Psychiatry is a medical field that studies mental functions or behavioural patterns. It involves diagnosing and treating people with thinking, feeling, mood, or behaviour problems. Psychiatry attempts to improve an individual’s state of mind, although its focus tends to be more practical than abstract. It covers many sub-fields, which often overlap each other, and is about diagnosing disorders and helping individuals cope with them. Psychiatry consists of three main components: mental status examination, psychological testing, and psychotherapy.
Psychiatry is evolving as we learn more about how our brains function. In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on finding better ways to diagnose mental illnesses. Because of these efforts by researchers, doctors can now treat mental disorders with greater accuracy than in the past. Using various scans and other diagnostic techniques, psychiatrists can target specific brain areas more accurately and prescribe effective medications or treatments for patients. These are proving to be highly effective at helping people suffering from depression. Some of the latest advancements in psychiatry are:
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
TMS works by applying powerful magnetic fields through electrodes on the scalp to stimulate areas of the brain that may not be functioning correctly. This process is believed to cause neurons in these regions to begin working again, which can help improve mood. A similar method called deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (DTMS) uses the exact mechanism but is much more powerful.
- Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
This treatment involves inserting a pacemaker-like device under the skin in the lower half of the chest area. Using wires, this device sends regular electrical pulses to specific nerves in the neck, which help regulate mood and improve mental health overall. VNS has been proven effective at alleviating symptoms of depression in many patients. Patients who have undergone this procedure typically report feeling happiness again after years of suffering from depression or even never experiencing joy before.
- Ketamine Infusion Therapy (KIT)
This therapy involves intravenously administering ketamine to patients suffering from depression or other mood disorders. Ketamine, which veterinarians have often used as a sedative for animals, works by binding to particular receptors in the brain called NMDA receptors. This blocks these receptors and prevents them from receiving signals related to stress and unhappiness.
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS)
In this procedure, electrodes are attached to specific areas of a person’s scalp and then carry a small electrical current that modulates neurons in these regions of the brain, increasing or decreasing their activity. This process is used to treat patients with various neurological disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and several others.
- New medications
There are currently three types of medication that are considered the new generation antidepressants:
- SNRIs (Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) such as duloxetine (Cymbalta)
- NDRIs (Norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitors) like bupropion (Wellbutrin, Aplenzin)
- NaSSAs (Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants) like mirtazapine.
As you can see, more research is now being done in psychiatry, which benefits those who have mental illness and their loved ones. Psychiatrists are becoming better at diagnosing, treating, and understanding mental disorders, which means that we’re one step closer to finding solutions for those who still suffer to this day.
If you are suffering from any psychiatric issues, seek professional advice from SeekMed’s highly knowledgeable and experienced specialists or psychiatrists and depression doctors concerning diagnosis and hospitalisation. Moreover, by conducting a simple search for the terms ” best psychiatrist near me ” or ” best psychiatrists in India,” you can learn more about psychiatry problems and receive consultation from the best psychiatrists.
