The 8 Types Of Psychiatry (and What Mental Illnesses They Treat)
The human being is a tremendously complex organism, made up of multiple body systems. And this great complexity can be altered by a large number of diseases. Fortunately, when this happens we have medical and health services to help us. But what happens when we talk about imbalances in brain biochemistry or mental problems?
In these cases we have different professionals such as psychologists or psychiatrists. Regarding the latter, we can find a wide variety of subtypes, depending on what aspects they specialize in. In this article we are going to talk about the types of psychiatry mentioning some of the best-known subdisciplines.
It is called psychiatry the branch of medicine that studies the human mind and mental disorders from a generally medical-biological perspective.
The psychiatrist’s main function is to evaluate, diagnose and treat the presence of different psychiatric disorders in order to generate the subject’s recovery and an improvement in their quality of life. As doctors, they have the power to prescribe and prescribe psychotropic drugs. The treatment they offer is generally pharmacological or medical although they must take into account the psychological factors that mediate the experience of the disorder.
Likewise, they often have to deal not only with the patient but also with their families especially in cases that require psychiatric hospitalization or when we are talking about children or elderly people with deterioration or dementia.
It is a specialization within the medical career, not being a university degree in itself. To become a psychiatrist, it is first necessary to complete a medical degree and then apply for the MIR and choose said specialty, after which the student must spend four years as a resident doctor in psychiatry.
Types of Psychiatry depending on their specialization
Psychiatry is a branch of medicine of great interest and utility for citizens, seeking to treat the various mental disorders and problems that may arise. However, not all psychiatrists work with the same type of patients, There is a great diversity of specializations In this sense we can find, among others, the following types of psychiatry.
1. Adult psychiatry
General psychiatry is what usually treats, as a general rule, adults who present some type of severe mental pathology. Mood disorders such as depression or bipolarity, anxiety problems and phobias and psychotic disorders are usually the main reason for consultation.
2. Child and adolescent psychiatry
Probably the type of population that is most frequently consulted about due to concern for their well-being is children and adolescents. This is a particularly delicate and fragile type of population, with differential characteristics that require more delicate treatment. It is also one of the types of psychiatry in which They will always require contact with parents or legal guardians as well as with educational institutions.
There are many problems that specialists in this type of psychiatry can treat, highlighting the presence of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism or ADHD. In addition, cases of childhood depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or psychotic problems, such as incipient psychosis, are also observed and treated.
3. Geriatric psychiatry
Old age is a stage of great changes in people’s lives. Retirement, aging and decreased capabilities, illnesses and deaths of loved ones are more frequent at this stage of life. This is a stage with its own particularities, the elderly being generally delicate and fragile, and may require a psychiatric service in people in whom disorders appear at that age or in order to treat the evolution of a disorder upon reaching adulthood. this age.
Professionals specialized in geriatric psychiatry They usually treat elderly people with severe mental disorders and cognitive and behavioral alterations typical of dementia.
2. Forensic psychiatry
This type of psychiatry is responsible for intervening in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of subjects with mental disorders and problems with the law. It is characterized by being in charge (along with forensic psychology) of the assessment of cognitive abilities in the face of evaluate the degree of imputability and criminal responsibility of individuals in addition to evaluating their progress and contributing to the treatment of possible psychiatric problems.
3. Sexology
Sexual dysfunctions and paraphilias can also be treated from sexology, which often makes use of psychiatrists or psychologists Problems such as erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, anorgasmia, hypoactive sexual desire, sex aversion, sex addiction or dyspareunia are some examples of the type of problems treatable by this discipline.
4. Psychiatry of eating disorders
Another type of psychiatry that requires great specialization is that linked to eating disorders, this type of mental disorder being one of the few that in itself can lead to the death of those who suffer from it. This type of population requires comprehensive and differentiated treatment, especially when we are dealing with serious cases. Anorexia and bulimia are the two most prevalent disorders
5. Addiction psychiatry
Addiction to a substance is one of the most frequent problems that can be observed in the population, and requires specific preparation and knowledge about what addiction, abstinence or the different ways to treat them entail. In this sense, addiction to alcohol, cocaine, heroin or cannabis are some of the most common pathologies in this type of psychiatry
However, it must be taken into account that there are also addictions not linked to substances. Compulsive shopping, gambling addiction or addiction to new technologies are also examples of disorders that can be treated from this type of service.
6. Neuropsychiatry
Neuropsychiatry is a discipline that works on the presence of psychiatric disorders in the context of problems related to the nervous system In this discipline there is usually a greater knowledge of the operation of said system. It usually deals with strokes, patients with cognitive impairment resulting from a mental disorder or substance abuse or dementia, among others.
7. Liaison Psychiatry or Interconsultations
This type of psychiatry is characterized by serving as a link between psychiatric and medical aspects that involve suffering from an illness Topics such as the experience of a chronic or terminal illness, adherence to treatment or the treatment of stress, anxiety or depression that may arise from it are typical of this type of psychiatrist.
8. Emergency psychiatry
A type of psychiatry that, although it is practiced in Spain, is not recognized as a specialty in other countries. This is the psychiatrist who deals with emergency situations, such as the emergence of a psychotic break, depression with planned suicidal ideation or emergencies due to drug use.
