The Psychiatry clinic offers Psychiatric expertise to assess, diagnose and treat (pharmacotherapy and/or Psychotherapy) mental health disorders in an age independent way (children, adolescents and adults).
Our consultations take place mainly in our Outpatient clinics but can also happen on the medical/surgical wards for inpatients under other specialties (Liaison Psychiatry) and in the Emergency Department if needed (out of hour).
Our expertise includes *
We recommend you book an appointment to see our Psychiatrist if you or any of your relatives (including children) suffer from several of these difficulties for several days or more. *
*The list is for guidance purposes only and is not exhaustive.
What is a Psychiatrist?
A Psychiatrist is Medical Doctor, who specializes in Mental Health Disorders. She/he is usually the first point of contact. She/He will assess the patient comprehensively (all details of your life, from childhood to present time). When possible, this requires obtaining collateral information from the patient family, partner or friends.
The psychiatrist can sometime request certain investigations to rule out physical causes to the mental health symptoms (e.g., Blood test, MRI scan of head, EEG).
He will identify the causes that precipitated and are maintaining your symptoms and provide a provisional diagnosis. Most often the diagnosis is straight forward, occasionally it requires a longer period of assessment as the clinical presentation can evolve with time.
He will then advice for a treatment plan. This may include taking medication or engage in a specific Psychological Therapy (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)) and very often both.
The decision is based on the severity of the symptoms, the doctors expertise/experience and more importantly on the patient choice (for a child the parent’s preference). The psychoeducation is crucial at this point as the patient need to be well informed in order to take her/his decision.
The Psychiatrist will then review the patient on a regular basis in order to monitor improvement, make changes to the pharmacological treatment when needed and continue his evaluation.
She/he can often request specific psychometric tests from clinical psychologists to complement his assessment. She/he can also refer to colleagues from other medical disciplines for their specialist opinion if necessary (e.g., cardiologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist) to rule out other conditions or medical explanations.