How many years is MD in Psychiatry?

Jun 28, 2023 - 19:54 Updated: Jul 1, 2023 - 14:41

A doctorate of Medicine in Psychiatrist is a postgraduate degree. Psychiatrists are doctors with special medical training in mental disorders and have the authority to prescribe medication. MD Psychiatry course can help you research and master psychiatric syndromes like anxiety disorders, psychotic moods, etc.MD in Psychiatry is a 3-year postgraduate program in the medical discipline of mental health, the minimum eligibility for which is successful completion of any of MBBS, DMS, BHMS, and BDS.

After pursuing MD in Psychiatry, you can further work for the government or private institution clinics or as a counselor at college, school, and industries. Post Graduation course is for 3 years, and for those having a diploma in similar subjects, it is for 2 years.

Eligibility Criteria

Medical students with MBBS, BDS, DMS, DHMS, BHMS, BAMS, BASM, BIAMS, BNYT, BATS, BEMS, BUMS, IAMS, BPT, B.Pharma., NO, or MD (A.M) can pursue MD Psychiatry.
In India, the eligibility criteria for pursuing this course are merit- and entrance-based. The popular exams to follow in MD Psychiatry are – NEET, PG, and GATE.
To study MD Psychiatry abroad, students must clear the MCAT exam with an average score of 511 or more. An IELTS score of 7.0 with no less than 6.0 or TOEFL (IBT) with 100 (minimum 20 in Speaking and 19 in all other parts is required.

Admission Process

Admission to the program at the top colleges in India is based on the student’s performance in a relevant entrance exam, such as the national-level NEET. Based on performance, rounds of group discussion and personal interviews follow, in which admission is granted to qualifying candidates.

Syllabus and Course

Semester I	Semester II
Basic Sciences as applied to Psychiatry	Clinical Psychiatry
Monoamine Neurotransmitters and their implications for Psychiatric Disorders	Approaching to Psychiatric Diagnosis and Classification
Excitatory Amino Acids in Psychiatric Disorders	Etiology and Clinical Profile of Dementias
Neuropeptides and their relevance to Psychiatry	Organic Delusional, Mood and Personality Disorders
Second Messenger Systems and Beyond	Concept and Typology of Schizophrenia
Basic and applied Electrophysiology	Biological Basis of Schizophrenia
Magnetic Resonance and Implications for Psychiatry	Course, Outcome and Prognosis of Schizophrenia
Consciousness	Brief and Reactive Psychosis
Sleep and Dreaming	Etiological Theories of Mood Disorders
Chronobiology	Subtypes of Depressive Disorders and their Clinical Relevance
Transcultural Psychiatry	Course and Outcome of Mood Disorders
Aggression: Psychology and Biology	Paranoid Disorders
Intelligence	Concept and Typology of Personality Disorders
Learning Theories	Antisocial Personality Disorders
Information Processing: Brain Models of Mind	-
Experimental Animal Research and Implications for Mental Disorder	-
Semester III	Semester IV
Anxiety disorders	Models of psychotherapy: An overview
Nosological status and natural history	Scientific evaluation of efficacy of psychotherapy: methodological problems
Reactions to severe stress	Brief dynamic psychotherapies
Current concept of dissociative disorders	Behavioural therapies
Somatization disorders: Diagnosis and clinical features	Cognitive therapies
Nosological status and clinical features of Neurasthenia	Supportive psychotherapies
Non-organic sleep disorders	Psychological management of sexual dysfunctions
Recent advances in eating disorders	Comparative pharmacology of antipsychotic drugs
Management of premature ejaculation	Short-term side effects of antipsychotic drugs and their management
Psychiatric aspects of homosexuality	Tardive dyskinesia: pathophysiology and management
Biological basis of anxiety	Recent advances in antidepressant drug therapy
Habit and impulse disorders	Management of a suicidal patient
-	Role of Lithium in Psychiatric disorders
-	Adjuncts and alternatives to Lithium in the management of mood disorders
-	Drug treatment of generalized anxiety and panic disorders
-	Recent advances in drug treatment of obsessive compulsive disorders
-	Electro-convulsive Therapy: current trends
Semester V	Semester VI
Human Rights of psychiatric patients	Dementia: Differential Diagnosis and Management
Ethics in Psychiatry	Delirium: Differential Diagnosis and Management
Indian Mental Health Act	Psychiatric Syndromes with Epilepsy
Epidemiology of psychiatric Illness in Old Age with Special Reference to India.	Neuro-psychiatric Sequelae of HIV Infection
Current Issues in Management of Elderly Psychiatric Patients.	Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Integration of Mental Health into Primary Care - Its Role and Future in India.	Psychological Aspects of Cardio-vascular Disorders
Classification of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders.	Psychological Aspects of Gastro-intestinal Disorders
Learning Disorders of Childhood	The Terminally Ill Patient and Family
Child Abuse and Neglect	Psychological Aspects of Breast Cancer
School Refusal	Obesity
Pervasive Development Disorders of Childhood	Concept and Assessment of Disability
Preventive Aspects of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders	Concept and Measurement of Quality of Life
NeuroPsychological Assessment of Children	Neuro-psychological Assessment and its Relevance to Psychiatric Diagnosis and Management
-	Stress and Psychological Disorders
-	Psychological Aspects of Organ Transplantation

Career Prospects

Psychiatry is the systematic study of human behavior in all aspects, of the human mind, on both individual and community levels. Psychiatrists usually work with other occupational therapists and social workers to rehabilitate patients. Psychiatrists treat patients through counseling, psychotherapy, and, if required, (ECT) electric convulsive therapy and the administration of drugs. Where needed, they even work on desensitizing patients, mainly through hypnosis, to treat mental problems such as depression and schizophrenia.

MD Psychiatry Jobs & Salary

Job Position	Average Annual Pay Scale in INR
Psychiatric Social Worker	6,50,000
Special Education Teachers	1,84,206
Physicians	8,75,000
Child psychiatrists	1,250,000
Recreation workers	2,606,782