Psychiatry deals with prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of mental illness. A psychiatrist diagnoses and treats those with mental and emotional disorders such as schizophrenia, addictions, mood and anxiety disorders, substance-abuse disorders, and sexual and adjustment disorders. After assessment, the psychiatrist can diagnose, treat and manage an illness or problem by medication or various forms of psychotherapy. A psychiatrist is qualified to order diagnostic laboratory tests and to prescribe medications, evaluate and treat psychologic and interpersonal problems, and to intervene with families who are coping with stress, crises and other problems.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Attention Deficit Hyperactive, Learning Disabilities, Co-Dependency, Attention Deficit Disorder, clinical depression, Eating Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Phobias, Mania, Schizophrenia, Claustrophobia, Paranoia, Agoraphobia, Psychosis, Social Anxiety Disorder, Hallucination, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic disorder, and Panic attacks.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Marital Therapy, Marital Counseling, Adolescent Counseling, Child Counseling, Stress Management, Hypnosis, Family Therapy, Shock Treatment, Relaxation Therapy, Electroconvulsive therapy, and psychiatric therapy.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Psychiatric Evaluation, Intelligence Tests, Personality Tests, ADD/ADHD Tests, Depression Tests, Stress Tests, Abuse Tests, psychiatric exam, Sexual Health Tests, and Addictions Tests.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Illinois has 1,441 practicing psychiatrists. Broken out by city, psychiatry doctor density in Alton is 8, in Anna is 6, in Aurora is 18, in Belleville is 11, in Belvidere is 2, in Benton is 1, in Berwyn is 12, in Bloomington is 13, in Blue Island is 1, in Calumet City is 1, in Carbondale is 7, in Carlinville is 3, in Centralia is 8, in Champaign is 13, in Charleston is 1, in Chester is 8, in Chicago is 588, in Chicago Heights is 7, in Cicero is 1, in Clinton is 1, in Countryside is 1, in Crystal Lake is 15, in Danville is 12, in Darien is 1, in Decatur is 6, in Dekalb is 7, in Des Plaines is 6, in Dixon is 4, in Du Quoin is 2, in East Moline is 1, in East Peoria is 3, in Edwardsville is 3, in Elgin is 21, in Elmhurst is 6, in Evanston is 48, in Freeport is 4, in Galesburg is 5, in Geneva is 2, in Granite City is 10, in Greenville is 1, in Harrisburg is 5, in Harvey is 4, in Herrin is 1, in Highland is 1, in Highland Park is 30, in Jacksonville is 1, in Jerseyville is 1, in Joliet is 25, in Kankakee is 11, in Kewanee is 2, in Lake Forest is 9, in Lawrenceville is 2, in Loves Park is 2, in Macomb is 1, in Marion is 9, in Mattoon is 9, in Mchenry is 4, in Metropolis is 1, in Moline is 8, in Monmouth is 1, in Morris is 8, in Mount Carmel is 2, in Mount Vernon is 1, in Murphysboro is 1, in Naperville is 37, in Normal is 9, in North Chicago is 50, in Oak Forest is 4, in Oakbrook Terrace is 5, in Olney is 1, in Ottawa is 3, in Palos Heights is 16, in Palos Hills is 1, in Paris is 1, in Park Ridge is 35, in Pekin is 3, in Peoria is 19, in Peru is 1, in Pontiac is 2, in Quincy is 10, in Robinson is 2, in Rochelle is 1, in Rock Island is 2, in Rockford is 27, in Rolling Meadows is 1, in Sandwich is 2, in Springfield is 55, in Sterling is 2, in Sycamore is 2, in Taylorville is 1, in Urbana is 9, in Warrenville is 2, in Watseka is 2, in Waukegan is 15, in West Chicago is 1, in West Frankfort is 2, in Wheaton is 33, in Woodstock is 5, in Yorkville is 1, and in Zion is 1.

Most people think that Chicago, because of its size and popularity, is Illinois’ capital city, but that distinction belongs to Springfield, home of the Abraham Lincoln Museum. Illinois has hundreds of museums, numerous yearly art and ethnic festivals, a lakeshore bordering Lake Michigan, and the many national forests and parks that offers visitors camping, horseback riding, biking, kayaking, and fishing. Chicago is home to the Sears Tower, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, and other cultural opportunities and restaurants in the Navy Pier area.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Illinois has a population of 12,763,371. Of this population, 3,172,677 are under the age of 18 and 1,523,937 are at or above the age of 65.