INGLESE

English

The course is aimed at preparing a doctor capable of correctly identifying the main syndromes pertaining to Psychiatry, correctly setting up the appropriate treatment and/or referring complex cases, which require team work and integrated interventions, to the specialist.
The contents of the course include the discussion of the description of general psychopathology and the clinical examination in psychiatry, as essential tools for the diagnostic classification of the patient with psychiatric disorders.
The course includes the description of all the main diagnostic categories according to current classification systems, such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11. In particular, for each diagnostic category the main clinical characteristics, risk and protective factors, etiopathogenetic mechanisms, principles of therapy and prognostic factors will be presented. Furthermore, the course will provide essential knowledge in the field of psychopharmacology, with the presentation of the main categories of drugs used in mental health, with a description of the mechanisms of action of the various pharmacological classes, of the tolerability and collaterality profiles. Furthermore, the topic of healthcare organization in psychiatry as well as treatments in the absence of consent with the hospitalization procedure under compulsory healthcare treatment (TSO) are addressed in the course, with a reference to the legislative structure in the field of mental health. Therefore, the main lines of study include the description of basic psychopathology, the study of the clinical characteristics of disorders and the principles of therapy.

Tasman's Psychiatry, 5th Edition, 2023
Diagnostic and statistic manual for mental disorders, fifth edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR)
World Health Organization (2019/2021), International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (11th ed.), https://icd.who.int.

The objectives of the course includes to acquire adequate knowledge in the field of mental health, with a specific focus on the evaluation of symptoms and signs of interest in Psychiatry and classification of mental disorders; to formulate a diagnosis of a mental disorder, through the application of the acquired knowledge. Furthermore, the student will learn to improve their communication skills, essential for conducting interviews in psychiatry. Finally, the objectives include being able to set up an integrated treatment for the management of patients with severe mental disorders

Basic knowledge includes clinical psychology and ethics in medicine

Classroom lessons and Practical activities, clinical case discussion

The oral examination aims to assess student’s knowledge about main psychiatric syndromes and the therapeutic options available for their treatment. It will take place with an oral interview divided into questions on the program of the course that will aim at assess the level of knowledge of the main psychopathological manifestations of psychiatric disorders and the main pharmacological and non-pharmacological available treatments.
Furthermore, during the interview the ability to connect the various notions learned will be assessed, as will the adoption of appropriate specialist language, in a manner consistent with the training objectives

Presentations are available upon request. For students not attending, it should be useful to be in contact with the Professor in order to get updates on materials provided (if any)

- Basics of psychopathology. Psychopathology of Perception, Mood, Emotions and Cognition.
-Clinical interview in psychiatry. The approach to the psychiatric patient. The first interview. The history: sources of information and relevant data. The psychological examination (1 CFU).

-Primary psychosis. Nosographic aspects. Schizophrenia: Diagnosis, clinical characteristics and course, biological correlates and etiopathogenesis. Chronic delusional syndromes. Schizoaffective Disorder.
-Anxiety syndromes. Classification. Panic disorder. Phobias. The generalized anxiety syndrome. Biological correlates and etiology of anxiety syndromes.
-Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychopathology of obsessions and compulsions. The "spectrum" of obsessive-compulsive phenomena. Clinical picture, course and prognosis. Biological correlates and etiopathogenesis.
-Mood disorders. Diagnostic and nosographic aspects. Major depressive episode. Depressive disorders. Manic episode. Bipolar syndromes. Dysthymia and cyclothymia. Biological correlates and etiopathogenesis of mood syndromes.
-The Dementias. Aging and dementia. Epidemiological data. The classification of dementias. Clinical and instrumental semiotics. Clinical pictures and course of main dementia syndromes. The biology of dementia.
-Delirium. Pathogenetic factors. Clinical picture. Differential diagnosis. Prognosis.
-Concept of stress. Post-traumatic stress disorder.
-Eating behavior and its disorders. The biological basis of eating behavior. Clinical pictures of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa. Treatment of eating disorders (3 CFU).

-Antipsychotic drugs and their use in clinical practice. Classification of antipsychotic drugs. Mechanisms of action. Pharmacokinetics. Side effects. Anticholinergics. Atypical antipsychotics. The long-acting antipsychotics.
-Anxiolytic drugs and their use in clinical practice. Biochemistry, pharmacokinetics, metabolism of benzodiazepines. Classification of benzodiazepines. Side effects. Addiction and dependence. Non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics.
-I Antidepressant drugs and their use in clinical practice. Classification of antidepressant drugs. Mechanisms of action. Pharmacokinetics. Side effects.
-Lithium: indications, mechanism of action, side effects, contraindications. The predictors of response to treatment with lithium. The management of long-term treatment with lithium. Anticonvulsants (2 CFU).

-Basics of psychotherapy. Specific and non-specific factors in psychotherapy. Risks and side effects of psychotherapy. The evaluation of the results. Cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy. Clinical indications of psychotherapies.
-Family psychoeducational interventions.
-Psychiatric care in Italy. The "places" of psychiatric care. Prevention and rehabilitation. The psychiatric legislation (1 CFU).