5 National Guides of Psychiatry (How to Become a Psychiatrist)

5 National Guides of Psychiatry

For those of you interested in pursuing a career in psychology or who might just be a patient, you might be wondering what the standards are for guidelines in psychiatry. There are many resources out there for all kinds of practices, areas, and even how to see patients. We thought now would be a good time to share some of the online guides to psychiatry below.

1. Evaluation - Because psychiatry is all about the evaluation, check out how it is done on this guide from the American Psychiatric Association. It has section on the purpose of evaluation, the site, domains, the process, and even special considerations. There is also an introduction, tips for work groups, and more references.

2. License Guidelines - In the United States, psychiatrists must be licensed by the state in which they practice in. Each has its own educational and exam requirements to getting a license to practice psychiatry. For example, this is the link to the California Board of Psychology, which offers loads more on the profession.

3. Mental Health and Behavioral Conditions - If you need the guidelines for how to treat a specific mental illness, stop here. It is a comprehensive listing from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. They have guides for everything from eating disorders to self harm. You can also get guides on treatments, procedures, and devices.

4. Board Certification Guides - If you want to know if your psychiatrist or other doctor has been board certified, click here. It is a free service from the American Board of Medical Specialties. You can type in their name, location, and more to see if and who they are certified by. Also good to do if you are a doctor or psychiatrist to make sure all your information is accurate.

5. Child and Adolescent Guidelines - Because kids and teens also have psychiatric needs, there are these guides from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. It includes patient oriented parameters on ADHD, anxiety, depression, and many more. Best of all, you can simply click on one to get a PDF with more guides.

Chelsea Smith is a psychiatry student who writes for How to Become a Psychiatrist which helps others on the path to becoming a mental health professional.