Psychiatrist. Overview of Tasks
What do psychiatrists do? What illnesses do they treat? How does one become a psychiatrist? These are common questions about the profession.
A psychiatrist diagnoses and treats disorders in thinking, mood, emotions, memory, behavior, and motivation. People often see psychiatrists for prolonged psychological crises, emotional exhaustion, or persistent anxiety.
Unlike psychologists, who mainly conduct therapy sessions, psychiatrists can prescribe medication. After diagnosing the physical or medical causes of mental illness, they treat it with medication or therapy. Psychotherapists, however, focus on therapeutic exercises and treatments.
A psychiatrist’s work involves medical diagnosis, treatment, and research of mental disorders. They use both medication and psychotherapy to manage symptoms.
Psychiatrist vs. Psychologist
The Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist undergoes five years of specialized training after medical school and passing the state exam. Four years focus on clinical psychiatry and psychotherapy, and one year on neurology. This training qualifies them to practice both psychiatry and psychotherapy.
The Psychologist
Only individuals with a psychology degree can use the title “psychologist.” Psychology is an empirical science, while psychiatry is a branch of medicine. Psychology studies human behavior, experiences, and development, considering both internal and external influences. Psychologists can further train as psychotherapists or psychoanalysts, gaining state certification to practice as “psychological psychotherapists.”
Psychiatry. Description of the Field
The term “psychiatry” comes from Greek, „psyche“ (soul) und „iatrós“ (physisian), and put together means “healing of the soul.” The medical field of psychiatry involves diagnosing, treating, preventing, and rehabilitating mental health disorders. It also considers the social dimension, as people exist within a social context. Psychiatry’s understanding of mental illness includes psychological, physical, and social factors. Over time, psychiatry has developed specializations like child and adolescent psychiatry, psychosomatics, geriatric psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry.
Mental Health Illnesses
Mental illnesses are defined as prolonged or recurring significant deviations in thoughts, feelings, or behavior. These deviations must cause personal distress or burden the environment to be considered an illness. Mental illnesses are increasingly diagnosed and are among the most common health conditions. Nearly half of all people experience a significant mental disorder at least once. In recent years, mental health issues have caused more sick days and early retirements, with depression and anxiety being the most common diagnoses. Mental illnesses usually have multiple causes, including genetics, physical illness, life events, and emotional conflicts. Brain metabolism disturbances and brain tissue changes often contribute to their development.
Treatment of Mental Health Illnesses
Due to the complex causes of mental illnesses, therapy and rehabilitation are multidimensional. This includes a network of outpatient, inpatient, and partial care services. Optimal care requires coordination with fields like neurology, psychosomatic medicine, general medicine, child psychiatry, and clinical psychology. Current neurobiological, psychological, and social science knowledge is also essential.
Mental illnesses are treated with psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of both. The specific treatment depends on the illness and patient preferences. For moderate to severe conditions, medication and psychotherapy are usually combined. Lighter cases often rely on psychotherapy alone.
To ensure quality, psychiatric guidelines have been developed by professional societies. These provide healthcare providers with the latest knowledge to diagnose and treat mental illnesses according to current medical standards.
Psychiatric Diagnostic Systems
Psychiatric diagnoses are made based on international agreements, without addressing the causes. These systems categorize mental illnesses by their symptoms, describing the appearance but not the cause. The content is a collection of symptoms agreed upon by experts, making diagnoses reproducible and treatment easier.
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the most widely recognized diagnostic system globally. In Germany, doctors must use ICD-10 codes for diagnoses.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), created by the American Psychiatric Association, complements or replaces parts of ICD-10.
With the release of ICD-11 and DSM-5, changes in classification of mental illnesses are expected.