Professional in the field of mental health: Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists are physicians who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses including mental, addictive and emotional disorders".

1.   They attend medical school and receive an M.D.

2.   After finishing M.D, they complete an additional four years of residency training in mental health. They go through significant training to conduct psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and/or cognitive behavioral therapy (however they are not required to complete any personal psychotherapy), but it is their medical training that differentiates them from other mental health professionals.

3.   Can choose a specialization which includes a specific area of interest such as geriatric psychiatry, child/adolescent psychiatry, addictions, pain management, forensic etc.

4.   They more likely view psychological problems as the result of biological or medical processes, rather than the result of maladaptive learning. And hence see medication as a necessary part of the treatment process.

5.   A psychiatrist is able to prescribe medication, can administer a variety of medical tests, can administer electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT), can arrange hospital admissions ( e.g. to a psychiatric ward) and carry out physical examinations and various other types of investigative procedures such a electroencephalographs (EEGs) and brain imaging procedure scans(e.g. computer assisted tomography (CAT)).

Psychiatrists are more likely than psychologists to treat individuals with severe mental disorders. Also, psychiatrists are more likely to work on inpatient psychiatric units in hospital settings.

Psychiatrists work directly with patients, consult with patients on a recommendation basis (from a psychologist), and some (forensic psychiatrists) even work with law enforcement agencies.

Because of their long training and medical status, the fees of psychiatrists are generally higher than the other mental health professions.