# psychiatric

/ˌsaɪkiˈætɹɪk/ (US) · /sˌaɪkɪˈætɹɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/psychiatric
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. relating to mental health

adjective · CEFR B2

relating to the study or treatment of mental illness.

For teachers: of or relating to psychiatry; specifically concerning the medical treatment of mental disorders.

- The patient was admitted to the psychiatric ward for further observation.
- The hospital expanded its psychiatric department to better address the rising demand for acute mental health interventions in the urban area.

### 2. a person with a disorder

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

an old-fashioned and often impolite way to describe someone with a mental illness.

For teachers: a person diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. This usage is dated and generally considered dehumanising in modern clinical and social contexts.

- In the old book, the author refers to the character as a psychiatric.
- Nineteenth-century medical texts often used 'psychiatric' as a noun, a practice that has since been replaced by person-first language.

Usage: Used as a countable noun; now largely replaced by 'psychiatric patient' or 'person with a mental illness'.

Teaching tip: This noun sense is archaic and potentially offensive; students should only use the word as an adjective.

## Examples

- He works as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital.
- The patient underwent a full psychiatric evaluation to determine the best course of treatment for her anxiety.
- Modern psychiatric practice increasingly integrates pharmacological interventions with cognitive behavioral therapy to address the complex biological and social roots of mental distress.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.