We explain the branches of specialization of these mental health professionals.
Psychiatry is one of the most important fields of medicine , since its area of intervention has to do with therapy and research on mental disorders , phenomena that affect the entire individual.
As in any field of highly qualified work, in this field of professionalization we can find several branches or specialties , although their limits are not fully defined and often overlap each other. In this article we will focus on this topic, and we will see what the main types of psychiatrists are and the characteristics of each one.
The main types of psychiatrists
It is true that psychiatry is already a branch of medicine in itself , but when what needs to be worked on is something as complex as the human body, it is necessary to specialize even more and focus the professional career on specific areas of health mental.
That is why today it is very common for psychiatrists to specialize in certain fields . In the next lines you will find a summary of these different types of psychiatrists; guiding categories that give us an idea of the differentiated areas from which this profession can intervene in patients, as well as the type of mental illnesses they treat.
1. Child and adolescent psychiatrist
Psychiatrists specialized in this field are trained above all to intervene in minor patients . It is a field of work defined by psychiatric illnesses that manifest themselves especially in children and adolescents, on the one hand, or that, given the vulnerability of the smallest to mental disorders of this type, require special training.
Thus, disorders such as ADHD, stress crises induced by living in unstructured families or psychological trauma in boys and girls, whose impact can be more damaging at young ages, are part of the reality that these health professionals mental they deal with in their day to day.
2. Psychiatrists specialized in geriatrics
Care for the elderly is another of the most important areas of work , especially in countries with an aging population. This is so because at this vital stage the propensities to suffer one or another psychiatric problems change, and attention to dementias and especially Alzheimer’s disease becomes important.
This type of psychiatrist works both in nursing homes and in day centers and hospital complexes, given that the variety of environments in which assistance is required for people going through the stage of old age is very wide.
As is the case with psychiatrists specializing in childhood and adolescence, communication and cooperation with the patient’s family becomes very important in this field of specialization.
3. Neuropsychiatrists
The boundaries between neurology and psychiatry are somewhat blurred, but in general the professionals of the latter discipline are in charge of the alterations related to a mismatch in the functioning of the nervous system that is distributed throughout it, while the neurologists are in charge rather to treat problems resulting from injuries or malformations located in specific parts, or that only affect one type of brain function.
For this reason, this is one of the types of psychiatrists that form part of a bridging discipline between these two areas of work in mental health, and they are especially useful for treating serious problems of an emotional nature linked to experiencing problems caused by the symptoms of the illness.
4. Psychiatrists sexologists
Many times, sexual disorders that affect people both in their sexual and affective lives have organic causes in the nervous system. Therefore, from psychiatry it is possible to intervene in this class of problems through different tools from a combination of medicine and psychological therapy.
Keep in mind that being a psychiatrist is not an essential requirement to work in sexology, since psychotherapy can also do it.
5. Psychiatrists specializing in psychotic disorders
Psychotic-type disorders, related to schizophrenia and the symptoms associated with it (hallucinations, delusions and even catatonia) are part of the group of psychiatric illnesses in which professional intervention is more important, and for this reason many psychiatrists specialize in this countryside.
Contrary to what is believed, they do not only work in psychiatric centers, given that patients with these disorders must be cared for in many other settings, and not only during psychotic outbreaks or crises, in order to provide them with support and follow-up.
6. Psychiatrists specialized in addictions
Addictions can be seen as learning disorders and also as psychiatric disorders with organic causes . For this reason, this type of psychiatrist intervenes in patients, but they also help family members and the person’s close environment, given that drug dependence and pathological gambling have a strong contextual component linked to the type of environments in which the person moves and their exposure to “tempting” situations.
On the other hand, the management of psychotropic drugs is especially complex in this field, given that patients with addictions are more likely to become dependent on some medications.
7. Psychiatrists specialized in eating disorders
This is another of the types of psychiatrists in which the context in which the patients live becomes very important, given that self-image and the management of food is strongly linked to the way in which one interacts with the environment (and the how others interact with patients).
Therefore, problems such as anorexia or bulimia are treated by combining the resources of medicine with psychological techniques for self-regulation of behavior.
8. Psychiatrists specializing in anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, panic attacks or phobias are part of the most common mental health disorders, and it is often necessary to offer psychiatric treatment to allow the person to learn to take control over their behavior .
The use of anxiolytics is common in this branch of psychiatric intervention, but it is not the only one: it is also helped by training in relaxation techniques , self-instructions and other frequent tools in behavioral therapy.
Bibliographic references:
- Lieberman, JA, Ogas, O. (2015): Shrinks: The untold story of Psychiatry. New York: Back Bay Books.
- Mitchell JE, Crosby RD, Wonderlich SA, Adson DE (2000). Elements of Clinical Research in Psychiatry. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.