This course introduces students to a wide range of psychiatric disorders. You will learn about the diagnosis and phenomenology of common mental disorders. You will learn how psychiatric syndromes are frequently linked to one another, and especially how alcohol and drug use and other medical conditions may mimic idiopathic mental disorders. Specifically, for each of the mental disorders taught you should know:
1) The cardinal features of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th ed (DSM-IV) diagnosis
2) The differential diagnosis of each disorder
3) Which medical conditions may mimic the psychiatric disorder
4) How each disorder overlaps with similar disorders and how it is distinct
5) The common co-morbid mental disorders that accompany each illness
6) The mental status findings that accompany each mental disorder
7) Primary treatments for each disorder
8) Biology and epidemiology fundamentals (as outlined in lectures) One small group will focus on learning the mental status examination. For the mental status exam you should know each element of the mental status exam and what each element represents.
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