A psychiatric consultation is a session with a psychiatrist, who is a a medical professional with a MBBS degree, MD and certification in the use of drugs to treat mental disorders. Both psychiatrists and Clinical Psychologists help to diagnose, assess and provide intervention for mental health issues. The main difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist is that the former is licensed to provide medication for the presenting concerns and latter provides therapy.

Generally, sessions with psychiatrists are brief and sessions with (psychologists are a little longer. When working with a psychiatrist the focus is more on the medication on the contrary when working with a psychologist the focus is only on different forms of therapies and strategies to deal with difficulties that a client faces.

A psychiatric consultation involves a comprehensive evaluation of not only the psychological and social causes of emotional distress, but also biological and medical causes as well. In addition a psychiatrist may also suggest some laboratory tests to rule out any other medical conditions.

A psychiatric consultation would be required in situations such as:

• If one needs medications to facilitate your treatment
• If one experiences psychotic symptoms