MD Psychiatry
Direct answer
MD Psychiatry is the three-year postgraduate degree that prepares doctors to diagnose and treat mental, behavioural and neuropsychiatric disorders — from depression, psychosis and anxiety to addiction, child psychiatry and consultation-liaison problems in the medically ill. Admission follows MBBS and internship through counselling driven by NEET-PG scores, or via INI-CET at the institutes of national importance. On completing the degree, a doctor is qualified to run psychiatric outpatient and inpatient services, to prescribe psychotropics and psychotherapies and to sub-specialise further.
Course structure and curriculum
- Psychiatry ward and outpatient training in history-taking, mental status examination and formulation.
- Psychotherapies: supportive therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy basics, family and marital counselling.
- Psychopharmacology in depth — antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers and their monitoring.
- Electroconvulsive therapy and neuromodulation training, including modified ECT practice.
- De-addiction psychiatry: alcohol, opioid and tobacco use disorders, relapse prevention.
- Child and adolescent psychiatry clinics covering developmental and behavioural disorders.
- Consultation-liaison postings in general hospital wards managing delirium and psychiatric comorbidity.
- Neurology rotations for the organic differential — epilepsy, dementia and movement disorders.
- Community psychiatry fieldwork, national mental health programme exposure and rehabilitation services.
- Emergency psychiatry: suicide risk assessment, involuntary admission procedures and violence management.
- Psychological testing, psychometrics, rating scales and research methodology for the dissertation.
- Case conferences, psychotherapy supervision and journal club presentations.
Entrance examinations
Psychiatry seats are filled on the basis of NEET-PG, the NBEMS-conducted examination, after which the MCC manages all-India and institutional counselling while the states conduct their quota rounds. INI-CET, run by AIIMS New Delhi, is the doorway to psychiatry training at the AIIMS campuses, PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER Puducherry. Demand has risen steadily, so aspirants should be thorough with MBBS psychiatry, neurology correlations and psychotropic mechanisms, alongside the medicine-surgery base.
University examinations
Residents are evaluated through periodic tests, case-presentation assessments, psychotherapy case-book reviews and logbook certifications. A dissertation is mandatory under NMC-university rules — commonly a study of a diagnostic scale, treatment outcome or service question — and must be accepted before the final examination. The finals pair theory papers on general psychiatry, psychopharmacology, neurosciences and recent advances with practicals: a detailed long case psychiatric interview, short cases, and viva on drugs, rating scales, psychological tests and legal aspects like the Mental Healthcare Act.
Career pathways after MD Psychiatry
Graduates practise as consultant psychiatrists in hospitals, set up clinics and de-addiction centres, or join government mental health institutes and prison and armed-forces medical services. Teaching posts absorb many. Super-specialisation options include DM child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction medicine and geriatric mental health fellowships where offered, through NEET-SS, INI-SS or institutional routes.
Preparation with PrepElephant
Inside the PrepElephant app, aspirants will find previous-year NEET-PG and INI-CET questions, speciality-tagged question banks, mock tests and revision tools, which residents can also use while preparing university assessments. The website's free guides cover entrance strategy and residency organisation. Claims beyond question practice are not made.
Frequently asked questions
How many years does MD Psychiatry take?
Three years after MBBS with the compulsory rotating internship, spread across wards, clinics, emergency and community postings.
Which entrance examination is used for MD Psychiatry?
NEET-PG conducted by NBEMS for most colleges, followed by MCC or state counselling; INI-CET for the AIIMS group including PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER Puducherry.
Is a dissertation part of MD Psychiatry?
Yes. A thesis under a university guide must be completed and accepted before the final examination — a standard NMC requirement for all MD degrees.
What scope does psychiatry have in India?
Mental-health need far exceeds specialist supply, and graduates find roles in hospitals, private clinics, de-addiction services, academia and teleconsultation. Scope varies by setting and region.
Can I super-specialise after MD Psychiatry?
Yes — DM courses in child and adolescent psychiatry and fellowships in addiction medicine, geriatric psychiatry and neuromodulation are available at select institutes through NEET-SS, INI-SS or institutional tests.
Practise this in the PrepElephant app
Question banks, previous-year questions, mock tests and revision tools — for MD Psychiatry. Free to start.