PSYCHIATRY AND MENTAL HEALTH Paper XVI

Course description

Care of mentally ill people through the existing health Care facility is one of the essential components of national heath policy adopted by the Government of Nepal. In spite of the fact the knowledge and practice of Psychiatry has undergone revolutionary changes in the light of the recent technological advances, many people in the world generally believe that psychiatric, behavioural and psychosocial disorders are not prevalent in the developing countries, and so our undergraduates need not require to learn about the health problems. But evidences obtained from research do not support this view and show that in Nepal mental health problems, which produce a significant amount of morbidity and psychosocial consequences, are as common in any part of the world. Psychosocial aspect of health, disease states, as contributing factors in causation, precipitation and maintenance of ill health and their impacts on the management of such problems have yet to be appreciated fully.

Behavioural and communication skills, the cornerstones in interviewing and examining patients also needs to be taught for the sake of improving clinical and behavioural skills of the undergraduate medical students.

Keeping in view the latest changes in knowledge and practice, teaching and training methodologies in the field of psychiatry and mental health, it is essential that the undergraduate medical students must be equipped with all essential knowledge and skills so that they must be able to provide essential mental health services to the people in the country. Therefore, this curriculum has been developed to impart the undergraduate medical students enough knowledge and skills in the field of psychiatry and mental health, so that they can tackle issues related with the delivery of mental health services both at the individual and community levels.

General objective

Students will be able to

  • identify and manage common mental, behavioural and psychosocial disorders.
  • provide care to the patients presenting with psychiatric emergencies.
  • assess the psychosocial aspects of patients in medical settings and handle those issues as related to etiological maintenance, and management of any disease state.
  • refer severely affected mentally ill people to appropriate health care facility and provide follow-up and long-term care to them.
  • perform essential procedures, which they requires in the treatment of mentally ill people (ECT, Basic Counseling, Psychotherapy).
  • communicate effectively with the patient, the family and the community regarding mental/psychiatric disorders and its relevant issues.
  • state medical ethics and its application pertaining to Psychiatry/Mental Health, and maintain the confidentiality of the patient.
  • state the prevalence and prevention of the common public health problems related to mental health in the community and provide preventive mental health cares especially to high-risk groups.
  • organize rehabilitation and other related cares to the mentally ill people at the community.
  • apply the principle of research in the field of mental health.

Specific objectives

Students will be able to

  • define to psychiatry and mental health.
  • discuss Myths and misconceptions about psychiatry and mental health
  • .Take History Psychiatric
  • Perform Mental State Examination of mentally ill patients (Cooperative, Uncooperative)
  • classify mental and behavioural disorders.
  • mention Process of making diagnosis in psychiatry and mental health.
  • describe Psychopathology
  • explain Brain and behaviour
  • list causes of Mental Disorders.
  • identify and manage organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders.
  • list mental and behavioural disorders due to use of Alcohol.
  • list mental and behavioural disorders due to use of other Psychoactive substance.
  • Define schizophrenia, Schizotypal and Delusional Disorders.
  • list acute and Transient Psychotic Disorders, Schizophreniform Disorders.
  • list affective Disorders.
  • list neurotic, Stress-related and Somatoform Disorders.
  • list behavioural Syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors.
  • list disorders of adult personality and behaviour.
  • list mental retardation and Disorders of Psychological Development.
  • list behavioural and Emotional disorders with onset usually in childhood and adolescence.
  • explain neuropsychiatry Aspects of head injury/stroke and other organic states
  • explain neuropsychiatry Aspects of HIV/AIDS.
  • define grief/bereavement.
  • diagnose epilepsy, and other seizures disorders.
  • manage psychiatric emergencies.
  • discuss suicide and deliberate self harm.
  • acquire baste communication skills.
  • Communicate bad news.
  • Counsel.
  • describe psychotherapy.
  • describe psychopharmacology.
  • enumerate other treatment Methods of Psychiatry. define community psychiatry.
  • define forensic psychiatry (consent, confidentiality, should, testamentary capacity, witnesses)
  • discuss rehabilitation of mentally ill people, discuss National Mental health Policy and Plan.

Textbooks

  1. Shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry by Michael Gelder, Richard Mayou and Philip Cowen Oxford University Press.
  2. Fish’s Clinical Psychopathology. Edited by: Max Hamilton. John Wright & Sons Ltd.(Varghese Publication House, Bombay)
  3. Manual of Mental Health For Community Health Workers. Authors: Dr. Christine S. Wright, Health Learning and Materials Centre, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
  4. A short Text book of Psychiatry by -Niaj Ahuja , Jaypee Brothers.

Reference books

  1. Present State Examination (PSE)- English and Nepali Versions Wing and Cooper.
  2. An Introduction to Psychiatry for Medical Student Author: David Goldberg UK
  3. International Classification of Diseases-10th (Followed by Recent editions subsequently) Description and diagnostic Guidelines of Mental and behavioural Disorders, World Health Organization, Geneva.
  4. Diagnostic and Statistical manual-IV TM RV (Followed by Recent editions subsequently)American Psychiatric Association American Psychiatric press, NY