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What is psychiatry and who are psychiatrists?

Psychiatry is a profession dedicated to diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental disorders. Recently, it has emerged as one of the most dynamic medical branches.

Any practicing psychiatrist will specialize in understanding a mental illness's psychological, social, and physical effects on the patient. They evaluate symptoms in the context of genetics and the patient's family history.

As they are physicians by training, psychiatrists can recommend laboratory tests. In addition, they also have in-depth discussions with the patient to assess their symptoms. Psychiatrists then chart a recovery plan and determine whether the patients require medication. They research and provide treatments for mental health disorders such as schizophrenia.

A psychiatrist can:

• Help with chronic issues (such as social anxiety) and their symptoms 
• Propose action for dealing with concerns impacting your lifestyle 
• Prescribe medication, therapy, or hospitalization 
• Refer you to a specialized practitioner

These professionals work in public or private hospitals, community health services, or private clinics. Psychiatrists often research to improve the vast mental health field and develop new, innovative ways of treatment. They provide scientific advice in legal matters, teach at universities, and are involved with advocacy. Many government institutions (such as the U.S. military) hire psychiatrists to treat war veterans or in-service personnel issues. 

What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

People often mix up the scope of services offered by psychiatrists vs psychologists. Psychologists and psychiatrists share a common understanding of the human mind and its processes. Psychological therapies (talking treatments) are effective in treating mental disease. However, psychiatrists first become medical doctors after four years of medical school. As medical professionals, psychiatrists know the connections between psychological and physical health issues. They are also qualified to write prescriptions.

Here are three areas in which psychiatrists and psychologists diverge most significantly:

1. In contrast to psychiatrists, psychologists are not medical doctors.
2. Medication is prescribed by psychiatrists but not psychologists.
3. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, first and foremost. They treat severe mental disorders. Psychologists are trained to treat people through psychotherapy (talk therapy).

Collaboration between psychiatrists and psychologists is standard. After making an initial evaluation and diagnosis, a psychiatrist may suggest you see a psychologist for continued talk therapy. Hospital mental health teams typically consist of both psychiatrists and psychologists. 

Ask your primary care physician if you will benefit more from seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Your specific condition and the treatment you require will determine the answer.

Common psychiatric treatments

There are several kinds of treatments a psychiatrist may recommend, namely:

• Medications(such as antidepressants)
• Psychological treatment, including psychotherapy and similar interventions 
• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), relaxation techniques, etc.

Depending on your situation, the psychiatrist will suggest treatments that suit your unique needs and are safe to carry out. They will also explain the following:

• Why the treatment is necessary and how it works 
• Any possible side effects and how to manage them 
• How much the treatment may cost

If you're worried about any of these, please raise them during the consultation. After all, your confidence in the treatment — and, consequently, treatment compliance — is a significant factor in your recovery. Consulting a psychiatrist can help you when your symptoms do not have a physical diagnosis (such as diabetes) and a primary care physician (PCP) cannot help. 

For instance, you may suffer from severe or unmanageable symptoms, such as thoughts of self-harm. In such cases, a psychiatrist is an ideal professional to provide a diagnosis and prescribe medication, including antidepressants, stimulants, or anxiolytics.

Subspecialties within psychiatry

There are numerous subspecialties within the discipline of psychiatry itself. These comprise:

• Addiction psychiatry: Focuses on evaluating, diagnosing, and treating individuals with substance use disorders. Addiction psychiatrists provide comprehensive, individualized care and use evidence-based therapies. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing are some examples. Addiction psychiatry helps curb substance abuse, behavioral addiction, eating disorders, process addictions, and tobacco addictions. 
• Adult psychiatry: Adult psychiatrists are on the front lines regarding mental health care, helping the most vulnerable patients and their loved ones. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, personality disorders, and other anxiety disorders are all conditions they regularly encounter. Adult psychiatrists play a crucial role in community-based healthcare by coordinating the efforts of a wide range of specialists to develop effective treatment and care plans for their patients and their families. They collaborate with other team members to provide the patient with therapy, such as counseling, medication management, and occupational, social, and psychological therapies. 
• Forensic psychiatry: Deals with evaluating and treating individuals with mental health illnesses in the context of the legal system. This includes an assessment of an individual's mental state and criminal responsibility. Forensic psychiatrists provide expert opinions to the court on matters such as competency to stand trial, insanity defense, sentencing, and treatment in correctional settings. Forensic psychiatry deals with a bit of all subspecialties, as and when applied, in a space involving law and psychiatry. 
• Neuropsychiatry psychiatry: Focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of psychiatric and behavioral disorders caused by changes in the central nervous system, encompassing the brain and spinal cord. It encompasses evaluating and treating cognitive, behavioral, affective, and motor disturbances related to neurological and medical conditions, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and other neurological conditions. It also includes evaluating and treating psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, Alzheimer's, ADHD, and Parkinson's, in the context of neurological illness. 
• Occupational psychiatry: Concentrates on the relationship between mental health and work. It focuses on preventing, assessing, and treating mental health problems within the workplace. Also, it involves providing individual and group therapy, psychological assessment, psychotherapy, and consultation to employers and employees. It also provides education on mental health issues, stress management, and strategies for dealing with mental health problems in the workplace.
• Psychosomatic medicine: Works on the interactions between the mind, body, and behavior and how they affect a person's health and well-being. It is a holistic approach to medicine that seeks to understand the complex, interrelated factors that influence a person's physical and mental health. It combines medical knowledge and techniques from different fields, such as psychiatry, psychology, and neurology, to provide a comprehensive, integrated approach to patient care.
• Child and adolescent psychiatry: Learning disabilities amongst children and young adults can often develop during the prenatal and postnatal periods. Sociological and environmental exposures post these periods are also relevant to their mental health. Child and adolescent psychiatry is a branch that specializes in preventing, identifying, diagnosing, and treating mental disorders for this age group. These include ADHD, anxiety, ADD, and other behavioral and learning issues. 
• Old-age psychiatry: It is also called geriatric psychiatry. This field acknowledges mental challenges that come with age, due to which unique techniques are implemented. The elderly also have different pharmacokinetics of drugs and other presentations of disorders that are only encountered in this age group, such as dementia and depression. 

