Psychiatry is the medical specialty
concerned with the study of mental disorders and
the diagnosis, management, treatment, and prevention
of mental disorders.
Psychiatry is not to be confused with psychology
- which is the scientific but non-medical
study of the mind, incl. behaviour and mental processes.
Both of these terms are derived from the prefix
psych- which refers to the mind or, more accurately,
to the "psyche" i.e. the "mind or
the soul; the mental as opposed to the physical
aspects of a person".
More about Psychiatry:
A medical specialist in the field of psychiatry
is called a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists
may be assisted (especially in residential facilities)
by psychiatric nurses and other professional
care-workers.
Psychiatry and the politics of "mental illness"
are key areas in the growing field of medical ethics.
These topics are hotly debated, especially in countries
that legislate to detain persons whom medical doctors
consider "likely to commit" a crime -
even if the individual has not actually done so,
or even threatened to do so.
