psychiatry

play

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

Definition of psychiatry

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

psychiatric

play \ˌsī-kē-ˈa-trik\ adjective

psychiatrically

play \-tri-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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

But the long-distance psychiatry really hit high tide.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "David Price should look at Red Sox history and see why battling Boston's media won't work," 14 July 2017
Carol Mathews, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Florida who specializes in anxiety disorders, explained that one theory about why people develop phobias is an evolutionary aversion to dangerous objects.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "If These Photos Disgust You, You May Have Trypophobia," 12 July 2017
But Farah, the chief of psychiatry at the High Point Division of the University of North Carolina Healthcare System, provides a new diagnosis, one that focuses on traumatic head injuries and a detailed neurological and psychological analysis.

— wayne catan, idahostatesman, "New book says Hemingway suffered an early form of dementia," 30 June 2017
Dr. Samantha Boardman is a clinical instructor in psychiatry and assistant attending psychiatrist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and the founder of positiveprescription.com.

— the editors, Marie Claire, "The Shrink Is In: Psychiatrist Samantha Boardman Takes on Your Biggest Issues," 20 June 2017
Dr. Charles Nemeroff, chair of psychiatry at the University of Miami and the person pegged by the APA to lead the group that wrote the JAMA Psychiatry advisory, is also a skeptic.

— rene chun, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression," 19 June 2017
Although the American Psychiatric Assn. had no direct involvement in the case, some viewed it as a blemish on psychiatry.

— kurtis lee, latimes.com, "Trump and the Goldwater Rule: When is it OK to voice a professional opinion about the mental health of the president?," 19 June 2017
This included services such as audiology, cardiology, dental, general surgery, neurology, occupational therapy, oncology, ophthalmology orthopedics, pharmacy, physical therapy, psychiatry, psychology, urgent care, and women services.

— junette reyes, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Veterans Clinic hosts first LBGTQ summit," 14 June 2017
Finding the time and money to pay for talk therapy sessions is out of reach for many, so a chatbot could be a helpful stopgap for psychiatry.

— megan molteni, Wired News, "The Chatbot Therapist Will See You Now," 7 June 2017

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

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

play

noun

Definition of psychiatry for English Language Learners

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

PSYCHIATRY Defined for Kids

psychiatry

play

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

play play

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