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Who is a Psychiatrist?
Psychiatry is the art of teaching people how to stand on their own feet while reclining on couches ~ Anonymous
A psychiatrist is a medical professional specialising in mental health and substance use disorders. He or she evaluates both the mental and physical aspects of psychological issues. A psychiatric career involves working in hospitals or personalised clinics. Individuals seek mental assistance for various reasons, making psychiatry a crucial field in addressing mental health concerns.
A psychiatrist diagnoses conditions, prescribes medications, and offers psychotherapy services to help patients recover from mental, emotional, and psychiatric disorders. Collaborating with doctor and general physician, a psychiatrist plays a vital role in fostering mental well-being and providing holistic care for individuals facing diverse challenges.
Quick Facts for Psychiatrist
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Industry
Healthcare
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Average Salary in India
₹35000
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Suitable for
Male, Female
Individuals can take up a psychiatrist career, it is not gender-specific. Men, women, and others can choose a career as a psychiatrist. An individual of any gender type can become a psychiatrist. This profession is suitable for all gender types. Being a psychiatrist is one of the most sought-after professions where the gender of the individual is insignificant.
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Any special needs
Yes
Everyone, including those with physical disabilities, is appropriate for individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist. A career as a psychiatrist is well suited to everyone, even those with special needs. When it comes to the job it is better to be physically fit for a better and more efficient way of working. However, there is no hard and fast rule that it is compulsory to be physically fit. As long as the disability does not come in the way of one’s work they are good to go for this field.
Table of Contents for Psychiatrist
What is the role of Psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor specialising in mental health. He or she assesses, diagnoses, and treats various mental health conditions, including emotional, behavioural, and psychiatric disorders. A psychiatrist uses a combination of therapy, medication, and other interventions to help patients manage and overcome mental health challenges, promoting overall well-being.
A psychiatrist must analyse patient data to diagnose mental disorders accurately, making critical judgement for effective treatment.
A psychiatrist collaborates with various professionals, such as physicians, psychologists, and nurses, to discuss treatment plans and monitor patient progress, seeking input for comprehensive care.
He or she gathers and maintains comprehensive patient information, including social and medical history, ensuring a holistic understanding of the patient's background for tailored care.
He or she employs diverse methods to address each patient's unique mental challenges, ensuring personalised and effective care.
Types of a Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists specialise in various fields to address diverse mental health issues. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists focus on young patients, Geriatric Psychiatrists specialise in older adults, and Forensic Psychiatrists work in legal contexts. Addiction Psychiatrists treat substance abuse, and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrists bridge mental health and general medicine, ensuring holistic patient care.
Geriatric Psychiatrist: A geriatric psychiatrist is also known as geropsychiatry. He or she is a psychiatrist of old age. This type of child psychiatrist's job description includes conducting tests and taking measures to treat the mental illness of people due to old age. According to research, a geriatric psychiatrist is comparatively in more demand in a developing nation than in any other nation.
Addiction Psychiatrist: An addiction psychiatrist treats patients who are dealing with any sort of addiction. It may be more than one in number and it is evaluated, diagnosed, and then treated. The addiction can be to something that seems as harmless as food and as harmful as illegal drugs.
Forensic Psychiatrist: A forensic psychiatrist specialises in this branch of psychology in order to deal with criminology. A forensic psychiatrist interfaces the field of law as well as medicine. A Psychiatrist career requires treating criminals who are in prison.
Clinical Neurophysiologist: A clinical neurophysiologist uses a computer, electrical, magnetism, and electronic methods for researching and recording the capacity of the cerebrum, the spinal cord, spinal roots, the peripheral nerves, and muscle to analyse the disorders of the nervous or the sensory system. Clinical neurophysiologist treats several conditions, for example, epilepsy.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist: A child psychiatrist is a specialist who evaluates, diagnoses as well as carries out treatments to help them cope with mental illness. This type of child psychiatrist job description includes dealing with a number of problems like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and several other problems.
Clinical Psychologist: A Clinical psychologist consults with clients to understand their physical, emotional, and behavioural challenges. Instead, along with the customer, he or she develops a rehabilitation plan according to the client's needs. A career as a Psychologist periodically requires monitoring the client's progress to ensure that the course of action meets their needs and, if possible, to alter it.
What is the workplace/work environment of Psychiatrist like?
Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India work in a variety of settings, including private practices, clinics, general and psychiatric hospitals, university medical centres, community agencies, courts and prisons, nursing homes, industry, government, military settings, rehabilitation programs, emergency rooms, hospice programs, and many others.
Does Psychiatrist require travelling?
