Psychiatry

The majority of Psychiatrists in the UK work within this broad category, which involves the care of people with mental health problems in many settings.  Psychiatrists may be based in Psychiatric or University Hospitals, Psychiatric Units in General Hospitals, in the community, or a mixture of these.  Because of the diversity of patients and psychiatric conditions requiring treatment and care, an adult General Psychiatrist must be skilled in numerous treatment techniques.  Psychiatrists in this area must also have the knowledge and skills required to organise and administer a psychiatric service for a specific populations.  General adult Psychiatrists may have a special interest in, for example, Neuropsychiatry, the rehabilitation and care of patients with Chronic Disabilities, drug and/or alcohol problems or Eating Disorders.  They work closely with multi-disciplinary teams which can include Community Psychiatric Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists and Occupational Therapists.  This speciality also entails close liaison with hostels, crisis intervention centres, residential homes and sheltered workshops.

This is concerned with the interaction between psychiatry and the law.  Forensic psychiatrists assist the courts in the elucidation of psychiatric-legal problems and are concerned with the treatment of mentally abnormal offenders in prison, Specialist Hospitals, ordinary Psychiatric Hospitals and Specialist Clinics.  A Regional Secure Unit is located at Knockbracken Healthcare Park.

Psychiatrists in old age psychiatry work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.  So far as possible care is provided to the elderly person in their own home.  Sensitive listening and a caring approach are vital skills.  Psychiatrists help in the diagnosis and treatment of memory disorders, depression, paranoid states and a range of other conditions in the elderly.  They will also provide training of staff and assessment of patients in other environments such as nursing and residential homes and acute hospitals.  In-patient facilities are provided as necessary for a small number of elderly persons requiring assessment or ongoing care.

These are concerned with intellectual, emotional and behavioural problems of developing children and their families from birth until leaving school.  The psychiatrist usually leads a multi-disciplinary team and works with Social Workers, Clinical and Educational Psychologists. For information on the training opportunities in the specialty within Northern Ireland please click here

This embraces the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders in people with Learning Disability and their rehabilitation and support within the hospital and in the community.  It also includes the assessment, management and prevention of stresses arising in families and carers. Psychiatrists, as in child psychiatry, usually function as the leader of a therapeutic team and will give advice where necessary to parents, teachers, social workers and administrators on the management and support of people with Learning Disability.

All Psychiatrists need some basic psychotherapeutic skills, but specialists in this area are also required to assess and treat people with, for example, Psychoneuroses, Personality and Behavioural Disorders, and Sexual and Interpersonal problems.  In addition to specialised treatment procedures, Psychotherapists need expertise in the application of psychotherapeutic  principles, including the psychodynamic use of the doctor-patient relationship as part of the general management of all patients with Mental Health and Psychosomatic Disorders. Psychotherapists also need to be skilled in cognitive and behavioural therapies.  During training, it may be necessary to experience personal psychotherapy. An increasing number of Psychotherapists work closely with and support various clinical teams in hospitals, child and adolescent units, child guidance clinics, student health centres, and in doctors’ surgeries.