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Psychiatry

Mental illness is extremely common and far more prevalent than most people realise. This kind of illness therefore ranks alongside cardiovascular disorders and cancer as one of the nation's biggest health problems.

Mental health problems can take many forms including depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, anxieties, phobias, drug and alcohol abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and dementia.

There are six specialties within psychiatry. 

Specialties are: 

  • child and adolescent psychiatry [1]
  • forensic psychiatry [2]
  • general psychiatry [3]
  • medical psychotherapy [4]
  • old age psychiatry [5]
  • psychiatry of intellectual disability  [6](PID)

We have also written a section on liaison psychiatry [7].

Find out about other specialty areas of psychiatry [8]. 

See the Royal College of Psychiatry information [9].


Source URL: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/psychiatry

Links
[1] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychiatry/child-and-adolescent-psychiatry
[2] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychiatry/forensic-psychiatry
[3] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychiatry/general-psychiatry
[4] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychiatry/medical-psychotherapy
[5] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychiatry/old-age-psychiatry
[6] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychiatry/psychiatry-intellectual-disability
[7] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychiatry/liaison-psychiatry
[8] https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/become-a-psychiatrist/choose-psychiatry/what-is-psychiatry/types-of-psychiatrist
[9] https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/become-a-psychiatrist