American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) Certification
The ABPN requires that throughout the initial certification and maintenance of certification processes, physicians must have a valid, unexpired, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in at least one state, commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States or province of Canada. If more than one license is held, they must all be unrestricted to meet this requirement.
Additionally, physicians who are Board certified by the ABPN (called ABPN diplomates), have successfully completed an approved training program and an evaluation process assessing their ability to provide quality patient care in a specialty and/or subspecialty. These evaluation processes formulate the core of our business and are encompassed in our Initial Certification Examinations and Maintenance of Certification Program.
What is an ABPN Board-Certified Psychiatrist?
Patients can be assured that an ABPN board-certified psychiatrist has specialized skills and knowledge to diagnose and treat problems ranging from emergencies to the long-term medical management of psychiatric disorders.
The conditions psychiatrists treat include disorders such as:
• Depressive disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Substance-abuse disorders
• Psychoses
• Developmental disabilities
• Sexual dysfunctions
• Adjustment reactions
Psychiatrists can order diagnostic laboratory tests, prescribe medications, provide psychotherapy, evaluate and treat psychological and interpersonal problems, and give continuing care for psychiatric problems.
Psychiatrists are also prepared to intervene with individuals and families who are experiencing a crisis or dealing with great stress.
Psychiatrists may also act as consultants to primary care physicians, or to non-physicians such as psychologists, social workers and nurses.
You can check your physicians board certification status for free at CertificationMatters website.
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The contents of all material available on this page are copyrighted by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. (ABPN), unless otherwise indicated. All rights are reserved by the ABPN. Individuals may download pages or other content for their own use; however, content may not be reproduced, disseminated, published, or transferred in any form or by any means, except with the prior written consent of the ABPN.
Thomas A Grugle MD 