Psychiatry Books

What is Psychiatry ?

Psychiatry is the medical specialty concerned with the study of mental disorders and the diagnosis, management, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders.

Psychiatry is not to be confused with psychology - which is the scientific but non-medical study of the mind, incl. behaviour and mental processes.

Both of these terms are derived from the prefix psych- which refers to the mind or, more accurately, to the "psyche" i.e. the "mind or the soul; the mental as opposed to the physical aspects of a person".

More about Psychiatry:

A medical specialist in the field of psychiatry is called a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists may be assisted (especially in residential facilities) by psychiatric nurses and other professional care-workers.

Psychiatry and the politics of "mental illness" are key areas in the growing field of medical ethics. These topics are hotly debated, especially in countries that legislate to detain persons whom medical doctors consider "likely to commit" a crime - even if the individual has not actually done so, or even threatened to do so.

See also our glossary entry for "Psychiatry" in the glossary section about "Medical Disciplines".