psychiatry

[si-kahy-uh-tree, sahy-]

noun

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

psychiatry

/ saɪˈkaɪətrɪ /

noun

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

psychiatry

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

psychiatry

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychiatry¹

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

Example Sentences

“We need long-term studies following young people to fully understand the effects of psychiatric medications on the developing brain,” said Dr. Mark Olfson, professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

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Lou has been struggling with her mental health, though there’s more going on than psychiatry can explain.

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“We look for a cluster of symptoms,” says Dr. Aniruddha Deka, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Rush University in Chicago.

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"Cannabis is widely used, but its long-term effects on health remain poorly characterized," said Sandra Sanchez-Roige, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine and senior author of the study.

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However, according to Dr. Sandra Weintraub, professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the most astonishing discoveries have come from looking directly at their brains.

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