What is a Psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D./D.O.). As physicians, psychiatrists undergo lots of training, exams, education, and the highest level of quality education available in the medical field. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who undergoes specialized training in mental health.

Psychiatrists follow a medical model. Training includes medication management and therapy. Some psychiatrists see patients for medication management and therapy. Others see patients for medications only and refer to colleagues to provide therapy if warranted.

As medical doctors, psychiatrists complete four years of medical school after college. After this, they complete a minimum of four years of psychiatry residency. If you are counting, this means a psychiatrist in the U.S. completes at least eight years of training after graduating college. Most psychiatrists choose to complete the board examination after finishing residency in order to become board-certified.

What specialties exist within psychiatry?

Psychiatrists may choose to undergo further training to specialize in certain areas in the field. For example, some may specialize in child psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, just to name a few. While all aspects of psychiatry are covered in a general psychiatry residency, some may choose to further their education with fellowship programs or additional training courses.