Research work · 2018
1. What is psychiatry?
Psychiatry: A Very Short Introduction
Abstract
Psychiatry deals with consciousness, choice, motivation, free will, relationships—everything that makes us human. ‘What is psychiatry?’ emphasizes that psychiatry is a branch of medicine that deals with mental illnesses. The definition of psychiatry is not based on theory, as in psychology or psychoanalysis, but on practice. The current view of mental illnesses and available treatments will determine what a psychiatrist is, and what he or she does. The hallmark of the psychiatrist’s trade is the interview. Psychiatric diagnoses rely on making a judgement about why someone is doing something, not just the observation of what they are doing. The most common psychiatric disorders, both organic and functional, are described.