October 22-24, 2020 in Vancouver, BC

Contact your provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons or Medical Board for further information on the complaints process governing physicians in your province. Complaints must usually be made in writing. The following is a brief description of how to lodge a complaint, the contact information for the appropriate body and the link to further electronic information.

The CPA defines psychiatrists as physicians who “enhance the person’s quality of life by providing psychiatric assessment, treatment and rehabilitation care to people with psychiatric disorders in order to prevent, reduce and eliminate the symptoms and subsequent disabilities resulting from mental illness or disorder”. The UK College of Psychiatrists states, “Psychiatrists are informed and uniquely skilled in the integration of medicine, psychiatry, neuroscience and the psychosocial sciences”.

The psychiatrist is trained primarily as a clinician to diagnose, treat and provide ongoing care for mental disorders to patients of all ages. Psychiatrists are primary, secondary and tertiary care physicians. Psychiatrists not only provide direct care to patients but often act as consultants to other health professionals such as family doctors.

Psychiatrists work in a range of settings including psychiatric or general hospitals, private offices, research units, community health centres, social agencies or in government.

Psychiatrists use a mix of treatment options, including medications and psychotherapy, depending on the psychiatric conditions. Often part of the treatment or rehabilitation plan will include referral to or collaboration with a range of social and support services.

Psychiatrists are licensed physicians with extensive medical training in the causes, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care of mental disorders. Their medical training allows psychiatrists to understand the interaction between the physical, social and psychological aspects of mental disorders. This training allows psychiatrists to appropriately prescribe medication, to provide psychotherapeutic treatments, and to work with patients, especially those with chronic or episodic conditions, to improve their quality of life.

According to the Canadian Psychological Association, “Psychology is the study of the biological, cognitive, affective, social and cultural aspects of behaviour. That is to say, psychologists are concerned with how people think, feel and behave in their social and physical environments.” Psychologists apply their training in many arenas; some focus on the neuropsychological functioning of the brain, others on organizational behaviour. PhD clinical psychologists have received additional supervised training in, among other skills, psychological testing and providing psychotherapy treatments for mental illnesses. Psychiatrists often work hand-in-hand with psychologists in the care of a patient.

There are currently about 4,770 psychiatrists in Canada. Demand for psychiatrists in Canada continues to exceed the supply. Many areas of the country lack adequate psychiatric services. Shortages are especially acute in rural and northern areas, even in Ontario.

The Canadian Psychiatric Association, pending better-informed ratios, supports a national psychiatrist to population ratio of one psychiatrist for every 8,400 Canadians, as determined by a collaborative study carried out in the 1990s by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Medical Association.

However, this ratio does not account for social and demographic trends such as an aging population, the ability to detect earlier onsets of certain psychiatric disorders, and the prevalence rate changes in certain disorders such as major depression. Nor does it include the unique needs of special populations such as children, those in the criminal justice system, and the elderly, nor the number of psychiatrists needed as researchers, administrator and teachers.

The ratio also does not account for changes in the nature of psychiatric practices. As late as the early 1990s psychiatrists worked an average of 60 hours a week and often either in a hospital or private practice. A CPA study found younger psychiatrists work fewer hours and the variety of practice locations is growing, with many psychiatrists working in multiple settings.

The ratio also does not take into account the increased demand for psychiatric services resulting from improved treatments, a knowledge economy and the destigmatization of some mental illnesses that has encouraged more people to seek treatment.

Psychiatrists are provincially licensed medical doctors who have completed a minimum of five years of additional accredited training following four years of general medicine training. After successfully completing the training requirements and examinations, they are certified as specialists by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). This is required for specialty registration at the provincial level. In Québec, the Corporation professionnelle des médecins du Québec (CPMQ) conducts its own specialist certification program. This is a requirement for specialist recognition in that province, even if the physician has received RCPSC certification.

Special licenses for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) may be granted by provincial licensing bodies independent of the above, when training and skill can be assessed and attested to locally.

The training requirements for psychiatry are set out by the Specialty Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). Postgraduate training programs are reviewed and accredited on a regular basis.

Some psychiatrists may also complete additional accredited training in a subspecialty area such as geriatrics, forensics, psychosomatic medicine, or child and adolescent psychiatry. In Québec, the CPMQ sets the training requirement for subspecialties.

Many psychiatrists have additional training in the domains of education, research, administration, program planning, advocacy, management, continuous quality improvement, and others.

CPA is the national, voluntary, professional association for psychiatrists practicing in Canada. It is not a regulatory body, and membership is entirely voluntary.

CPA’s core activities are designed to help psychiatrists keep up with best practice standards, keep up their knowledge and skill level, and to help them meet new challenges in the field. It helps meet the psychiatrists’ professional needs in a variety of ways, including publication of a scientific journal (Canadian Journal of Psychiatry), practice guidelines and position papers, and provision of continuing education opportunities.

CPA also advocates for changes to national public policies to improve access to quality care and services, increased awareness and understanding about psychiatric illnesses, and improved accountability through more funding for research and improved data collection systems. CPA collaborates with consumer and other mental health organizations in calling for a national action plan on mental illness and mental health in Canada. CPA is a founding member of the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.

Many psychiatrists have additional training in the domains of education, research, administration, program planning, advocacy, management, continuous quality improvement, and others.

All official CPA position papers and statements are available online. Click here.

For authoritative information about specific treatments (including prescription medication), please contact your psychiatrist or family physician.

As a voluntary organization, CPA is required to keep its membership list confidential by privacy laws. Please contact your provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons or Medical Board.