|Names||Psychiatrist, Alienist (archaic)|
|Activity sectors||Medicine > Psychiatry|
|Competencies||Analytical mind, patience|
|Education required||Degree in medicine|
|Fields of employment||Psychiatric clinics|
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry and is certified in treating mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy. And, as part of their evaluation of the patient, psychiatrists are one of the few mental health professionals who may prescribe psychiatric medication, conduct physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory tests and electroencephalograms, and may order brain imaging studies such as computed tomography or computed axial tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography scanning.
The field of psychiatry itself can be divided into various subspecialties. These include:
Some psychiatric practitioners specialize in helping certain age groups. Child and adolescent psychiatrists work with children and teenagers in addressing psychological problems. Those who work with the elderly are called geriatric psychiatrists or geropsychiatrists. Those who practice psychiatry in the workplace are called organizational and occupational psychiatrists in the US (occupational psychology is the name used for the most similar discipline in the UK). Psychiatrists working in the courtroom and reporting to the judge and jury, in both criminal and civil court cases, are called forensic psychiatrists, who also treat mentally disordered offenders and other patients whose condition is such that they have to be treated in secure units.
Other psychiatrists and mental health professionals in the field of psychiatry may also specialize in psychopharmacology, psychiatric genetics, neuroimaging, sleep medicine, pain medicine, palliative medicine, eating disorders, sexual disorders, women's health, early psychosis intervention, mood disorders and anxiety disorders (including obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder).
In the U.S. and Canada one must first complete their Bachelor's degree, or in Quebec complete a premedical course of study in Cégep. Students may choose any major, however they must enroll in specific courses, usually outlined in a pre-medical program. One must then apply to and attend 4 years of medical school in order to earn their M.D. or D.O. and to complete their medical education. Following this, the individual must practice as a psychiatric resident for another four years (five years in Canada). This extended period allows comprehensive training that includes diagnosis, psychopharmacology, medical care issues, and psychotherapies. All accredited psychiatry residencies in the United States require proficiency in cbt (cognitive-behavioral), brief, psychodynamic, and supportive psychotherapies. Psychiatry residents are often required to complete at least four post-graduate months of internal medicine or pediatrics and two months of neurology during their first year. After completing their training, psychiatrists take written and then oral board examinations. The total amount of time required to complete post-baccalaureate work in the field of psychiatry in the United States is typically 8 years of training.
In the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and other parts of the world, one must complete a medical degree. These degrees are often abbreviated MB BChir, MB BCh, MB ChB, BM BS, or MB BS. Following this, the individual will work as a Foundation House Officer for two additional years in the UK, or one year as Intern in the Republic of Ireland to achieve registration as a basic medical practitioner. Following this, training in psychiatry can begin and it is taken in two parts: Basic Specialist Training is the first three years and trainees take the MRCPsych exam (equivalent of ABPN board exams). The second stage of training is Higher Specialist Training, referred to as "ST4-6" in the UK and "Senior Registrar Training" in the Republic of Ireland. Candidates with MRCPsych degree and complete basic training must reinterview for higher specialist training. At this stage, the development of speciality interests such as forensic, child/adolescent take place. At the end of 3 years of higher specialist training, candidates are awarded a CCT (UK) or CCST (Ireland), both meaning Certificate of Completion of (Specialist) Training. At this stage, the psychiatrist can register as a specialist and the qualification of CC(S)T is recognised in all EU/EEA states. As such, training in the UK and Ireland is considerably longer than in the US or Canada and frequently takes around 8–9 years following graduation from medical school. Those with a CC(S)T will be able to apply for Consultant posts. Those with training from outside the EU/EEA should consult local medical boards to review their qualifications and eligibility for equivalence recognition (for example, those with a US residency and ABPN qualification).
In the Netherlands one must complete medical school: a 6 year university programme after which one earns the title "doctorandus in de geneeskunde" or "master of medicine". After medical school, one is certified as a medical doctor. After a strict selection programme one can specialise in psychiatry: a 4,5 year specialisation. During this specialisation, the resident has to do a 6 month residency in the field of social psychiatry, a 12 month residency in a field of their own choice (which can be child psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, somatic medicine or medical research) and an obligatory three year residency in different areas of adult psychiatry (ranging from acute psychiatry on closed wards to outpatient psychiatry). If one wants to become a children's and adolescent psychiatrist, one has to do an extra specialisation period of 2 more years. In short this means that it takes at least 10,5 years of study to become a psychiatrist which can go up to 12,5 years if one becomes a children's and adolescent psychiatrist.
In the United States, psychiatrists train by going to university first, then they go to Medical School for 4 years. When they graduate, they get to use the initials M.D. (Medical Doctor) after their names. Then these doctors specialize by training for 3 or 4 years in Psychiatry. In other countries psychiatrists train in similar ways but may not have to go to a separate university and medical school.