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The
Role of the Psychiatrist
A
psychiatrist is a medical doctor (a physician, i.e., an M.D.
or a D.O.) who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and
prevention of the entire range of emotional and behavioral
problems and mental illnesses, including substance abuse and
addiction.
Psychiatrists
are uniquely qualified to assess the mental, emotional, and
physical aspects of psychological difficulties. As medical
doctors, they are the only mental health specialists who possess
a full working knowledge of the entire range of possible biological,
psychological, and/or social causes for a patient's feelings,
behavior, and symptoms/difficulties.
A
psychiatrist's training is the most lengthy, rigorous, and
comprehensive of all mental health providers. After college,
a psychiatrist must complete four years of medical school
to become an M.D., followed by a year as an intern in a hospital
setting, and three more years as a resident, in order to practice
psychiatry. These training years are, for the most part, spent
diagnosing and treating patients under the supervision of
senior clinicians, in addition to didactic lectures, study,
seminars, and other educational experiences. During the internship
year, the psychiatrist-in-training spends 75-112 hours/week
(as many internships require the doctor to be "on-call"
for two to three 24-hour periods each week) responsible for
implementing and managing the acute and ongoing medical care
of patients in hospital and as outpatients. During the three
residency years, the psychiatrist-in-training works 50-80
hours/week (2500-4000) hours per year responsible for and
providing care to patients with every sort of emotional, cognitive,
and behavioral difficulty.
Expert
in complete and accurate diagnosis and treatment, psychiatrists
may, depending on the nature of the patient's difficulties,
recommend and provide appropriate psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral
therapy, medication, or other therapies designed to resolve
or properly manage the problems that have brought you to treatment.
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