psychiatry

noun psy·chi·a·try \ sə-ˈkī-ə-trē , sī- \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Definition of psychiatry

: a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders

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psychiatric

play \ˌsī-kē-ˈa-trik\ adjective

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psychiatrically

play \ˌsī-kē-ˈa-tri-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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psychiatrist

play \sə-ˈkī-ə-trist, sī-\ noun

See psychiatry defined for English-language learners

See psychiatry defined for kids

Recent Examples of psychiatry from the Web

And Nowaskie, who this month started at Indiana University School of Medicine as a resident in psychiatry, has plans for further expansion.

— shari rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "These doctors may be in, but they're also friendly to patients who are out, website says," 7 July 2018
In determining her ruling, the judge relied on the testimony of a pair of experts in the field of forensic clinical psychiatry.

— howard ludwig, Daily Southtown, "Grandmother who brutally killed infant in Oak Lawn found not guilty by reason of insanity," 23 May 2018
Side effects of the drug can include changes in blood pressure and heart rate, delirium, agitation, confusion and hallucinations, said Dr. Scott Krakower, assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y.

— christopher mele, New York Times, "Ketamine Used to Subdue Dozens at Request of Minneapolis Police, Report Says," 16 June 2018
Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University, says 90% of people who die by suicide have pre-existing mental disorders, whether they have been diagnosed and treated or not.

— sumathi reddy, WSJ, "The Mystery Around Middle-Age Suicides," 14 June 2018
The program is a positive step toward making suicide and mental health approachable topics, said Stephen Hinshaw, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley and a psychiatry professor at UCSF.

— erin allday, SFChronicle.com, "Experts: Suicides of Bourdain, Spade may be opportunity to reach out," 8 June 2018
Substance use, said Dr. Ron Samarian, chief of psychiatry at Beaumont, Royal Oak, fuels impulses and can lead a person to act rashly in a moment of despair.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "As suicide rate rises, doctor says: 'People don't have to die.'," 11 June 2018
Police said Steven Pitt, 59, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, was shot Thursday afternoon outside his office on the outskirts of Scottsdale.

— Washington Post, "Former White House physician investigated," 5 June 2018
Ramo, an associate professor of psychiatry, is now looking into using Instagram to recruit participants for clinical trials to test the effectiveness of social media interventions for tobacco and alcohol for young adults and LGBT adults.

— catherine ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "Can Facebook help you quit smoking? Study indicates yes," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'psychiatry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of psychiatry

probably from French psychiatrie, from psychiatre psychiatrist, from psych- psych- + Greek iatros physician — more at -iatry

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1828

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

PSYCHIATRY Defined for English Language Learners

psychiatry

noun

Definition of psychiatry for English Language Learners

: a branch of medicine that deals with mental or emotional disorders

PSYCHIATRY Defined for Kids

psychiatry

noun psy·chi·a·try \ sə-ˈkī-ə-trē , sī- \

Definition of psychiatry for Students

: a branch of medicine dealing with problems of the mind, emotions, or behavior

Medical Dictionary

psychiatry

noun psy·chi·a·try \ -trē \

medical Definition of psychiatry

plural psychiatries

: a branch of medicine that deals with the science and practice of treating mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders especially as originating in endogenous causes or resulting from faulty interpersonal relationships