The role of the Psychiatrist

Psychiatrists being medically qualified doctors specialise in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses, including substance abuse and addiction. Sometimes they are simply helping people who are experiencing emotional difficulties. They are uniquely qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological disturbance and provide medical treatment. Their medical training allows them to understand the many causes for a patient’s feelings and symptoms and come to a diagnosis from which they can recommend appropriate treatment.

What treatments do psychiatrists use?

Psychiatrists can select from many effective interventions and will work with you to recommend an effective treatment programme. As psychiatrists are medical doctors, they can determine whether there is a need for medication to help restore biochemical imbalances in the brain that may be causing mental illness. As with any other physician, psychiatrists are required to discuss the benefits and risks of the proposed medication and whether there are any suitable alternatives.

Other treatment options include psychotherapy, which is a systematic method of treatment in which the patient and a therapist meet at regularly scheduled intervals to discuss troubling problems and feelings. There are various forms of psychotherapy (e.g. supportive psychotherapy, psychoanalytical or psychodynamic psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT)) that can help patients change behaviours or thought patterns, explore the effect of past relationships and experiences on present behaviours, or address troubled relationships.