Likely
Typically, a career as a psychiatrist does not involve regular travel, unless specific cases or patient needs to necessitate it. The nature of the job primarily centres around providing mental health care in a fixed clinical setting, with occasional exceptions based on patient requirements or emergencies.
Time Pressure
Likely
Time pressure is moderate in the case of a psychiatrist. Individuals who opt for a career as psychiatrists work on weekends as well as in the evening hours. A lot of psychiatrists also do part-time work. In a career as a psychiatrist, individuals operate approximately forty-five hours a week while self-employed psychiatrists work more than this per week.
How to become a Psychiatrist?
Steps to become a Psychiatrist
In the contemporary world, escalating stress and mental health concerns, particularly among the youth, have led to a surge in depression and suicide rates. Psychiatrists play a crucial role in addressing and treating these mental health challenges.
If you are someone who is interested in studying the psychology of people or treating people with mental illness then a career as a Psychiatrist is the right choice for you. We have mentioned below the steps for how to become a psychiatrist after the 10th or how to become a psychiatrist after the 12th.
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Psychiatrist?
There are several types of a psychiatrist career in India. But, to be able to grab an opportunity one must possess some skills in the career as a psychiatrist. Here, in the article, we will discuss how to become a psychiatrist in India.
Sensitivity: A psychiatrist should utilise his or her own understanding and perception to decide potential dangers and advantages. Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India should be sensitive to issues, perceiving that a problem exists regardless of whether no prompt solution is clear.
Reasoning: A psychiatrist must possess both inductive and deductive thinking skills for success. Deductive thinking involves applying facts and principles, while inductive thinking involves connecting disparate pieces of information to derive a solution. Psychiatrists use inductive thinking to find patterns in seemingly unrelated events.
Communication skills: Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India should be good listeners. At the point when it is the ideal opportunity for the psychiatrist to talk, they should have the option to do so so that the patient can not in any way, misunderstand what you are stating.
Compassion: Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India are a matter of first importance to healers. Therefore, they need to be compassionate towards other people. He or she should have an understanding of the issues, difficulties, and requirements of others to be the best.
Stress Tolerance: Working as a psychiatrist can be stressful at times. Sometimes the stresses are brief but intense, such as a patient unexpectedly becoming extremely agitated. At other times, the stresses are of a longer duration.
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Psychiatrist?
We have mentioned below the certifications that individuals want to establish a career as a Psychiatrist.
Internship Availability
Internship is crucial in the field of psychiatry to gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience. While colleges provide theoretical learning, practical exposure in the field enhances understanding. Aspiring psychiatrists can intern under a solo practitioner, in hospitals, or small clinics, gaining valuable insights and real-world skills.
Psychiatrist Jobs and Salaries
Junior Psychiatrist
- Average Salary 13000
Job Description
A Junior Psychiatrist talks to patients, assists, observes, and reviews their medical history. He or she diagnoses patients, creates treatment plans, and provides medication.
Salary Description
An entry-level Psychiatrist's salary in India ranges between Rs 1.0 Lakhs to Rs 10.0 Lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs 1.4 Lakhs per annum. Junior Psychiatrist salaries in India may vary depending on the various job factors like skills and experience of the candidates, job location, and others.
Salary Source: AmbitionBox
Senior Psychiatrist
- Average Salary 57000
Job Description
A Senior Psychiatrist's job description includes examining and reviewing mental and physical health, prescribing medications, and monitoring treatment regularly. A Senior Psychiatrist supervises and teaches junior medical staff and researches and keeps updated with the latest technology and techniques.
Salary Description
The estimated Psychiatrist salary in India ranges from Rs 0.9 Lakhs to Rs 22.5 Lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs 8.0 Lakhs per annum. Senior Psychiatrist salaries may vary depending on the various job factors.
Salary Source: AmbitionBox
What is the job outlook for Psychiatrist?
In the psychiatrist career, significant growth is evident, with expanding job opportunities in both government and private hospitals. Lucrative positions in corporate hospitals not only offer better pay but also enhance career prospects. Over the last few years, the field has shown positive developments, indicating a favourable outlook with sustained growth anticipated in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions for Psychiatrist
Que. How many seats of MD Psychiatrist in Gujarat
Ans.In Gujarat, there are a total of 7 MD Psychiatry seats available in private colleges.
Additionally, there are 3 DNB Psychiatry seats across 4 colleges. Gujarat also has a significant number of government MD/MS seats, with 2,186 in government colleges and 724 in private ones .
You need to consult mcc official sources for the most up-to-date information regarding seat availability and admission processes.
