HIND INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, LUCKNOW

Psychiatry

Psychiatry is a field of medicine which deals with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioural disorders. It integrates biological social and psychological aspects of mental health to provide holistic medical care for a wide range of symptoms.
    There are many fields in psychiatry including general adult, child and adolescent, eating disorders, old age, substance dependence, forensic, CL (or hospital) psychiatry and neuropsychiatry. In each of these areas research into the causes of mental illness and the effects of treatment are ongoing.
    Psychiatry is a medical specialty devoted to the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorder. The term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808.
Psychiatric assessment typically involves a mental status examination and the taking of a case history; and psychological tests may be conducted. Physical examinations may be carried out and on occasion neuroimages or other neurophysiological measurements taken. Diagnostic procedures vary. Official criteria are listed in manuals, the most widely available being the ICD from the World Health Organization and the DSM from the American Psychiatric Association.