What is a Psychiatrist?

There is no universally accepted definition of mental health. And that's the only thing 4 psychiatrists in a room, assessing the same patient, might agree on.

You might be wondering then, what does a psychiatrist do?

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor dealing with the intangible matters of the brain. If you have a stroke or a brain tumor, it might show up on a brain scan. Your neurologist might point it out to you and tell you this is what we're dealing with, or operating on. However, underneath and in between all those gyri and sulci are the neural pathways- too microscopic to be visible and too important to ignore. The functioning of those neural pathways determines your personality, your decision-making skills, your intelligence, your memory and your emotions.

When these neural pathways become ill, it won't show on a brain scan or in your blood. However, your mood might change, you might behave oddly, you might start forgetting things or perceiving things that are not there. These are all signs of mental illness and that's where a psychiatrist comes in.

The tools in a psychiatrist's pocket include medications, psychotherapy and neuromodulation techniques. We can use any permutation or combination of those, as best suitable, to treat your mental illness and restore your mental health. Of course, any course of management will be explained to and discussed with you and out of the buffet of treatment options provided, you will choose what's right for you.