Syllabus

Course name Psychiatry VIII semester

Lecturer surname, first Tamar Aladashvili, Invited Lecturer
name Phone: 599 27 45 47 Email: aladashvilitamar@yahoo.com
Consultation days are fixed weekly according to the timetable as well as online at the specified
address.
Course status Mandatory
ECTS credits 4 ECTS (1 credit - 25 hours) – 100 hrs.
Lecture 4 hours
Practical training 30 hours
Midterm exam 2 hours
Students’ workload
Final exam 3 hours
Total - 39 hours
Individual work – 61 hours
Course Prerequisite Neurology
Course Goal(s) The aim of the course is to prepare the medical student to recognize, diagnose, and care for
patients with psychiatric disorders encountered in most medical practices. Teach students general
pathologies of human psychology, their etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestation and
treatment methods.
Teaching-learning Lecture – a process in which both a lecturer and a student take part. The basic aim of the lecture is
forms to help students to comprehend the major notions of the subject taught which implies interaction
and creative and active perception of the material. Attention is paid to basic concepts, definitions,
designations, assumptions. The lecture provides scientific and logically consistent cognition of
basic logically complete concepts. Facts, examples, schemes, drafts, experiments, and other visual
aids help explain the idea conveyed by the lecture. The lecture ensures the correct analysis of the
scientific dialectical process and is based on the ability of the students to perceive and understand
main scientific problems.
Clerkship - a part of clinical rounds where both student and instructor attend the patient's bedside
to discuss the case and/or demonstrate a clinical procedure. This is the student's opportunity to see
how the attending physician relates to the patient and to get hands-on instruction in interviewing
a patient, physical examination, and counseling skills. In teaching in the patients’ presence,
learners have the opportunities to use all of their senses and learn the humanistic aspect of
medicine such as role modeling, which is vital but difficult to communicate in words. Students
practice and develop their skills at the simulation lab. on manikins, by role-playing, etc.
CBL (Case-based learning) - an approach where students apply their knowledge to real-world
scenarios, promoting higher levels of cognition. In CBL classrooms, students typically work in
groups on case studies, stories involving special cases and/or scenarios. The cases present a
disciplinary problem or problems for which students devise solutions under the guidance of the
instructor. CBL utilizes collaborative learning, facilitates the integration of learning, develops
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 students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn, encourages learner self-reflection and critical
reflection, allows for scientific inquiry, integrates knowledge and practice, and supports the
development of a variety of learning skills.

Demonstration of clinical skills – students practice and perform clinical and behavioral skills on
simulators, standardized patients, by role-playing, etc. and are evaluated by checklists.
Presentation of a clinical case – presentation of a patient’s case that facilitates students’ ability to
demonstrate effective clinical problem solving and judgement skills for addressing a patient’s
problems, ability to interpret available data and integrate information to generate differential
diagnosis and treatment plan. It consists of description of the patient’s case (case history), analysis
and synthesis of information (listing problems and differential diagnosis), case management
(diagnosis and treatment plan).
Quiz – written test – checking the assessment of specific cases within the studied material and
skills of integration of knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
General Competencies
Knowledge and Understanding:
A student will be able to:
 Provide with the deep and Systemic knowledge of the field area and its critical analysis that covers some modern
achievements of the sphere, provides basis for the development of new ideas.
Skills:
 Use modern methods and approaches while solving complicated problems in multidisciplinary environment.
 Analyze complex information, synthesize it, evaluate and make decisions.
 Communicate, including in a foreign language, able to listen, ask questions, and perform nonverbal communication.
Responsibility and Autonomy:
 Adapt to a new environment – use practical skills to work with colleagues, keep professional subordination, be able
to use new technologies.
 Manage the multidisciplinary environment and adapt by using new strategic approaches.

