Psychiatry

What does Psychiatry mean? Psychiatry assesses an individual's emotional, mental, or behavioral disorders. This branch of medicine aims to provide an accurate diagnosis.

Experienced psychiatrists specializing in this field evaluate the health status of individuals holistically. They determine the best treatment method for each patient. Treatment methods include psychotherapy (talk therapy), medication, and other supportive approaches.

Mental health problems include depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and eating problems. These issues are studied and treated by the science of psychiatry.

A Life Health Group Psychiatry Department carefully examines changes in an individual's emotions and thoughts. This department works on a wide variety of mental illnesses.

Our goal is to improve individuals' quality of life with our expert staff who can prescribe the most suitable medications for these illnesses.

Specialists in the field of psychiatry can prescribe medication for the treatment of these mental illnesses. They can also recommend different treatment methods according to the individual's needs.

The main illnesses that A Life Health Group Psychiatry Department addresses are listed as follows:

• Depression: A common mental problem that causes a person to feel constantly unhappy and experience a lack of energy. Also, a loss of interest in everything is observed.

• Anxiety Disorders: Intense fear and anxiety-provoking situations such as panic attacks and social phobia fall into this category.

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Short attention span and excessive hyperactivity are evaluated.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal are observed after traumatic events.

• Bipolar Disorder: A mood condition characterized by periods of extreme elation (mania) and deep depression. This condition causes fluctuations in mood.

• Schizophrenia: A serious mental problem characterized by symptoms such as detachment from reality, delusions, and hallucinations.

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Defined by persistent intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) associated with these thoughts.

• Eating Disorders: Mentally-rooted problems related to eating habits such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and others are treated.

• Sleep Disorders: Problems such as insomnia, hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness), and sleep apnea are examined.

• Personality Disorders: Conditions like borderline and narcissistic that affect a person's thinking, feeling, and behavior are treated.

• Anxiety Disorders: Intense anxiety characterized by the fear of being judged, criticized, or humiliated by others.

Accurate diagnosis in psychiatry forms the foundation for creating an effective treatment plan. Psychiatrists conduct a comprehensive evaluation by bringing together various information sources and methods. The diagnostic process is a holistic approach involving different stages, rather than relying on a single method. 

Our primary psychiatry diagnostic methods include:

This is the most crucial step in the diagnostic process. The psychiatrist conducts an in-depth interview with the patient to gather the following information:

• Current Complaints: The patient's problems, how long they've been ongoing, their severity, and triggering factors are asked. Additionally, other accompanying symptoms are examined in detail.

• Personal History (Anamnesis): Information is gathered about significant life events, illnesses, traumas, education, and work life since the patient's birth. Social relationships and developmental milestones are also reviewed.

• Family History (Genogram): Mental health issues within the family are important for identifying genetic predispositions.

• Medical History: The patient's past physical illnesses, medications used, and general health status may be linked to mental symptoms. Therefore, these conditions are evaluated.

• Substance Use History: Alcohol, tobacco, and other psychoactive substance use and addiction are inquired about.

• Mental State Examination: During the interview, the psychiatrist evaluates the patient's appearance and behavior. They also examine their speech, thought content and process, emotions, and perception. Their orientation (awareness of place, time, person), attention, memory, judgment, and insight are also reviewed.

To support the clinical interview and aid in diagnosis, various psychological tests and scales may be administered. These tools evaluate an individual's thinking skills, personality traits, and the severity of symptoms.

Some commonly used tests and scales include:

• Intelligence Tests (e.g., WAIS-R, WISC-IV): Evaluate cognitive abilities.

• Personality Tests (e.g., MMPI, Rorschach, TAT): Assess personality traits and psychopathology.

• Symptom Screening Scales (e.g., Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, SCL-90-R): Measure the severity and prevalence of specific symptoms.

• Neuropsychological Tests: Provide a detailed evaluation of cognitive domains such as attention, memory, and executive functions.

• Disorder-Specific Scales: Special scales are used to assess the symptoms of specific psychiatric disorders. These disorders include OCD, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In some cases, it's necessary to check if there's a physical cause behind mental symptoms. For this purpose, laboratory tests and brain imaging methods may be used.

• Blood and Urine Tests: It's important to check for medical conditions like substance use that can affect mental health.

• Brain Imaging (MRI, CT, PET): Used to examine brain structure and functions. This is necessary in some cases, for example, if there's a first psychotic episode or neurological symptoms.

• Electroencephalography (EEG): Can help evaluate the contribution of epilepsy or other neurological conditions to mental symptoms by measuring brain electrical activity.

• Polysomnography (Sleep Test): Used in the diagnosis of sleep disorders.

In psychiatry, treatments and approaches are utilized to resolve mental health issues. These methods aim to improve individuals' quality of life.

At our Ankara Psychiatry Department, interventions can be broadly divided into two main categories: biological treatments and psychosocial treatments.

These treatments work by targeting biological processes in the brain and nervous system. The primary biological treatment methods include:

• Medication (Pharmacotherapy): This is one of the most frequently used methods in treating psychiatric disorders. Medications like antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers, and stimulants are used to alleviate symptoms of various psychiatric conditions. The choice and dosage of medication are carefully determined by a psychiatrist based on the individual's diagnosis, symptoms, and overall health status.

• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): Used for severe depression, catatonia, or certain psychiatric conditions when medication hasn't been effective or rapid improvement is needed. It involves controlled electrical stimulation in the brain under brief general anesthesia to achieve a therapeutic effect.

• Neuromodulation Techniques: These are newer treatment methods that directly influence brain activity. They include techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS).

These treatments focus on understanding and changing an individual's thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and social interactions. Many different psychotherapy approaches exist, and these can be applied individually, with couples, families, or in groups.

The main psychosocial treatment approaches include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A type of therapy focused on changing negative thoughts and dysfunctional behaviors. This therapy is structured and goal-oriented.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: This therapy seeks to understand unconscious processes and past experiences. The goal is to explore the impact of these experiences on current emotional and behavioral problems. It's a form of long-term therapy. Psychoanalysis is a type of this approach.

• Humanistic Therapies: An approach that focuses on an individual's potential for self-actualization, subjective experiences, and personal growth. Client-centered therapy (Rogerian therapy) and existential therapy fall into this category.

• Family Therapy: Aims to help family members establish healthier interactions by examining relationships and communication patterns within the family.

• Group Therapy: A type of therapy where people with similar problems come together. These individuals share their experiences, support each other, and learn new coping skills.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): This therapy was developed for individuals with borderline personality disorder. It teaches skills in emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and mindfulness.

• EMDR: An effective method, particularly in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that helps process traumatic memories.

In psychiatric treatment, a holistic approach is often adopted. This means that biological and psychosocial treatment methods may be used together, according to the individual's needs.

o schedule a psychiatry appointment in Ankara at A Life Health Group, there are a few different ways:

• A Life Health Group Website: Healthcare group websites typically have online appointment booking systems available.

• A Life Call Center: You can request an appointment from the Psychiatry Department by calling 0850 800 54 33.