Lobby of Psychiatry department
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Psychiatry & the Behavioral Sciences

Are you a patient?

Transforming Mental Health Through
Science, Innovation, and Compassionate Care

Since 2016, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has dramatically increased and enhanced its faculty, a transformation that reflects our commitment to behavioral, neurological, and psychiatric health.

We launched the nation’s premier campus psychiatric practice and now serve 49,000 USC students with greater than 55,000 mental health visits a year and access to our landmark adaptive screening My Mental Health initiative.

Our two ACGME-accredited general psychiatry residency programs train across USC Arcadia Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and Keck Hospital and LAGMC. We also offer fellowships in child and adolescent psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry.

Research

Our eminent scientists and emerging investigators move at the forefront of psychiatric research, tackling the challenges of the brain and mind that affect people the most. Areas of excellence include Alzheimer’s disease, early childhood development, eating disorders, OCD, psychosis  and substance use disorders.

Learn about our Psychiatry Research
Keck School faculty and student conferring on an image

Student Mental Health

Our department is a beacon for student mental health, providing comprehensive services for 49,000 Trojans. We launched the nation’s first campus psychiatric practice, and pursue science to define the future of mental health for college-aged youth, including the My Mental Health screening initiative.

Student Mental Health
Keck students setting up a volunteer table

My Mental Health: Transforming Student Mental Health at USC

My Mental Health (MMH) is a university-wide mental health screening initiative designed to identify students in distress and connect them with timely support. Developed by the USC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in partnership with USC Student Health, MMH ensures students receive the right care at the right time.

In addition to the resources below, please watch the overview video (right or below).

Circle of people holding hands

Training & Education

We are committed to training the next generation of clinicians, teachers, researchers, and leaders in the field. Our training programs — in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and psychosomatic psychiatry — are fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Learn about our Training Programs

Residency

Our psychiatry residency connects you with expert mentors as you gain experience treating and researching complex conditions in diverse communities, including underserved patients and college students.

Clinical Fellowships

Prepare yourself to shine at the interface of psychiatry and behavioral health. Choose from Child & Adolescent, Forensic or Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, as well as Student Mental Health or Sport Psychology.

Clerkship Program

Our department offers the strong foundation that you need to prepare for postgraduate training in psychiatry

Undergraduate & Graduate Courses

Open up a view at the intersection of psychology and medicine. You’ll learn practical, real-world strategies for improving your life, and the lives of those around you.

Patient Care

We serve the Los Angeles community at L.A. General Medical Center, CHLA, and Keck Medicine of USC. Our services have uncommon breadth, including specialty care for treatment-resistant depression, OCD, eating disorders and addiction. Whatever you face, our caring experts are here to help.

Patient Care
Keck doctor consulting with patient

Message from the Chair

Improving lives is our goal in all that we do — comprehensive care across public, private and campus clinics; mentoring outstanding, service-driven trainees; and the work of our dedicated researchers.

Professor Steven Siegel, MD, PhD
Meet the Faculty
head shot of Steven Siegel, Department Chair

Psychiatry News

More Department News
A visualization of the complex data networks that power AI4AD2, where AI is used to connect brain scans, genetics, and other biological data to better understand Alzheimer’s disease.
Press Release

NIH investment totaling 30.7M will expand USC-led AI effort to decode Alzheimer’s disease

April 02, 2026
Illustration identifying environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to Alzheimer's disease
Campus News

To reduce Alzheimer’s risk, focus on overall health

Campus News

SC CTSI-funded review finds stigma and stereotypes delay OCD treatment worldwide

Campus News

New USC residency programs set trainees up to lead in meeting tomorrow’s health care needs

Facts & Figures

98%

of residency alumni board-certified since 2016

300%

increase in faculty size since 2016

25,000

student mental health visits annually

Support Us

Your gift helps us take care of the people of L.A., now and in the decades to come. The partnership of donors advances our efforts to expand access to high-quality psychiatric care, support student mental health, cultivate future clinicians and develop new solutions for the disorders of the mind.

Learn about our giving opportunities