Doctorate of Medicine in Psychiatry Top Colleges, Syllabus, Scope and Salary

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

Latest Doctorate of Medicine [MD] (Psychiatry) Admission Alert

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	-
Experimental Animal Research and Implications for Mental Disorder	-
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

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.

Doctorate of Medicine [MD] in Psychiatry

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