Comparison Tool
Learn more about a specific specialty or compare up to three specialties.
Psychiatrists specialise in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health illnesses and emotional problems. Psychiatrists have a significant understanding of both physical and mental health, as well as how these two facets of health affect each other. Conditions commonly treated by psychiatrists include schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and addiction. Some psychiatrists choose to specialise in particular areas of interest, for example child and adolescent, perinatal, old age or addiction psychiatry.
Public health physicians work is complex, multi-disciplinary and collaborative to promote, protect and improve the health of whole populations. Public health medicine training combines experience in clinical medicine with specialist fields relevant to the health of populations, including responding to communicable disease outbreaks and environmental threats; implementing strategies to prevent chronic disease, injury or mental illness; conducting research to improve understanding of epidemiology and factors influencing health; and developing policies that improve the health of the population and prioritise health equity.
A General Practitioner (GP) is the first point of contact in matters of personal health. GPs take a patient-centred approach to the diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care of persons across all ages, sexes and disease categories, and often provide care across a patient’s lifetime. GPs are responsible for the coordination of accessible, integrated patient care and are required to contribute to external clinical teams, as well as engage with medical specialists and other healthcare professionals according to patient need.