MD in Psychiatry is a 3-year postgraduate course in the medical discipline of mental health, the minimum eligibility for which is successful completion of any of MBBS, DMS, BHMS, and BDS.
The average tuition fee charged in India for the course ranges between INR 25,000 and 20 Lakhs. Admission to the course is based on the student’s performance in a relevant entrance exam conducted for admission to the course, such as National Eligibility Cum entrance test (NEET).
Successful graduates of the course are hired in capacities such as Staff Psychiatrist, Forensic Psychiatrist, Clinical Psychiatrist, Prison Psychiatrist, Neuropsychiatries, Child Psychiatrist, etc.
They are hired in fields such as health clinics, health centers, healthcare, natural apothecaries, college health centers, hospitals, etc., or may even pursue private practice. The average annual salary offered to such postgraduates in India ranges between INR 2 and 30 lacs.
Table of Content
- MD in Psychiatry: Course Highlights
- MD in Psychiatry: What is it About?
- MD in Psychiatry: Admission Process
3.1 Eligibility
Top Colleges for Doctorate of Medicine [MD] (Psychiatry)
MD in Psychiatry: Course Highlights
Listed below are some of the major highlights of the course.
Course Level | Post Graduate |
Duration | 3 years |
Examination Type | Phase System |
Eligibility | MBBS, BDS, DMS, DHMS, BHMS, BAMS, BASM, BEMS, BIAMS, BNYT, BATS, BUMS, IAMS, BPT, B.Pharma., N.O., or M.D(A.M). |
Admission Process | Based on performance in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) |
Course Fee | INR 25,000 to 20 Lakhs |
Average Starting Salary | INR 2 to 30 Lakhs per year |
Top Recruiting Companies | Healthcare environments including hospitals, physician practices, integrative healthcare clinics, public health clinics, college health centers, natural apothecaries, and in settings that care for military veterans. |
Job Positions | Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Forensic Psychiatrist Clinical Psychiatrist Staff Psychiatrist Prison Psychiatrist Behavioral Specialist Neuropsychiatrist, and such. |
MD in Psychiatry: What is it About?
Psychiatry, as a special field of health care, essentially involves assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in a person. It works to explore the labyrinth of the human mind by means of research-based evidences and subtle techniques. A psychiatrist can differentiate between mentally healthy and mentally sick people.
Often, mental and psychosomatic problems emerge in patients while undergoing any of the various surgical, medical, and gynecological cases. Psychiatrists delve into patients’ psychy, to understand the cause of the deep-rooted agonies, anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. Treatment is subsequently made by means of counseling and medication.
The course’s curriculum involves subjects of study such as:
- Psychology, anatomy, physiology
- Biochemistry of the brain
- Neurology and neurosurgery
- Child psychiatry
- Community psychiatry
- Social psychiatry
- Forensic psychiatry
- Preventive psychiatry
- Practical training at mental asylums.
MD in Psychiatry: Admission Process
Admission to the course at the top institutes in India is based on the candidate’s performance in a relevant entrance exam, such as the national-level National Eligibility Cum entrance test (NEET). Rounds of group discussion and personal interview follow, based on performance in which, admission is granted to qualifying candidates.
Eligibility for MD in Psychiatry
The minimum eligibility criteria needed to be met for admission to the course are:
- Graduation completed from a recognized university, in any of MBBS, BDS, DMS, DHMS, BHMS, BAMS, BASM, BEMS, BIAMS, BNYT, BATS, BUMS, BPT, B.Pharma., N.O., and M.D. (A.M.).
- A minimum aggregate score of 50% at the level of graduation.
- For practitioners and research workers with at least 10 years of practice in the field, the requirement of fulfilment of such basic minimum eligibility criteria is not applicable.
Latest Doctorate of Medicine [MD] (Psychiatry) Admission Alert
- AIIMS Jodhpur Admission 2025: Dates, Courses, Eligibility, Selection Criteria & Cutoff
- AIIMS Rishikesh Admission 2025: Dates, Cutoff, Fees, Courses, Eligibility, Selection Criteria, Application Process
- SRM University Chennai Admission 2025: Registration, Dates, Courses, Eligibility, Application Form
- MGIMS Wardha Admission 2024: Courses, Eligibility, Selection Criteria, Cutoff & Application Process
- Seth GS Medical College Mumbai Admission 2024: Cutoff, Fees Structure, Ranking
- Grant Medical College Admission 2024: Dates, Eligibility, Selection, Fees, Cutoff, Admission Form
MD in Psychiatry: Syllabus and Course Description
A semester-wise breakup of the course’s syllabus is tabulated here.
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 | NA |
Experimental Animal Research and Implications for Mental Disorder | NA |
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 |
Neuro Psychological Assessment of Children | Neuro-psychological Assessment and its Relevance to Psychiatric Diagnosis and Management |
- | Stress and Psychological Disorders |
- | Psychological Aspects of Organ Transplantation |
Top Institutes offering MD in Psychiatry
Listed below are some of the top institutes offering the course in the country with the corresponding locations and fees charged by each.
Name of Institute | City | Average Fees |
Maulana Azad Medical College | Delhi | INR 55,000 (course) |
Sri Ramachandra University | Chennai | INR 20 Lacs (course) |
All India Institute of Medical Sciences | Delhi | INR 800 (course) |
Aligarh Muslim University | Aligarh | INR 45,000 (course) |
Department of Psychiatry, Christian Medical College | Tamil Nadu | INR 4 Lacs (course) |
MD in Psychiatry: Career Prospects
Psychiatry is the systematic study of human behavior in all its aspects, of the human mind, on both individual community levels. Psychiatrists often work with other occupational therapists and social workers for rehabilitation of patients. Psychiatrists treat patients through counselling, psychotherapy, and if required, electric convulsive therapy (ECT) and the administration of drugs. Where required, they even work on desensitizing patients, mainly through hypnosis, for treatment of mental problems, such as depression and schizophrenia
Some of the popular professional avenues open to such postgraduates are listed below with the corresponding salaries offered for the respective positions.
Job Position | Job Description | Average Annual Pay Scale in INR |
Psychiatric Social Worker | Their main job is to assess patients and develop individualized plans of care. They may also provide therapy or counseling services to patients, as well as help family members learn to deal with mental illness in the family. | 6,50,000 |
Special Education Teachers | These teachers work with students suffering from mental, emotional and learning abilities. They teach math, reading, and writing to those students. | 1,84,206 |
Physicians | Physicians are professionals whose main duty is to treat patients who are diagnosed with severe mental injuries and illness. They provide prescription after examining and interpreting mental tests. | 8,75,000 |
Child psychiatrists | These professionals deal with child patients suffering from emotional problems and diagnosed mental illnesses. | 1,250,000 |
Recreation workers | Recreation Workers design and lead leisure activities for groups in volunteer agencies or recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, parks, camps, aquatic centers, and senior centers. | 2,606,782 |
Comments