Welcome from the Chairman

I am delighted that you are considering a career in psychiatry and hope that our website communicates some of the excitement we at Stony Brook feel about this discipline. An understanding of what controls behavior is one of the major scientific undertakings of modern society. The old question of mind-body is being given new meaning in the neurobiological and psychological investigation of the brain.

Psychiatry, which looks at disorders of thought, emotions and behavior is a discipline that encompasses elegant biological control mechanisms and subtle psychological processes. As such, it has the widest scientific and human base of any medical field. How to begin to study this field is an important decision.

At Stony Brook, we take a decidedly empirical approach to psychiatry. Initially, you will learn the phenomenology of the illness, then treatment approaches and theories. In our view, psychiatric theories both biological and psychological, are at best rough approximations, and the patient, rather than the theory must be kept at the center of the study. What we hope you will bring to the study of psychiatry is an empathy for your patients and unlimited curiosity.

We look forward to seeing you.

Mark Sedler, MD, MPH
Chairman
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science