Que. Is there a high demand for a psychiatrist?
Ans.Demand for a psychiatrist career has risen sharply in recent years and currently stands at an all-time high, according to an annual report tracking physician recruiting trends. Approximately 40 per cent of psychiatrists are likely to retire over the next five years, Singleton said, with few available to take their place.
Que. Do psychiatrists work on weekends?
Ans.Generally have a set schedule each week. Work 40 hours a week. May work on-call, which means they are available to work on short notice to handle emergencies. May work nights or weekends at hospitals and in-patient clinics.
Que. What is the role of Surgeon?
Ans.The job of a surgeon is to conduct a few minutes of minimally trespassing and uncomplicated surgeries, or trespassing and complicated surgeries that take long hours to complete. A surgeon works on a living human body, so their jobs are at high risk.
Que. What is a psychiatrist?
Ans.A psychiatrist is a medical professional or doctor who deals with the mental, emotional and behavioural conditions of people.
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Questions related to Psychiatrist
How many seats of MD Psychiatrist in Gujarat
Hello dear, I hope you are doing well.
When it comes to postgraduate medical seats, especially in Gujarat, the number of MD Psychiatry seats is slightly limited compared to more common branches like Medicine, Pediatrics, or Gynecology. Psychiatry has gained importance in recent years due to the growing awareness about mental health. As per the data available from NMC (National Medical Commission) and the state counseling authorities, Gujarat has around 70–90 MD Psychiatry seats distributed among government as well as private medical colleges. Some reputed colleges like
- B. J. Medical College Ahmedabad,
- M. P. Shah Medical College Jamnagar,
- Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College
Ahmedabad have Psychiatry departments offering PG seats. Seat numbers may vary slightly every year based on NMC approvals and renewals. If you are planning to pursue MD Psychiatry in Gujarat, I suggest you keep an eye on the official ACPPGMEC Gujarat website for counseling updates. This will give you the exact number of seats for the academic year.
Thank you !
Answer laterDiff btw psychiatrist and psychologist
Dear Candidate,
Psychologist and psychiatrist are two entirely different jobs with a big main difference that a psychiatrist is a MBBS/MD doctor which gives them the right to prescribe medication to their patients whereas a psychologist does MA/MSc and then PhD. Thus, psychologist treat their clients with different therapies and are prohibited to prescribe medications. Both of them deal with disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, etc...irrespective of the severity of the disorder. Only the counselors deal with less severe issues like marital issues, career issues, family issues, etc.
processor to become a psychiatrist after completing 12 in science stream
Dear,
Psychiatrist are one of the high paying career choice in India right now and the scope of this field is going to grow in future. The perks in this field are great and so are the hardships to become one. After completing class 12th there is almost 7-8 years of education before you can become a certified Psychiatrist.
There are many courses available on Bachelors, Master and Doctoral level if you wish to pursue psychiatry. Here is the list of courses available after class 12th for Psychiatry-
- Bachelor Courses to become a psychiatrist: MBBS
- Diploma Courses to become a psychiatrist: Diploma in Psychiatric Medicines, Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing and Post Graduate Diploma in Psychiatry.
Hope this helps!
can I become a psychiatrist without having to go through 5.5 years of MBBS?
Hi, Hope you are safe and doing good
No,passing the MBBS is a pre-requisite for being considered for a PG seat in Psychiatry. So,it means without a MBBS degree you cannot be a Psychiatrist.
But, definitely you can become a psychologist. For that you need to complete your Bachelors and Masters Degree in Psychology. And typically, you need to do an internship for couple of years.
Psychology deals with behavior of a person an psychologists can apply their finding knowledge to a lot of services.
And, after getting your degree and completing your internship you can be hired as a Clinical Psychologist or as a Counselor. Not only this,you can also be hired as an Industrial or Social Psychologist .
Hope it helps
Feel free to ask if you have any query
Thank you !
I am a Unani student. I want to know how I can pursue my practice as a Unani Psychiatrist? what further studies should I opt?
Warm greetings for choosing such a nice course of study !! If you want to pursue your higher studies in Unani Psychiatry then go ahead, for Post Graduation you can sit for the exams like NEET, CPAT and you will have equal chances to get a good job with a high salary package in India as well as abroad. Good luck!!
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Did you know?
Fact 1
The word Psychiatry derives from the two Greek words psyche, meaning the soul or mind, and iatreia, which means healing.
Fact 2
A psychiatrist uses above 200 million prescriptions of drugs.
Fact 3
Around 1 out of 5 children and adolescents have a mental disorder.
Fact 4
About half of the psychiatric disorders begin from the age of 14.
