30 Look up the origin of the word psychiatry. The following are two very rare mental disorders: a person with the Capgras syndrome believes that a close relative has been replaced by an impostor, a person with the Cotard syndrome maintains that he or she is dead or does not exist. Do you know when antipsychotics were discovered? to address: affrontare drug: farmaco PSYCHIATRY Psychiatry is a branch of medicine which deals with mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders and diseases by working on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these health conditions. Among others, the World Health Organization mentions the following disorders psychiatry can help with: anxiety disorder, depression, posttraumatic disorders (PTSDs), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorder, dissocial disorder, and neurodevelopmental disorder. A bit of history Mental illnesses were already present in ancient times and were studied and approached in different ways, but psychiatry as a medical science has its origin in the studies of Emil Kraepelin, a German doctor who first worked on a scientific understanding of psychiatry by classifying mental illnesses at the end of the 19th century. Who is a psychiatrist? Psychiatrists are physicians graduated in medicine and specialised in psychiatry or neuropsychiatry. As medical doctors they can prescribe medications while psychologists cannot. They aim at improving their patients mental health conditions by offering treatments that include medication, therapy, and behavioural interventions. These treatments tend to be long-term since many of the disorders psychiatry addresses do not have a final resolution. As part of their work, a psychiatrist can: provide urgent care for a sudden mental illness; help patients to manage a long-term mental health condition; provide advice about lifestyle changes; work with patients individually, or with their partner, family, or carers; provide second opinions and advice to other doctors and health professionals; refer patients to other health professionals; admit patients to hospital if required. Psychopharmacology Psychopharmacology studies the influence of drugs on patients mental health in the treatment of various mental disorders. Scientific research, in fact, shows that drugs can have a powerful impact on patients mood, alleviating symptoms and improving mental health conditions. The choice, combination, and dosage of these drugs, however, is all but easy to make and must constantly be monitored and assessed to evaluate the effects on each patient. 64 BODY AND MIND