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

/ sĭ-kī′ə-trē /

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.

Derived Forms

• psyˈchiatrist, noun

Other Words From

• psy·chi·at·ric [sahy-kee-, a, -trik], psychi·atri·cal adjective
• psychi·atri·cal·ly adverb
• nonpsy·chi·atric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychiatry¹

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

Example Sentences

Justin Frank is a former clinical professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center and the author of "Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President."

From Salon

Any form of restricting access to gender-affirming care will have a “chilling” effect on health care for transgender and gender-diverse people, said Dr. Alex Keuroghlian, the director of the Division of Public and Community Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

From Salon

I interviewed him several years ago when I did an article for the British Journal of Psychiatry about the Goldwater rule.

From Salon

When a judge ordered experts to inspect the claims, Dr. Bruce Gage, then chief of psychiatry for the Washington State Department of Corrections, found multiple problems.

From Los Angeles Times

“Politicians began to use that old question, ‘Are you better off than you were four years ago?’ during this campaign, where four years ago we were in the middle of one of the greatest public health catastrophes in the last century,” said Dr. George Makari, a psychiatry professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.

From Salon