Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the
diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. These include
various abnormalities related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions.
diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. These include
various abnormalities related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions.
Initial psychiatry assessment of a person typically
begins with a case history and mental status examination. Physical examinations
and psychological tests may be conducted. On occasion, neuroimaging or other
neurophysiological techniques are used. Mental disorders are often diagnosed in
accordance with criteria listed in diagnostic manuals such as the widely used Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American
Psychiatric Association (APA), and the International Classification of Diseases
(ICD), edited and used by the world health organization (WHO). The fifth
edition of the DSM (DSM-5) was published in 2013, and its development was
expected to be of significant interest to many medical fields.
begins with a case history and mental status examination. Physical examinations
and psychological tests may be conducted. On occasion, neuroimaging or other
neurophysiological techniques are used. Mental disorders are often diagnosed in
accordance with criteria listed in diagnostic manuals such as the widely used Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American
Psychiatric Association (APA), and the International Classification of Diseases
(ICD), edited and used by the world health organization (WHO). The fifth
edition of the DSM (DSM-5) was published in 2013, and its development was
expected to be of significant interest to many medical fields.
The combined treatment of psychiatry medication and
psychotherapy has become the most common mode of psychiatry treatment in
current practice, but contemporary practice also includes a wide variety of
other modalities, e.g., assertive community treatment, community reinforcement,
and supported employment. Treatment may be delivered on an inpatient or
outpatient basis, depending on the severity of functional impairment or on
other aspects of the disorder in question. Research and treatment within
psychiatry as a whole are conducted on an interdisciplinary basis, e.g., with
epidemiologists, mental health counsellors, nurse, psychologists, public health
specialists, radiologists, and/or social workers.
psychotherapy has become the most common mode of psychiatry treatment in
current practice, but contemporary practice also includes a wide variety of
other modalities, e.g., assertive community treatment, community reinforcement,
and supported employment. Treatment may be delivered on an inpatient or
outpatient basis, depending on the severity of functional impairment or on
other aspects of the disorder in question. Research and treatment within
psychiatry as a whole are conducted on an interdisciplinary basis, e.g., with
epidemiologists, mental health counsellors, nurse, psychologists, public health
specialists, radiologists, and/or social workers.
