Psychiatry

Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behavior, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.

Psychopathology is the scientific study of mental disorders, including efforts to understand their genetic, biological, psychological, and social causes; effective classification schemes; course across all stages of development; manifestations; and treatment. The term may also refer to the manifestation of behaviors that indicate the presence of a mental disorder.

Psychopharmacology is the scientific study of the effects drugs have on mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior.