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Unit of study_
BMRI5019: Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
2025 unit information
This unit is designed for medical practitioners such as general practitioners, emergency physicians, physicians, paediatricians and surgeons. Students will develop skills in the recognition and management of mental health conditions that frequently present in primary health and hospital settings. The unit will cover high prevalence mental disorders including mood, anxiety, stress and trauma-related disorders, including complex trauma as well as the low prevalence disorders such as psychosis. Managing psychiatric emergencies, the use of the Mental Health Act and medical comorbidites will be demonstrated. Students will develop skills in assessment, mental state examination, and the biopsychosocial approach to formulation, management and trauma-informed care. The range of evidence-based pharmacological, biopsychosocial and lifestyle interventions for mental disorders will be introduced. Other topics will include somatic presentations of psychological and psychosocial problems, addiction medicine, old age psychiatry, youth mental health and doctors' health. Students will participate in casebased learning activities and assessments.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Brain and Mind Science |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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BMRI5003 or BMRI5050 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Outline the process and important elements of a psychiatric assessment and apply these as appropriate in routine clinical practice
- LO2. Diagnose patients presenting with major categories of mental illness including psychosis & schizophrenia, mood, anxiety and personality disorders and recommend evidence-based treatments according to a biopsychosocial framework
- LO3. Describe the common aetiological and protective factors which influence the development of mental illness including biological and psychosocial factors such as complex trauma, and apply this knowledge in understanding the presentation of individual patients
- LO4. Respond effectively to psychiatric emergencies including interpersonal and medical skills and the application of the mental health act where necessary
- LO5. Discuss and apply the principles of therapeutic alliance, trauma-informed and recovery-focused care with patients presenting in acute or primary care settings
- LO6. Discuss the major principles of psychodynamics and cognitive-behaviour therapy.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