Field-Specific Knowledge
A student will:
 Determine psychiatric disorders and diseases, their classification.
 Describe the etiology, pathogenesis and clinical manifestation of psychiatric diseases.
 Deternube the methods of examination of psychiatric patients.
 Determine the methods of treatment of psychatric diseases.
Field-Specific Competencies
1. Carry out a consultation with a patient
 Use Patient-oriented interviewing skills for getting relevant biomedical and psychosocial information.
 Inquiring the information from other sources, including the patients’ family (in case the permission is granted by the
patient) and its analysis.
 Take history, perform a physical examination, select appropriate investigations, and interpret the results for the purpose
of diagnosis and management, disease prevention, and health promotion.
 Implement a patient-centered care plan that supports ongoing care, follow-up on investigations, response to treatment,
and further consultation.
 Communicate using a patient-centered approach that encourages patient trust and autonomy and is characterized by
empathy, respect, and compassion.
2. Assess clinical presentations, order investigations, make differential diagnoses, and negotiate a management plan
 Order appropriate investigations and interpret the results
 Make differential diagnoses

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  Interpret the results of examination, conduct differential diagnosis and determine evidence-based diagnosis.
4. Drug prescription
 Determine the relevant method of treatment based on the diagnosis and match appropriate drugs with clinical context.
 Consider compatibility of drugs before initiation of treatment. Prescribe drugs clearly and properly with consideration of
patient’s age.
6. Communicate effectively in a medical context
 Conduct effective communication with the patients and their relatives taking into account their cultural and ethnic
peculiarities, religious belief.
7. The use of ethical and legal principles in medical practice.
 Support the patients and defend their rights.
 Observe the principles of bioethics in relation with the patients.
 Communicate with the law enforcement bodies, their representatives and mass media.
 Apply principles of ethics in the patients’ treatment.
 Ensure privacy and protect confidentiality of the patient’s data and case.
8. Evaluation of psychological and social aspects regarding patients’ disease.
 Evaluate the psychological factors of disease detection and impacts on the patients
 Evaluate the social factors of disease detection and impacts on the patients
13. Professionalism
A student will know:
 Ability to recognize limits and ask for help
 Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
 Ability to communicate with experts in other disciplines
Assessment system

The grading system shall allow:

a) Five positive grades
a.a) (A) Excellent – 91-100 grade points;
a.b.) (B) Very good – 81-90 grade points;
a.c) (C) Good – 71-80 grade points;
a.d) (D) Satisfactory – 61-70 grade points;
a.e) (E) Acceptable – 51-60 grade points.

b) Two types of negative grades:

b.a) (FX) Fail – 41-50 grade points, meaning that a professional student requires some more work before passing
and is given a chance to sit an additional examination after independent work;
b.b) (F) Fail –40 and less grade points, meaning that the work of a professional student is not acceptable and
he/she has to study the subject anew.
In the case of FX assessment, the student can set for the make-up exam no less than 5 days after the
announcement of the examination results.

The minimum score for passing the midterm and final exams is 50% of the maximum score. The same applies to
the integrated course modules. In each module, the student must score 50% of the points assigned to each module.
If a student does not score the required points in a course or one or two modules of an integrated course, they are
eligible to take the makeup exam.

The minimum score for admission to the final exam is 50% of the sum of ongoing and midterm assessments.

If a student fails to pass the make-up exam, he/she will study the course / the whole integrated course (all
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modules) again.

In the case of failure of the make-up exam, a student shall study the course/integrated course again with all its
modules.
ASSESSMENT FORMS, COMPONENTS, METHODS AND CRITERIA

Interim evaluation Final exam evaluation Final evaluation

Activity 40 points Midterm Exam 20 points Final Exam 40 points 100 points

Quiz – 13 points Test – 20 points Test – 20 points

Demonstration of OSCE – 20 points
clinical skills – 12
points
Presentation of clinical
case – 15 points
Methods of assessment
Activity Quiz – is held once, max. 13 points
Each test consists of 26 MCQs (13 points) Each MCQ is evaluated by 0.5 point.

Rubric for MCQs:

Each correctly pointed answer earns 0.5 point.
Each incorrectly pointed answer earns 0 point.

Presentation of clinical case - max.15 points:

Selected clinical case is presented in a written form. One presentation is supposed to be made
during semester which is essessed maximum by 15 points.

