Thank you for visiting the Psychiatry webpage. On this website you will find descriptions of various aspects of our department and of the people and programs that underlie its success. The Department of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio is recognized as one of the leading sites in the world for clinical research into the treatment of several important mental disorders in adults as well as children. Our educational programs are ranked as among the best in the nation. This is entirely due to the outstanding faculty, staff, and students that make up the department. Psychiatry is the only medical specialty dedicated to the treatment of people suffering with the brain disorders that affect emotions, feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Along with training in general medicine and the biology of brain function, we also specialize in understanding people's inner and private experience of life and how this influences their relationships and interactions with others.

Our department is organized and oriented towards three simple goals:

• Promoting the Highest Quality of Care for People with Mental Illness and Chemical Dependency.
  Helping people with mental disorders and/or chemical dependency achieve a full recovery, completely regaining independent function in all areas, including social relationships, work, and spiritual aspects of their lives.
  
  
• Promoting Excellence in Care Through Education.
  Training of mental health professionals, scholars, and scientists who will be leaders in the field of psychiatry and behavioral medicine.
  
  
• Transforming Mental Health Care Through Research.
  Developing pace-setting research programs aimed at increasing the number of effective new treatments and paving the way towards a cure for serious and persistent mental disorders

We aspire to:

• Be the preferred choice for people seeking treatment for mental illness in the region and to be a destination site for people seeking specialized care for difficult-to-treat mental disorders world-wide.
  
  
• Be considered as among the best and most sought after sites in the world for training in clinical and research aspects of behavioral health care.
  
  
• Be among the top research sites in the world for work advancing our understanding the pathophysiology of mental illness and improving treatment for children and adults with severe mental illness.
  
  
• Embrace an interdisciplinary and intellectually broad approach to enhancing care for people with mental illness and substance dependence.