. [[Antipsychotics help with conditions where there are hallucinations or delusions such as schizophrenia.

Common Mental Disorders

Depression is a common mental illness that psychiatrists help treat.

Anxiety Disorders-

The most common mental illnesses are anxiety disorders. About forty million Americans suffer from some type of anxiety disorders. Although many people are affected, most do not receive treatment. Only about one-third of people with anxiety disorders receive treatment. Even though it is normal for everybody to experience some anxiety, people suffering with anxiety disorders constantly suffer from anxiety to a point where it affects everyday life. Some treatments for anxiety disorders are medication and different types of therapies. Some of the therapies are cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. Cognitive-behavioral focuses on changing how people think and respond to certain fears that trigger their anxiety. Exposure therapy is when the patient is gradually exposed to fearful situations in order to eventually reduce their anxiety of those situations.

Depression-

Depression is a very common mental disorder that affects the way one feels. Depression cause a deep feeling of sadness. It can also lead to the loss of interest in activities that were enjoyed before. Even though it is normal for people to feel sadness at one point, depression lasts longer than normal sadness. In order for it to be diagnosed as depression it must last for at least two weeks. There are several risk factors that can affect someone's probability of getting depression. Some of the risk factors are environmental factors, biochemistry, and genetics. Depression can run in families, in fact if a twin gets depression the other one is extremely likely to develop depression in their lifetime. Depression affects many people and luckily it is one of the most treatable disorders. Almost every patient that receives treatment for depression gains relief for their symptoms. One common way to help treat depression is through medications. The most commonly used medications for depression are antidepressants. Psychotherapy is also commonly used to help treat patients struggling with depression. Electroconvulsive therapy is also sometimes used to help treat those with depression. Electroconvulsive therapy involves a brief electrical stimulation of the patient's brain to help them with their symptoms.

Schizophrenia-

Schizophrenia is a very serious mental disorder. It is not very common, but it still affects about one percent of the population. Schizophrenia can cause a person to have hallucinations and delusions. It also affects people's motivation and concentration negatively. A lot of people have a lot of misconception about people struggling with schizophrenia. Many people think that they are dangerous, but most people that struggle with schizophrenia are not violent. It is a very complex disorder and therefore very hard to treat. Therapy and medicines are both used to treat people with schizophrenia.

ADHD-

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a very common mental disorder. ADHD leads to inattention and hyperactivity in those who it affects. ADHD is very common and is often found in childhood. Even though many people think that ADHD only affects children, it sometimes persists into adulthood. Psychiatrists can do a few things to help treat those with the disorder. Often medication are prescribed to the patients. Stimulants are the most common medication when it comes to treating those with ADHD. Psychiatrists can also use psychotherapy to help treat people struggling with it. Behavioral therapy is also commonly used. The goal of behavioral therapy is to help change the patient's behaviors and habits to help them cope with their symptoms.

Video

Description of psychiatry and what a psychiatrist does.