What Does a Psychiatrist Do?
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental health disorders. They can prescribe medications, provide psychotherapy, and develop comprehensive treatment plans for conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Psychiatrists work in hospitals, private practices, and community mental health centers.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Adult Psychiatrist, Child Psychiatrist, Consulting Psychiatrist, Medical Doctor (MD), Outpatient Psychiatrist, Prison Psychiatrist, Staff Psychiatrist.
Psychiatrist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a psychiatrist include:
- Conduct comprehensive psychiatric evaluations including mental status examinations and diagnostic interviews.
- Diagnose mental health disorders using the DSM-5 criteria and evidence-based assessment tools.
- Prescribe and manage psychotropic medications, monitoring for efficacy, side effects, and drug interactions.
- Provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy using evidence-based modalities.
- Develop individualized treatment plans that integrate medication management with therapeutic interventions.
- Order and interpret diagnostic tests including blood work, brain imaging, and psychological assessments.
- Assess patients for suicide risk and develop safety plans for those in acute psychiatric crisis.
- Consult with primary care physicians, psychologists, and social workers on complex mental health cases.
- Provide emergency psychiatric evaluations and involuntary commitment assessments when clinically indicated.
- Document all clinical encounters, treatment decisions, and patient progress in medical records.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a psychiatrist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Psychiatric assessment and diagnosis
- Psychopharmacology expertise
- Psychotherapy modalities (CBT, DBT, etc.)
- Risk assessment and crisis intervention
- Empathic listening and rapport building
- Multidisciplinary team collaboration
- Clinical research literacy
- Cultural competency in mental health
Education and Training
Psychiatrists must complete four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school to earn an MD or DO degree, and a four-year psychiatry residency program. Residency training includes rotations in inpatient psychiatry, outpatient psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, and consultation-liaison psychiatry. Many psychiatrists pursue additional fellowship training in subspecialties such as child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, or geriatric psychiatry. Board certification through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) requires passing a comprehensive examination.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $154,150 - $362,740 per year, with a median of $281,870.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Psychiatrists.
Demand for psychiatrists is exceptionally strong and growing, driven by increased awareness of mental health issues, expanded insurance coverage for behavioral health services, and a persistent shortage of psychiatrists nationwide. Telepsychiatry has expanded access and created new practice models. Psychiatrists willing to work in underserved areas, with pediatric populations, or in integrated care settings will find the strongest demand.
Psychiatrist Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $84,060 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $154,150 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $281,870 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $362,740 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $446,520 |
Highest-Paying States for Psychiatrists
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are California ($353,500), Louisiana ($345,040), Alaska ($342,170), Minnesota ($336,410), Wisconsin ($331,070). Pay is lowest in Arkansas ($124,750), Idaho ($75,470), West Virginia ($63,320).
Median pay in all 46 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $342,170 |
| Arizona | $249,720 |
| Arkansas | $124,750 |
| California | $353,500 |
| Colorado | $266,370 |
| Connecticut | $326,670 |
| Delaware | $279,410 |
| District of Columbia | $183,080 |
| Florida | $316,200 |
| Georgia | $237,480 |
| Hawaii | $289,990 |
| Idaho | $75,470 |
| Illinois | $258,740 |
| Indiana | $284,110 |
| Iowa | $295,270 |
| Kansas | $278,100 |
| Kentucky | $237,770 |
| Louisiana | $345,040 |
| Maine | $300,180 |
| Maryland | $305,320 |
| Michigan | $291,850 |
| Minnesota | $336,410 |
| Mississippi | $213,680 |
| Missouri | $312,680 |
| Nebraska | $135,180 |
| Nevada | $210,030 |
| New Hampshire | $246,140 |
| New Jersey | $194,070 |
| New Mexico | $227,730 |
| New York | $265,890 |
| North Carolina | $168,880 |
| Ohio | $244,990 |
| Oklahoma | $271,640 |
| Oregon | $314,880 |
| Pennsylvania | $278,970 |
| Rhode Island | $287,610 |
| South Carolina | $237,250 |
| South Dakota | $226,180 |
| Tennessee | $214,880 |
| Texas | $228,460 |
| Utah | $299,670 |
| Vermont | $302,770 |
| Virginia | $295,010 |
| Washington | $304,920 |
| West Virginia | $63,320 |
| Wisconsin | $331,070 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as psychiatrists about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 99% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 99% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 95% are on the phone every day
- 89% use email every day
- 87% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
- 80% deal with rude or angry people at least once a week
- 76% spend more than half the workday sitting
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Post-doctoral training | 59% |
| Doctoral degree | 34% |
| Master's degree | 5% |
Tools and Software Psychiatrists Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy analyzing problems and working with ideas as well as helping, teaching or caring for people.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Knowledge areas used most: Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Biology.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 5 of 5, which means extensive preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.