Psychiatry is the field of medicine focused on understanding and treating mental health disorders and psychological distress. Psychiatrists use the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual, currently in its fifth iteration (hence the name DSM-V) in assessing a patient’s constellation of symptoms and determining if they exhibit a diagnosable disorder. Psychiatrists can also help patients with other conditions, even if they aren’t classified DSM illnesses – including psychological distress from pain, trauma, difficult relationships, or other high-stress situations.
While some think that psychiatrists go into the field because they subconsciously want to fix their own problems, or that they’re highly eclectic and strange, this isn’t quite true. As a psychiatrist, you’ll have to be adept at relating to a wide range of individuals, and that also requires well developed interpersonal skills.
As a clinical psychiatrist, you’ll be seeing patients, doing therapy, and generating treatment plans.
If practicing inpatient, you’ll see patients admitted to the psychiatric ward or consult service, meaning those treated primarily in other areas of the hospital, but requiring secondary psychiatric care. So talk to a physiatry recruiter today to get started.
.
