Welcome to the Washington University, Department of Psychiatry’s website. The department has been at the forefront of psychiatric care for decades. Members of our faculty were among the first to champion the medical model of psychiatry and view psychiatric dysfunction as an interaction between genes and environment. The department and its faculty continue to be in the vanguard of both the study and treatment of mental illness. In order to prepare for the future, the department also devotes a significant amount of time and effort to the training of the next generation of clinicians and researchers. We provide training at the medical student, residency, fellowship, and pre-, and post-doctoral levels. We invite you to visit our site to learn more about our history, the faculty, and what we do to increase our understanding of nervous system function and improve the treatment of mental disorders.
Seeds of discovery
Whether providing pilot funding to gather initial data or final funding for projects heading toward publication, grants awarded by Washington University’s Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) are ultimately aimed at one goal — supporting medical research that has the highest likelihood of benefiting patients quickly.
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Understanding the brain
Our researchers have developed a highly accurate diagnostic tool for autism and are homing in on the disease’s genetic triggers. We are leading worldwide clinical trials to test new drugs that may prevent or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Investigators at Washington University are leading a coalition of scientists who are undertaking the effort to map the human brain.
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Nerve stimulation for severe depression changes brain function
Preliminary brain scan studies conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are beginning to reveal the processes occurring in the brain during stimulation and may provide some clues about how the device improves depression.
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Depression in kids linked to cardiac risks in teens
Teens who were depressed as children are far more likely than their peers to be obese, smoke cigarettes and lead sedentary lives, even if they no longer suffer from depression. The research, by scientists at the School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh, suggests that depression, even in children, can increase the risk of heart problems later in life.
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