Year Two - Psyche Course

Course Description

Psyche, a 20-hour course on specific mental disorders, is given in the second year in conjunction with neurology, respiratory, cardiovascular and the pharmacology of drugs affecting the central nervous system. The epidemiology, descriptive psychopathology, etiology, and prognosis of the major child and adult mental disorders are presented. The focus is on the chronic, severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, manic-depression, and alcoholism, which have an early onset and will affect as much as 20 percent of the population. Consideration of treatment is limited to elucidation of etiology. Six hours of the course are taught in a small-group format (12-15 students), which uses videotaped examples of psychopathology.

Course Goals

Physicians need to recognize the signs and symptoms, clinical course, prognosis and treatment of the major mental disorders.  At any given time at least 10% of your patients (and their relatives) will be suffering from a mental disorder.  These disorders not only cause distress and dysfunction in their own right, but they may interfere with an individual’s capacity to engage in the diagnosis and treatment of unrelated medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, coronary heart disease. 

Psyche introduces the major mental disorders.  These include:

Disturbances of Affect

Mood Disorderd
Anxiety Disorders
Adjustment Disorders

Disturbances of Cognitive Operations

Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective Disorder
Delusional Disorder
Delirium
Dementia
Amnestic Disorder
Mental Retardation
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Learning Disorders
Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Disturbances in Behavior

Substance Abuse Disorders
Eating Disorders
Conduct Disorders
Personality Disorders
Impulse Control Disorders
Tic Disorders
Somatoform Disorders
Psychological Factors Affecting Medical Conditions
Dissociative Disorders
Factitious Disorders
Malingering