Psychiatry is a branch of medical science that caters to diagnosing and treating people with mental illness. The professionals from the field also have expertise in treating substance use disorders. People visit a psychiatrist for problems that relate to mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders. They vary in intensity and can be sudden such as a panic attack, frightening hallucinations, thoughts of suicide, or hearing voices. Or they may be more long-term, such as feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or anxiousness that never seem to lift, distorting the life activities.

How mental disorders are diagnosed and treated?

Diagnosis of mental health problem is essential and largely influences the treatment process. The process extends for few days in many cases and may need multiple medical and mental health tests. Experts study and relate the physical conditions as there can be cause and effect relationship between the two.

Experts begin with conducting a physical exam. It helps experts understanding if physical problems might be causing, accompanying, or resulting from a psychological disorder. Many clinical psychology problems like depression and anxiety sometimes result from physical diseases. If lab tests and physical diagnosis do not point out any physiological problem person will be referred to a mental health professional to be evaluated for psychological disorders.