Psychiatrist – Main Functions, Types And Importance

Psychiatrist – The human brain is a very multifaceted organ that allows us to perform various bodily functions. These functions range from vital ones like breathing or heart rate, through basic ones like sleeping or being hungry, to higher ones like thinking or speaking.

Would you like to enter the world of psychiatry and understand the professionals’ functions? Keep reading or consult our Master in Psychology and Counseling to learn about the different treatments that manage emotional, mental and cognitive problems.

What Does A Psychiatrist Do?

Psychiatry is the division of medicine that studies the human mind and mental disorders from a medical-biological approach. Therefore, the professional psychiatrist has the function of investigating, diagnosing and caring for psychiatric disorders that affect people’s mental health.

Its main objective is to recover the quality of life of a patient with mental problems, focusing on physiology and brain chemistry. His view is based on the idea that mental disorders are due to imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters and other aspects of the brain. To do this, doctors they are, they prescribe and prescribe psychopharmaceuticals that regulate brain levels, taking into account the psychological factors that influence the development of the disorder.

The Main Functions Of A Psychiatrist Are

• Diagnose, study and treat mental disorders.
• Guide patients to find balance and adapt to their environment with the help of therapy and psychopharmacology.
• Provide information to the patient about the brain’s functioning to understand what is happening and what actions they can take to improve.
• Listen without judgment to the person and understand how the person is experiencing their reality.
• Prescribe medications.
• Prescribe hospitalization of the patient.

What Does A Psychiatrist Do In The First Consultation?

Popular culture has led us to believe that going to the psychiatrist can be something scary or quite severe. Because of these lawsuits, seeing this professional for the first time is seen with great fear, and, in many cases, this possibility is left aside. What happens in this first session?

In the first consultation, the doctor will want to meet us to make an initial evaluation. For this, he will want to understand what have been the reasons why we have gone to his consultation and what difficulties we present. So, he will ask us about our concerns, to what extent they affect our life, some symptoms and how we deal with them. Also, he will tell us if we have taken any drugs if we have seen another mental health specialist and about our family medical history.

How Does A Professional Make A Psychiatric Diagnosis?

After gathering all the necessary information in the first session, you will analyze the results to establish the diagnosis and determine the therapeutic route to apply. Depending on what we have told you, our behavior and mental state, the psychiatrist may recommend that we see a specialist or undergo laboratory tests to rule out medical problems.

Also, you can schedule other appointments to see the evolution of the mental problem. Similarly, you can suggest psychotherapy or the prescription of a medication relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression or psychotic disorders. Therefore, it is very significant to attend all the appointments to improve the therapeutic process and restore the treatment as the mental balance progresses.

Types Of Problems Treated By Psychiatrists

Psychiatry usually takes care of simple and complex mental problems and disorders, such as schizophrenia, paranoia, major depression and personality disorders. It treats various ailments of varying severity, both in the patient’s family history and not in the family.

On many occasions, psychiatrists deal with those conflicts that can be treated and improved through drugs, prescribing medication as the primary treatment strategy. To do this, they focus on the physiological and chemical aspects of the human body. However, the role of the psychiatrist is also to share advice to improve a patient’s lifestyle.

As we have said, the psychiatrist is a medical specialist who deals with mental health problems. Therefore, situations such as dealing with the loss of a loved one, a family problem or being in deep depression are reasons to seek the help of this professional. These problems generate imbalances, anguish and difficulties in relationships or work. So, with the guidance of a psychiatric doctor, we can overcome these discomforts.

When Should You See A Psychiatrist?

You can see a psychiatrist receive a medical prescription for a psychoactive drug as a treatment, adjust medication or medicine, and evaluate a treatment in case of side effects. Other situations to see a specialist is when difficulties arise unexpectedly, such as:

• Hallucinations
• Crisis Of Panic
• Hear Voices
• Suicidal Thoughts

Other problems can last a long time and require psychiatric care, such as:

• Maladaptive Anxiety
• Psychological Symptoms That Affect Performance
• Depression

Difference Between Psychology And Psychiatry

Both professionals work for the mental health of their patients, trying to improve their quality of life and reduce their symptoms until curing the disorder as far as possible. In addition, they usually work as a team because there are ailments that both branches can treat to offer better treatment to the patient. So, the two build a communication channel to be aware of the progress or complications of the disorder suffered by the person.

However, having a psychologist and a psychiatrist intervene in a patient’s therapy is often beneficial since medication may be necessary to work from an emotional, contextual or cognitive basis with patients. To start a therapy process and have positive results, the patient must be stable and with an excellent connection to reality; Medications help ease this state.

Where To Learn More About Mental Health?

If you are interested in gaining more knowledge about mental health, its treatments, functions and fundamental knowledge, do not hesitate to consult our training offer in psychology. In it, you will find online master’s degrees that address various topics and professional approaches related to child behavior, mental disorders, personal development and emotional well-being.

These qualifications allow you to increase your knowledge and update your professional training with innovative skills and tools. In addition, they are a great resource with which you can learn in-depth about the most demanding sectors at the labor level and how psychological problems are currently addressed.

Conclusion

Fortunately, when some of these functions are altered, we have specialist doctors who can attend to us. The same thing happens with diseases of mental processes. A professional, such as a psychiatrist, will have the ability to help us balance brain biochemistry and disorders that reduce our quality of life.