Psychology

Psychology is a medical specialty that focuses on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health, including substance use disorders. They are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, from Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and autism to mood disorders, psychosis, and suicidality.

The initial psychiatric assessment of a person begins with a case history and mental status examination. Physical examinations, psychological tests, and laboratory tests may be conducted. On occasion, neuroimaging or other neurophysiological studies are performed. Mental disorders are diagnosed in accordance with diagnostic manuals such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), edited by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Treatment for mental disorders may include psychotropics (psychiatric medicines) and psychotherapy, and also other modalities such as assertive community treatment, community reinforcement, substance-abuse treatment, and supported employment. Treatment may be delivered on an inpatient or outpatient basis, depending on the severity of functional impairment or risk to the individual or community.

Research within psychiatry is conducted on an interdisciplinary basis with other professionals, such as epidemiologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, and clinical psychologists.

The word "psychiatry" was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808 and literally means the "medical treatment of the soul".