What is a Psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a physician (M.D. or D.O.) who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. It takes many years of education and training to become a psychiatrist. He or She must graduate from colleage and then medical school, and go on to complete four years of residency training in the field of psychiatry. Many psychiatrists undergo additional training so that they can further specialize in such areas as child and adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, forensic psychiatry psychopharmacology, and/or psychoanalysis.
This extensive medical training enables the psychiatrist to understand the body's functions and the complex relationship between brain disorders and emotional illness and other medical illnesses. The psychiatrist is thus the mental health professional and physician best qualified to distinguish between physical and psychological causes of both mental and physical distress. Psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals who can prescribe medications and admit to hospitals.
What is Mental Illness?
Mental illness is an illness that affects or is manifested in a person's brain. It may impact on the way a person thinks, behaves and interacts with other people.
The term "mental illness" actually encompasses numerous psychiatric disorders, and just like illnesses that affect other parts of the body, they can vary in severity. Many people suffering from mental illness may not look as though they are ill or that something is wrong, while others may appear to be confused, agitated or withdrawn.
It is a myth that mental illness is a weakness or defect in character and that sufferers can get better simply by "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps." Mental illnesses are real illnesses - as real as heart disease and cancer - and they require and respond well to treatment.
The term "mental illness" is an unfortunate one because it implies a distinction between "mental" disorders and "physical" disorders. Research shows that there is much "physical" in "mental" disorders and vice-versa. For example, the brain chemistry of a person with major depression is different from that of a nondepressed person, and medication can be used (often in combination with psychotherapy) to bring the brain chemistry back to normal. Similarly, a peson who is suffering from hardening of the arteries in the brain - which reduces the flow of blood and thus oxygen in the brain - may experience such "mental" symptoms as confusion and forgetfulness.
What are Some Warning Signs of Mental Illness?
- Marked personality change
- Instability to cope with problems and daily activities
- Strange ideas or delusions
- Excessive anxiety
- Prolonged feelings of sadness
- Marked changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Thinking or talking about suicide
- Extreme highs and lows
- Abuse of alcohol or drugs
- Excessive anger, hostility
- Violent behavior
- Irrational fears
If you notice any of these symptoms, you should seek a psychiatric evaluation. If you need help right away, you should seek immediate treatment from a hospital emergency room.