A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders.
These disorders include depression, anxiety, bi-polar, post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorders and other mental health problems.
- Doctors’ Curriculum Vitae
Outpatient Psychiatric Services
The practice of psychiatry involves the diagnosis and treatment of mental health and emotional problems. The brain has many functions, including management of emotional, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual processes. When these functions are disrupted by illness that is not due to a major anatomical problem, infection, or other medically determined cause, the illness is described as psychiatric. Many times the impaired function occurs on the level of the activity of certain brain circuits. Genetics and life experiences can predispose people to developing such patterns of illness. Both medications and psychotherapies can alter those activity patterns.
Common mental health diagnoses include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, substance use disorders and schizophrenia. Some conditions respond better to medication treatment; some respond better to psychotherapy. Often a combination of approaches is the most helpful.
At Fairbanks Psychiatric and Neurological Clinic, board certified psychiatrists provide evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders. They coordinate care with psychotherapists in the community and refer patients to other treatment resources as needed.