'pro-psychiatry' is formed from the prefix 'pro-' from Latin, meaning 'for' or 'in favor of,' combined with 'psychiatry,' the English term for the medical specialty dealing with mental disorders.

'psychiatry' originates from Greek 'psyche' meaning 'soul, mind' and 'iatreia' meaning 'healing' or 'medical treatment'; it passed into New Latin as 'psychiatria' and into English in the 19th century as 'psychiatry.' The modern compound 'pro-psychiatry' is formed by adding the Latin-derived prefix 'pro-' to that modern English noun.

Initially, the components meant 'for' (pro-) and 'healing of the mind' (psychiatry); the compound now specifically denotes being 'in favor of psychiatry' or supportive of psychiatric approaches.