Department of Psychiatry | K. J. Somaiya Medical College, Mumbai

Department of Psychiatry

About

Psychiatry is a medical science that deals with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders.mA mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviour. It is usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of one’s functioning. The most common forms of treatment for mental illnesses includes the use of psychiatric medication, psychotherapy and electro-convulsive therapy. Treatment may be delivered on an inpatient or outpatient basis, depending on the severity of functional impairment.

Teaching Activity

The Department of Psychiatry conducts lectures, seminars, journal club presentations, and case discussions for the students enrolled in the educational programs (viz. MBBS & DNB (Psychiatry) of the department. We offer internship placements for students of graduate and postgraduate studies in Psychology from various institutes. Research is an integral part of the departmental activities with paper presentations in local and national conferences, and publications in national and international journals.

Hospital Services

The department provides both OPD & IPD facilities to patients with mental illnesses of all ages. Some of the common mental illnesses are Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Substance use, Bipolar Affective Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The common disorders seen in children and adolescents are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Specific Learning Disorders and Adjustment Disorders.

Outpatient psychiatric services in the form of daily OPD clinics are offered, covering all subspecialty areas of psychiatry and behavioral health. Speciality OPD like deaddiction clinic and Child Guidance clinic are available.

The department provides many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures like electro-convulsive therapy, narcotherapy, biofeedback, counselling, psychotherapy and psychological testing (IQ testing, Personality testing). Aptitude testing and vocational guidance services are also provided.

Additionally, specialized programs for patients and their families, in the form of counselling and group therapy (alcohol de-addiction, caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, etc.) are conducted.Public awareness programs and mental health camps are often conducted by the department.

ECT machine with facility for EEG recording, Bio-feedback machine and an array of psychological test materials including a neuropsychological battery are available in the department.