Updated : July 23, 2025

Department of Psychiatry

Members

Takashi Okada (Professor)
Takahira Yamauchi (Associate Professor)
Ryohei Takada (Lecturer)
Izumi Harada (Assistant Professor)
Ryo Mizui (Assistant Professor)
Minobu Ikehara (Assistant Professor)
Yasumitsu Hamano (Assistant Professor)
Akihiro Minami (Assistant Professor)
Yuki Nishi (Assistant Professor)
Yuki Noriyama (Assistant Professor)
Kazuki Okumura (Assistant Professor)
Fumimaro Doi (Assistant Professor)

Overview

The Department of Psychiatry operates a comprehensive psychiatric care center that serves as a tertiary emergency medical facility within Nara Prefecture. The center is equipped with more than 100 psychiatric inpatient beds, as well as outpatient clinics for child and adolescent psychiatry, a dementia care center, and a day care program. In collaboration with the Department of Emergency Medicine, the center also provides psychiatric assessments, treatments, and continued support for individuals who have attempted suicide. We offer a broad range of evidence-based treatments across all age groups, from childhood to old age, including cognitive behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy (including clozapine), and modified electroconvulsive therapy (mECT). Our department provides a robust clinical training environment capable of addressing a wide spectrum of psychiatric disorders.

 Since many aspects of psychiatric disorders remain unexplained, further scientific evidence is needed to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Therefore, psychiatry is a field where interdisciplinary research bridging both clinical and basic sciences is essential. Our department actively promotes clinical education for medical students, graduate students, and young physicians, while also conducting large-scale clinical research. In addition, we are engaged in translational research that integrates basic science methods, including molecular biology and electrophysiology, using findings from animal models and cultured cells to inform human studies. Our research also focuses on identifying the pathophysiological basis of psychiatric disorders through the study of cognitive function, neurophysiology, and brain imaging. Furthermore, we examine the fundamental role of verbal interactions, which are central to psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, by analyzing the informational and functional components of dialogue using artificial intelligence techniques, such as natural language processing. Through these integrated efforts, we aim to advance our understanding of psychiatric disorders and contribute to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Website

Our website is here (External link)