2150 E. Lake Cook Road, Suite 900 Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 Tel: (847) 229-6500 www.abpn.com

A Psychiatrist specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental, addictive and emotional disorders such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance-related disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders and adjustment disorders. The Psychiatrist is able to understand the biologic, psychologic and social components of illness, and therefore is uniquely prepared to treat the whole person. A Psychiatrist is qualified to order diagnostic laboratory tests and to prescribe medications, evaluate and treat psychologic and interpersonal problems, and to intervene with families who are coping with stress, crises and other problems in living.

Training Required: Four years

Subspecialties for Psychiatry

Certification in one of the following subspecialties requires additional training and examination.

• Addiction Psychiatry
  A Psychiatrist who focuses on the evaluation and treatment of individuals with alcohol, drug or other substance-related disorders and of individuals with the dual diagnosis of substance-related and other psychiatric disorders.
  
  
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  A Psychiatrist with additional training in the diagnosis and treatment of developmental, behavioral, emotional and mental disorders of childhood and adolescence.
  
  
• Clinical Neurophysiology
  A Psychiatrist with expertise in the diagnosis and management of central, peripheral and autonomic nervous system disorders using a combination of clinical evaluation and electrophysiologic testing such as electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS).
  
  
• Forensic Psychiatry
  A Psychiatrist who focuses on the interrelationships between psychiatry and civil, criminal and administrative law. This specialist evaluates individuals involved with the legal system and provides specialized treatment to those incarcerated in jails, prisons and forensic psychiatry hospitals.
  
  
• Geriatric Psychiatry
  A Psychiatrist with expertise in the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in the elderly. The Geriatric Psychiatrist seeks to improve the psychiatric care of the elderly both in health and in disease.
  
  
• Hospice and Palliative Medicine
  These physicians have special knowledge and skills to prevent and relieve the suffering experienced by patients with life-limiting illnesses. This specialist works with an interdisciplinary hospice or palliative care team to maximize quality of life while addressing the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of both patient and family throughout the course of the disease, including through the dying process and subsequent family grieving. This care can occur within or outside of a formal hospice or palliative care team. This specialist has expertise in the assessment of patients with advanced disease and catastrophic injury; the relief of distressing symptoms; the coordination of interdisciplinary patient and family-centered care in diverse settings; the use of specialized care systems including hospice; the management of the imminently dying patient; and legal and ethical decision making in end-of-life care.
  
  
• Pain Medicine
  Pain Medicine is the medical discipline concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of the entire range of painful disorders. A physician who specializes in pain medicine provides a high level of care, either as a primary physician or consultant, for patients experiencing problems with acute, chronic or cancer pain in both hospital and ambulatory settings. Due to the vast scope of the field, Pain Medicine is a multidisciplinary subspecialty and patient care needs may be coordinated with other specialists.
  
  
• Psychosomatic Medicine
  A Psychiatrist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders and symptoms in complex medically ill patients. This subspecialty includes treatment of patients with acute or chronic medical, neurological, obstetrical or surgical illness in which psychiatric illness is affecting their medical care and/or quality of life; such as HIV infection, organ transplantation, heart disease, renal failure, cancer, stroke, traumatic brain injury, high-risk pregnancy and COPD, among others. Patients also may be those who have a psychiatric disorder that is the direct consequence of a primary medical condition, or a somatoform disorder or psychological factors affecting a general medical condition. Psychiatrists specializing in psychosomatic medicine provide consultation-liaison services in general medical hospitals, attend on medical psychiatry inpatient units and provide collaborative care in primary care and other outpatient settings.
  
  
• Sleep Medicine
  An Psychiatrist with demonstrated expertise in the diagnosis and management of clinical conditions that occur during sleep, that disturb sleep, or that are affected by disturbances in the wake-sleep cycle. This specialist is skilled in the analysis and interpretation of comprehensive polysomnography, and well-versed in emerging research and management of a sleep laboratory.
  

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