Psychiatrists are medical doctors that are trained in treating a range of mental illnesses as well as providing psychotherapy for people who are working through a range of challenges in their lives. Psychiatrists have 6 years of medical school training, two or more years of work as a general hospital doctor and then a minimum of 5 years of training as a psychiatry doctor before they become a specialist psychiatrist. Psychiatrists can choose to do two more years of training to be a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Psychiatrists are able to diagnose and treat a range of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, and developmental impairments as well as a range of issues such as low self-esteem, past emotional trauma and phobias. Their skills also cover talking based therapies, liaison with families and schools and some will offer other specialist treatments such as family therapy. Patients need to be referred by another doctor to see a psychiatrist.