The burden of mental health is in the community
General psychiatric
wards represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of population
disease burden. In order to truly understand psychiatry, you need
to appreciate how it is practised in the community. It would be
worth spending time within community teams exploring the possible
opportunities listedin the table at the end. Click here to learn how psychiatry developed from
asylums to the community-based model.
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Modern biological treatments
To understand the
biological treatments used in modern psychiatry, carry around a
copy of the British National Formulary (BNF) and look up any
medications you see prescribed as you go along. Make use of the
Maudsley prescribing guidelines in order to look up indications for
treatments. It would be useful to attend an electroconvulsive
therapy (ECT) session at a local hospital. Click here to
learn how modern biological treatments developed.
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Psychotherapy within psychiatry
One interesting
development that has set psychiatry apart from other medical
specialties has been the allied development of
psychotherapy as part and 'partner' of psychiatry. It is worth
reading about the basics of psychotherapy, that is
the principles of Freudian theory and the concepts of
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). To understand treatment of
real cases, speak to specialty trainees as well as psychologists
about examples of cases they have worked with. Click here
to learn about the importance of psychotherapy in
psychiatry.
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Dr Meinou Simmons
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Page last updated on 16 May 2010 by E
Baker-Glenn