MD in Psychiatry: Click here to know about the course, duration, syllabus, eligibility criteria, entrance exam, top universities, career opportunities and more

By- Akanksha Yadav

About the course:

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) course is a postgraduate medical degree for MBBS students who want to study and specialize in a specific field of medicine. The eligibility criteria for MD are an MBBS degree. After completing an MBBS degree, students can go for an MD program. MD in Psychiatry is a 3-year long post-graduate medical program for students who want to work in the psychiatry field. During the MD Psychiatry program, students learn about various mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders and their treatment.

A psychiatrist can differentiate between a mentally sick person and a mentally fit person. Psychiatrists usually counsel patients and provide them with therapy for their mental illnesses. MD Psychiatry course is certified by the Medical Council of India.

Currently, in India, there are various private/government colleges/institutes where MD Psychiatry course is available. The fees in private colleges are usually higher than the government ones. The tuition fees for MD Psychiatry can go from INR 25,000 to INR 20, 00,000 per annum.

The duration of MD Psychiatry:

MD Psychiatry course is a 3-year postgraduate course. During this course, students study various concepts related to emotional, mental, and behavioural disorders, their diagnosis and treatment.

The eligibility criteria for MD Psychiatry:

Students wanting to pursue an MD Psychiatry course can check the course eligibility criteria below.

• The student should have an MBBS degree from an institute/college recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
• Candidate should have completed his/her 1-year mandatory internship after completing his/her graduation.
• The candidate should have qualified for NEET-PG or the required entrance examination.
• Admission is usually based on merit in the entrance exam. It is given on the merit list based on marks obtained in the entrance exam and counselling process.

Subjects in MD Psychiatry:

During MD Psychiatry, students study various subjects related to Psychiatry. 3 years of MD Psychiatry are divided into 6 semesters. In each semester, students learn different subjects. Semester wise list of psychiatry subjects is given below.

For semester 1:

• Basic sciences as applied to psychiatry
• Monoamine neurotransmitters and their implications for psychiatric disorders
• Excitatory amino acids in psychiatric disorders
• Neuropeptides and their relevance to psychiatry
• Second messenger and beyond
• Basic and applied electrophysiology
• Magnetic resonance and its impact on psychiatry
• Consciousness
• Sleep and dreaming
• Chronobiology
• Transcultural psychiatry
• Aggression: psychology and biology
• Intelligence
• Learning theories
• Information processing: brain models of mind
• Experimental animal research and impact on mental disorder

For semester 2:

• Clinical psychiatry
• Approaching psychiatric diagnosis and classification
• Etiology and clinical profile of dementias
• Organic delusional, mood and personality disorders
• Concept and typology of schizophrenia
• Biological basis of schizophrenia
• Course, outcome and prognosis of schizophrenia
• Brief and reactive psychosis
• Etiological theories of mood disorders
• Subtypes of depressive disorders and their clinical relevance
• Course and outcome of mood disorders
• Paranoid disorders
• Concept and typology of personality disorders
• Antisocial personality disorders

For semester 3:

• Anxiety disorders
• Nosological status and natural history
• Reactions to severe stress
• The current concept of dissociative disorders
• Somatization disorders: diagnosis and clinical features
• Nosological status and clinical feature of neurasthenia
• Non-organic sleep disorders
• Recent advances in eating disorders
• Management of premature ejaculation
• Psychiatric aspects of homosexuality
• Biological basis of anxiety
• Habit and impulse disorders

For semester 4:

• Models of psychotherapy
• Scientific evaluation of the efficacy of psychotherapy: methodological problems
• Brief dynamic psychotherapies
• Behavioural therapies
• Cognitive therapies
• Supportive psychotherapies
• Psychological management of sexual dysfunctions
• Comparative pharmacology of antipsychotic drugs
• Short-term side effects of antipsychotic drugs and their management
• Tardive dyskinea: path physiology and management
• Recent advances in antidepressant drug therapy
• Management of suicidal patients
• 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

For semester 5:

• Human rights of psychiatric patients
• Ethics in psychiatry
• Indian mental health act
• Epidemiology of psychiatric illness in old age with particular reference to India
• Current issues in the management of elderly psychiatric patients
• Integration of mental health into primary care-its role and future in India
• Classification of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders
• Learning disorders of childhood
• Child abuse and neglect
• School refusal
• Pervasive development disorders of childhood
• Preventive aspects of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders
• Neuropsychological assessment of children

For semester 6:

• Dementia: different diagnosis and management
• Delirium: differential diagnosis and management
• Psychiatric syndromes with epilepsy
• Neuro psychiatric sequelae of HIV infection
• Consultation- liaison psychiatry
• Psychological aspects of cardiovascular disorders
• The terminally ill patient and family
• Psychological aspects of breast cancer
• Obesity
• Concept and assessment of disability
• Concept and measurement of quality of lice
• Stress and psychological disorders

Famous entrance examinations for MD Psychiatry:

Medical colleges take students through various entrance examinations. Some of the top entrance examinations are

• NEET PG- The full form of this exam is the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate). The National Board of Examinations conducts it.
• AIIMS INI CET- The full form of this examination is the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test. AIIMS, New Delhi conduct this exam. Through this examination, students get admissions in various PG courses like Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Surgery (MS), Master of Dental Surgery (MDS), Doctorate of Medicine (DM)

Career opportunities after MD Psychiatry:

After finishing the post-graduation degree in psychiatry, individuals can start their own clinic and practice privately or join any hospital. They can expect a salary of INR 3, 00,000 to INR 30, 00,000 per annum.

After their MD Psychiatry degree, individuals can work as

• Child and adolescent Psychiatrist
• Forensic psychiatrist
• Clinical psychiatrist
• Staff Psychiatrist
• Prison psychiatrist
• Behavioural specialist
• Recreation workers
• Neuro-psychiatrist
• Special education teachers
• Psychiatric social worker
• Physicians

Top institutes/colleges offering MD Psychiatry:

MD Psychiatry course is offered in various colleges in India. The top institutes/colleges are

• National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore
• Kasturba Medical College, Manipal
• John’s Medical College, Bangalore
• JSS Medical College and Hospital
• Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore
• KS Hedge Medical Academy, Mangalore
• Madras Medical College (MMC), Chennai
• King’s George Medical College, Lucknow
• Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai
• Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
• Aligarh Muslim University
• S N Medical College, Agra
• Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, Agra
• Department of Psychiatry, Christian Medical College, Tamil Nadu