Psychiatric Disorders/Basic Sciences Relevant to Psychiatry

Biochemistry - An amalgam of the scientific study of Biology (the science of living matter in all its forms) and Chemistry (the science concerned with the composition, properties, and reactions of substances) as they concern the processes (usually within the cells) which occur in living organisms.

Microbiology – The scientific study of a diverse group of simple life-forms including concerned with their structure, function, and classification. In medicine, more specifically, it is the study of disease-causing microorganisms that have been identified as a means to control their pathological effects.

Pharmacology – the study of the changes produced in living animals by chemical substances. In medicine this relates to the actions of drugs, (substances used to treat disease, i.e. medicines), and their effects on the human organism.

Genetics – the science of heredity, which is how the characteristics of living things are transmitted from one generation to the next. In medicine this relates to disease states resulting from chromosomal anomalies.

Neuroanatomy and physiology

to understand how it is that Brain is the substrate for Mind.

Psychology

to understand how behaviour, and internal states such as mood and thought, are regulated.

Sociology

to understand how individuals fit within society and are influenced by it.