What is PSYCHIATRY?

Psychiatry is the specialized medical field concerned with the study, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of psychological/mental disorders. These are the disorders that are related to the brain.

Psychiatry, as a medical science, covers areas like cognition, behaviour, mood, perception etc. 

What are some common Psychiatric Disorders?

Mental disorders are as much severe, harmful and threatening as physical ones. To date, a huge taboo surrounds mental health and discussions revolving around it. However, this does not change the fact that mental health disorders are rather commonly diagnosed in individuals. Some of the most common psychiatric disorders are:

Clinical Depression: Clinical depression is a disorder in which the patient feels a constant feeling of sadness and a lack of interest in most activities. Clinical depression is severe to the extent that it hinders the completion of basic day-to-day activities like sleeping, studying, going to the office, driving etc.

Anxiety Disorder: AD is characterized by feelings of persistent worry, anxiety and fear. It is severe enough to cut the patient short from completing everyday activities.

Eating Disorder: Many individuals develop unhealthy eating habits. This can include either eating obsessive amounts of food or not eating anything at all. ED is sometimes developed due to other underlying psychiatric or behavioural disorders. 

Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder is the mental state in which the moods of an individual tally between extreme ends. They either get extremely emotional and sensitive or get extremely angry and outraged. 

Methods/Treatments in Psychiatry:

Psychological disorders are dealt with in a significantly different way. Most of the treatment in Psychiatry is heavily based on conversation-based treatments. However, in some cases, surgeries might be required. The surgical branch of Psychiatry is called Psychosurgery. 

Here are some common methods of treatment in Psychiatry:

Counselling: Counselling is defined as a form of talking therapy which involves a trained professional listening to you and helping you with your emotional problems. Counselling can be done for issues related to family problems, marriage problems, career etc.

Therapy: Like counselling, therapy also involves having conversations with a mental health professional. However, therapy is conducted after medically diagnosing an underlying mental disorder or its symptoms. 

Surgery: To treat psychological disorders, sometimes surgery is required. Disorders like Schizophrenia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (GAD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Major Depressive Disorder etc may need surgical treatment. 

Some common Psychosurgical processes are anterior capsulotomy, cingulotomy, sub-caudate tractotomy and limbic leucotomy.

How to prepare?

It can be a good idea to compile your entire medical history before visiting a psychiatrist. Be aware of any previous diagnoses, symptoms, and a list of all current and previous medication regimens (including dosages, times taken, and adverse effects), and be prepared to discuss them.

What to expect?

Going to your first meeting with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other mental health specialist is usually cause for some anxiety. There is nothing to fear, even though it can be unsettling. Your psychiatrist is there to answer any questions you have regarding the procedure and to assist you in making the best next steps. Finding the ideal psychiatrist for you may take some time, but the effort and time invested in maintaining your mental health are worthwhile.

Conclusion:

To sum up, both those who are impacted and those who aren't are dependent on mental health. To help those impacted feel more "at home" and prevent them from being compelled to throw their lives away, it is critical that society's knowledge of the issue grows. a generally established approach to treating mental illness that alters the unhelpful behavior, ideas, and feelings of those who are suffering from a psychiatric problem by utilizing the therapeutic forces present within the group, the positive interactions of the participants, and the interventions of a skilled leader.

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