WHAT IS PSYCHIATRY Psychiatry is a medical specialty dealing with the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental illness - both in itself and in bodily illness ('psychiatry in medicine'). Its primary goal is the relief of mental suffering and improvement of mental well-being. This is done by first doing a thorough diagnostic assessment of the person from a biological, psychological, and social/cultural perspective. An illness or problem can then be managed by medication or various forms of psychotherapy. The word 'psychiatry' derives from the Greek for "healer of the spirit". Most psychiatric illnesses cannot currently be cured. While some have short time courses and only minor symptoms, many are chronic conditions which can have a significant impact on a patients' quality of life and even life expectancy, and as such may require long-term or lifelong treatment. Effectiveness of treatment for any given condition is also variable from patient to patient, with some patients having complete resolution of symptoms and others unfortunately having poor or minimal response to even the strongest measures. The majority of patients will fall somewhere in between. WHO IS A PSYCHIATRIST? Psychiatrists are the most well known of mental health professionals. They are medical doctors and one of the few professionals in the mental health industry who specialize and are certified in treating mental illness using the biomedical approach to mental disorders including the use of medications. Psychiatrists may also go through significant training to conduct psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. As part of their evaluation of the patient, psychiatrists are the only mental health professional that may conduct physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory tests and EKGs, and may order brain imaging studies such as CT or CAT, MRI, and PET scanning. A psychiatrist must evaluate the patient for any medical problems or diseases] In general, psychiatric treatments have changed dramatically over the past few years. In the past, psychiatric patients were often hospitalized for six months or more, with some cases involving hospitalization for many years. Today, most psychiatric patients are managed as outpatients. If hospitalization is required, the average hospital stay is around two to three weeks, with only a small number of cases involving long-term hospitalization.