psychiatry

American  

[si-kahy-uh-tree, sahy-] / sɪˈkaɪ ə tri, saɪ- /

noun

1. the practice or science of diagnosing and treating mental disorders.

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psychiatry British  

/ saɪˈkaɪətrɪ /

noun

1. the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness

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psychiatry Scientific  

/ sĭ-kī′ə-trē /

1. The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders.

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psychiatry Cultural  

1. The medical science that studies and treats mental illness and mental maladjustment. Psychiatrists treat mental disorders; psychologists study mental activities, whether healthy or disordered. In the United States, psychiatrists usually hold the degree of doctor of medicine (M.D.) and may prescribe medication for their patients.

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Other Word Forms

• nonpsychiatric adjective
• psychiatric adjective
• psychiatrical adjective
• psychiatrically adverb
• psychiatrist noun

Etymology

Origin of psychiatry

First recorded in 1840–50; psych- + -iatry

Example Sentences

“She was a social satirist who was very well aware of currents in sociology and, in particular, psychology and psychiatry, which she mocked in a gentle but devastating way.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Since Gilberg opened his practice in 1965, psychiatry and psychotherapy have gone from highly stigmatized secrets to something people acknowledge in award show acceptance speeches.

From Los Angeles Times

Music therapy is not new to medicine; it has long been used in psychiatry, stroke rehabilitation and palliative care.

From BBC

This is a notable and perhaps sobering parallel, but it does not necessarily discredit contemporary psychiatry, as Ms. Antonetta seems to imply.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s important not to back them into a corner,” says Carol Podgorski, professor of psychiatry and marriage and family therapist at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

From The Wall Street Journal