Psychiatry is under challenge due to demedicalisation to healthcare within mental health services, marginalization of psychiatrist in service development and organization.  This is further exemplified by debate on nature of psychiatric disorder, claimed by some, that antidepressants and antipsychotics are ineffective and stigmatization of the profession. 

 

Medical profession is ever evolving which can be seen, for example, radiologist are moving away from just interpreting images to becoming active interventionist, dermatologist are moving from a purely physician role to a surgical one.  Mental health field has seen proliferation of professionals over the past       50 years like social workers, psychiatric nurses, clinical psychologists.  Also neurologists and geriatricians are taking an interest in assessment and care of individuals with dementia. 

 

Future of psychiatry is in identification of biological etiology of mental illnesses – to pin point how abnormal brain functioning causes psychiatric symptoms.  Newer techniques of understanding this biology like functional MRI, gene sequencing and newer types of interventions like repetitive TMS and deep brain stimulation are using these newer understanding.  Let us hope that these  “ Newer Changes and Challenges will take the current concepts in Psychiatry into higher levels.