Administrative and Private Practice Office Duties

• A psychiatrist must perform some administrative duties, such as writing reports, record keeping, hourly or other billings and working with other office personnel to perform other duties. Psychiatrists in private practice have even more administrative duties, some of which he may delegate to his employees. They may be required to attend seminars, lectures or other functions as well as completing additional coursework in order to meet continuing education licensing requirements.
  
  

Court Testimony

• Psychiatrists may be called to testify in court as expert witnesses in civil and criminal court cases or questioned about a patient's mental capacity in civil commitment proceedings. Psychiatric reports written by treating psychiatrists are used extensively in civil court cases and civil commitment cases, even if the psychiatrists do not testify. Psychiatrists may be asked whether the patient or party in a court is mentally competent, poses a danger to himself or others, or the extent and severity of emotional suffering in cases where a party is seeking civil damages for infliction of emotional distress.
  
  

Psychotropic Medications

• Many psychiatric patients require medication to be mentally and emotionally stable. Psychiatrists write prescriptions for psychotropic drugs in addition to other methods of treating mental patients, such as counseling. Medication is seldom the only method for treating patients.
  
  

In-Patient Visits and Counseling

• Many psychiatrists have offices at in-patient mental health or correctional facilities where they interview in-patients. They prescribe and monitor medications as well as assess, diagnose and treat patients with mental illness. Generally, an in-patient must be considered stable by the treating psychiatrist in order to be released from a psychiatric facility. Psychiatrists may be required to attend staffing meetings with a team of counselors, behavioral health technicians, hospital administrators and other psychiatrists.
  
  

Out-Patient Visits and Counseling

• Psychiatrists often interview out-patients on a regular basis to monitor their mental status. They may adjust medication dosage or change the types of medication prescribed to patients. There are many different scenarios, including a patient seeking social security, worker's compensation or disability payments. Some patients may need a psychiatrist's approval for the patient to return to work.