Reasons for seeing a psychiatrist

You may visit a psychiatrist near you if you:

• Are concerned about having a mental health disorder like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc. 
• Have suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm, are sedentary for a relatively long period, or are hyperactive, with great difficulty concentrating. 
• Experience hallucinations or delusions. 
• Are you struggling with an addiction or substance dependence 
• Have violent or emotional reactions or extreme mood swings. 
• Are you concerned a loved one, such as your child, may be living with an undiagnosed mental health condition? 
• You can no longer deal with the issues at the workplace or in your family.

In other words, book an appointment with a professional if you experience any mental, emotional, or behavioral symptoms impacting your quality of life or productivity at the workplace. Contrary to popular belief, only some people who see a psychiatrist end up with a diagnosis or medication.

Your doctor will rely on scientific and objective criteria (such as lab tests or standardized questionnaires) to determine whether you have a mental disorder. If yes, they will devise a treatment plan in consultation with you. Does Psychiatry Differ From Counseling? Psychiatrists earn an MD (Doctor of Medicine) or a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree in medical school. They can opt for a specialization in psychiatry, which means completing another three to four years of residency training.

Such training focuses on the biological and socio-psychological aspects of mental illness. This enables psychiatrists to recommend appropriate medication and therapy for various emotional disorders and behavioral problems. A psychiatrist may choose to gain further specialization in one of the subfields, such as:

Substance abuse or addiction psychiatry Geriatric psychiatry Child psychiatry In contrast, counselors do not necessarily come from a medical background. They usually have a master's or doctoral degree from a counseling program. They're also called therapists and may need more medical training to diagnose or interpret lab tests. Nor can they prescribe medication.

The Health Professions Act does not cover counselors. In the United States, you may come across several different kinds of counselors, such as:

Mental Health Counselors, Addiction and Behavioral disorder counselors, Marriage and relationship counselors, School Guidance Counselors

Many states in the U.S. require counselors to have a master's degree and be certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. The Counselor may also be required to pass the National Counselor Examination to obtain a license to work.

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Mental health in Las Vegas and Nevada 

According to a report titled "Substance Use and Mental Disorders in the Las Vegas-Paradise MSA" released by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9% of Las Vegas aged twelve and above suffered from a substance use disorder in the past year. Similarly, 8.1 % of adults aged 18 or above experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. Importantly, these rates are at par with those in Nevada and the nation.

According to a report released by the State of Nevada Governor's Commission on Behavioral Health, dated July 2019, about 18% of the nation's adult population suffers from mental illness. The prevalence rate for Nevada is 18.33%. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in the adult national population in the past year was 7.93%. Nevada has a rate of 7.44%. 4% of the adult national population had severe thoughts of suicide. Nevada has a rate of 4.3%. About 12.6% of the nation's youth reported suffering from at least one major depressive episode last year. In Nevada, 15.6% of youth say the same. 

Almost 2 million young people in the national population suffer from significant depression with other mental health issues like SUD and anxiety. The national prevalence is 8.7%; NV's prevalence is 12.7%. Over 56% of the adult national population experiencing a mental illness didn't receive treatment last year. 63% of the people with a mental illness in Nevada did not receive treatment last year.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) lists a few resources provided by Nevada for multiple mental health issues: 

Nevada 2-1-1: This is a service for local callers. National callers may contact 1-866-535-5654. They aim to deliver:

Healthcare/Mental Health. Substance abuse Services for Children, Services for senior residents, and more

2. Nevada Recovery Resource Directory: Has a database of information and services for individuals seeking help with mental health and substance abuse.

Adult Mental Health Service in Northern Nevada: Nevada Medicaid COVID-19 Related Health and Addiction resources: The pandemic has affected the psychological condition of most of the population. The official state website lists mental health and substance abuse resources and caring for a loved one struggling with an issue.

Sources

University of California Santa Cruz

American Psychiatric Association

John Hopkins Medicine

National Center for Biotechnology Information[8]

National Alliance on Mental Illness | Nevada

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

State of Nevada

National Center for Biotechnology Information[1] 

National Center for Biotechnology Information[2]

National Center for Biotechnology Information[3]

National Center for Biotechnology Information[4]

National Center for Biotechnology Information[5]

National Center for Biotechnology Information[6]

National Center for Biotechnology Information[7]

Verywell Mind

WebMD

American University of Antigua

Psychology Dictionary

Healthline 

Your Health In Mind

The Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 immediately.