Skills/Points 3 points 2 points 1 point

Most data are
Includes relevant past relevant with minor Data is either missing or
Case History case history details omitted superfluous
Symptoms are described
clearly using appropriate Most aspects of
Symptoms adjectives, location, symptoms are Description of
Description intensity and frequency described symptoms lacks details
Student attempts to
consider all
possibilities through
Student is able to point maintaining separate
to most relevant and conclusions in
possible diagnoses assessment that is not Student leaps to
Clinical supported with the supported with the conclusions, or blends
Judgement evidence evidence all symptoms together
Plans include Plans propose Some plans are offered,
appropriate tests and intended tests and or omit intended tests
Treatment treatment treatment and treatment

Consultations Consulted appropriate Consulted a common Some sources have been

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 or widely
sources, selected using used source to consulted to
models for evidence support plans. offer support to plans

Demonstration of clinical skills – each student is evaluated 3 times per semester, total – 12 points.
Rubric:
4 points – the evaluation is correct, the conclusion/diagnosis is correct, risks/complications are
correctly evaluated, the treatment/approach is correct.
3 points – the evaluation is correct, the conclusion/diagnosis is correct, risks/complications are
correctly evaluated, the treatment/approach is not correct.
2 points - the evaluation is correct, the conclusion/diagnosis is correct, risks/complications are not
correctly evaluated, the treatment/approach is not correct.
1 point - the evaluation is correct, the conclusion/diagnosis is not correct, risks/complications are
not correctly evaluated, the treatment/approach is not correct.
0 point - the evaluation is not correct, the conclusion/diagnosis is not correct, risks/complications
are not correctly evaluated, the treatment/approach is not correct.
Midterm Exam Mid-term exam – 20 points
Test consists of 20 MCQs and 5 open questions. Each close question is evaluated by 1 point and
each open question is evaluated with 2 points.
Rubric for open questions:
2 points - the student is well prepared, his/her knowledge of the topic is exhaustive; answers to
the questions are comprehensive, correct and provided with the reasoning; the student understand
and has thorough knowledge of the topic.
1 point – the student’s knowledge is poor, answers to the questions are not thoroughly supported
by the reasoning; the student has no understanding of the topic.
0 point -the student is not prepared, doesn’t know the topic; his/her answers are incorrect.

Rubric for MCQs:

Each correctly pointed answer earns 0.5 point.
Each incorrectly pointed answer earns 0 point
Final-term exam maximum point-40 points
Final Exam Test consists of 40 close and 10 open questions. Each close question is evaluated with 1
point and each open question is evaluated by 2 points.
Rubric for open questions:
2 points - the student is well prepared, his/her knowledge of the topic is exhaustive;
answers to the questions are comprehensive, correct and provided with the reasoning;
the student understand and has thorough knowledge of the topic.
1 point – the student’s knowledge is poor, answers to the questions are not thoroughly
supported by the reasoning; the student has no understanding of the topic.
0 point - the student is not prepared, doesn’t know the topic; his/her answers are
incorrect.

Rubric for close questions:

Each correctly pointed answer earns 0.5 point.
Each incorrectly pointed answer earns 0 point.
Textbook and course materials
Required literature Textbooks

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 1. Psychiatry, Third edition, Janis L. Cutler, 2014, Oxford University Press.
2. 100 Cases in Psychiatry, Barry Wright, Subodh Dave, Nisha Dogra, second edition, 2017,
CRC Press
Additional reading
3. Hughes’ Outline of Modern Psychiatry, Fifth edition, David Gill, 2007, John Wiley & Sons
Ltd.
4. Oxford Handbook of Psychiatry, David Semple, Roger Smyth, 2013, Oxford University
Press.

Course content

Study week Teaching-learning hours Topic

methods
I Lecture 2 Classification of psychiatric diseases; the patient’s interview; physical
Practical training 15 examination. Schizophrenia. Anxiety and stress-related disorders,
disorders with general anxiety; panic; agoraphobia; social phobia;
simple phobia. Obsessive-convulsive disorders; post-trauma stress;
disorders of adaptation. Paranoid states. management; culture-bound
syndroms. Non-fatal self-harm (parasuicide, attempted suicide).2CBL.
Midterm exam 2
II Lecture 2 Eating disorders; anorexia nervosa; Bulimia nervosa; obesity. cognitive-
Practical training 15 behavioural therapy (CBT). psychodynamic psychotherapy; group
therapy; family and marital therapy; recent advances.
Psychopharmacology. General principles of using psychotropic drugs.
Antipsychotics. Antidepressants. Antidepressants: tricyclic group.
Antidepressants: SSRI group. Antidepressants: MAOI group. Other
antidepressant drugs. Benzodiazepines. Mood stabilizers. Other drugs.
CBL. Quiz. Presentation of clinical case.
XVI-XVIII Final exam
XVII-XIX Make-up exam