Psychiatry

OVERVIEW

The department Psychiatry is a branch of medicine which deals with the diagnosis, investigations, treatment and causes of disorders of the higher functions (psychological functions) of the brain. Such disorders of the brain will produce abnormal behavior and abnormal experience as major symptoms. Like in other divisions of medicine in psychiatry too there are many kinds of disorders with characteristic clinical manifestations, diagnostic features, management options and course and outcome. There remains no more mystery or opprobrium about modern psychiatry, psychiatric disorders and psychiatric patients. Most of the psychiatric disorders are eminently treatable. Early diagnosis and early treatment are very important for better outcome of the disorders.

Psychiatry as a division of medicine in the general hospital of the Father Muller Charitable Institutions came in to existence in 1966. It began with an outpatient department and a modest inpatient facility for 25 beds. Dr. K. Sudhakar Shetty is our first psychiatrist. The postgraduate department of psychiatry with modern facilities came in to existence in 1993. Over the years there have been remarkable progress and the department has developed in to one of the best postgraduate training centers in Karnataka with excellent general hospital and mental hospital facilities for patient care.