Lesson 1Medical and neurological mimics of psychiatric presentations: thyroid, B12, infection, head injury, and medication-induced symptomsThis lesson examines common medical and neurological conditions that look like psychiatric problems, such as thyroid issues, B12 shortage, infections, head injuries, and drug side effects, highlighting warning signs, tests, and teamwork with local health workers.
Endocrine causes: thyroid, adrenal, and metabolic issuesNutritional and hematologic factors, including B12Infections, inflammation, and systemic illness effectsHead injury, seizures, and neurodegenerative diseaseMedication- and substance-induced psychiatric symptomsIndications for labs, imaging, and specialist referralLesson 2Principles of psychiatric diagnosis and differential formulationThis lesson covers basic rules for psychiatric diagnosis, focusing on symptom descriptions, long-term patterns, overlapping conditions, and cultural influences, teaching a step-by-step approach to formulations that prioritises safety, treatability, and uncertainties in diverse settings.
Phenomenological description of symptoms and signsLongitudinal course and life-stage considerationsComorbidity and overlapping symptom clustersCultural formulation and explanatory modelsPrioritising safety and treatable conditions firstCommunicating diagnostic uncertainty to patientsLesson 3Bipolar spectrum and bipolar depression: signs suggesting hypomania/mania, sleep and activity changes, and differential featuresThis lesson explains how to spot bipolar conditions, including mild hypomania, mixed episodes, and unusual depression, stressing changes in sleep, energy, activities, patterns over time, and differences from single-episode depression and personality issues common in Ghana.
Clinical features of hypomania and maniaSleep, circadian rhythm, and activity pattern changesCourse patterns: episodicity, polarity, and seasonalityDifferentiating bipolar from unipolar depressionMixed features and rapid cycling presentationsScreening tools and collateral history for bipolarityLesson 4Primary psychotic disorders vs substance/withdrawal-induced psychosis and acute confusional statesThis lesson shows how to tell primary psychotic disorders apart from those caused by substances, withdrawal, delirium, or confusion, using onset timing, progression, awareness, thinking, and medical signs to make quick management choices in busy clinics.
Core features of schizophrenia spectrum disordersTemporal relationship between substance use and psychosisRecognising delirium and fluctuating consciousnessCognitive testing and attention in acute confusionMedical workup for first-episode psychosisRisk assessment and need for urgent hospitalisationLesson 5Structured diagnostic tools and rating scales useful in outpatient assessment (PHQ-9, GAD-7, CAGE/AUDIT, C-SSRS, YMRS)This lesson introduces important tools and scales for clinic assessments, like PHQ-9, GAD-7, CAGE, AUDIT, C-SSRS, and YMRS, with tips on how to use them, interpret results, note limits, and fit them into everyday decisions for Ghanaian patients.
Selecting appropriate screening and rating instrumentsUsing PHQ-9 and GAD-7 in routine assessmentCAGE and AUDIT for alcohol use identificationC-SSRS for suicide risk screening and monitoringYMRS and other mania rating scalesDocumenting and tracking scores over timeLesson 6Formulating multi-factorial etiologies: biopsychosocial integration and weighing primary versus secondary diagnosesThis lesson teaches building biopsychosocial explanations that blend risk factors, triggers, ongoing issues, and strengths, and how to balance main versus related diagnoses to sequence treatments and plan team care in resource-limited settings.
Predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, protective modelBiological factors: genetics, neurobiology, medical illnessPsychological factors: traits, coping, trauma, beliefsSocial factors: relationships, work, culture, resourcesWeighing primary versus secondary diagnosesLinking formulation to treatment and prognosisLesson 7Substance use disorders and pattern recognition: alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids effects on mood and cognitionThis lesson discusses spotting alcohol, benzodiazepine, and opioid use problems, focusing on intoxication, withdrawal, and lasting effects on mood, worry, thinking, and psychosis, and how use patterns confuse diagnoses and hide main issues in local communities.
Screening for alcohol, benzodiazepine, and opioid useIntoxication syndromes and acute behavioural changesWithdrawal states and rebound anxiety or agitationSubstance-induced mood and cognitive symptomsDistinguishing primary from substance-induced disordersAssessing severity, tolerance, and functional impactLesson 8Diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (DSM-5 / ICD-11): core symptoms, specifiers, duration, and severityThis lesson clarifies DSM-5 and ICD-11 rules for Major Depressive Disorder, covering needed symptoms, length, types, and severity levels, and compares with grief, adjustment issues, bipolar depression, and health causes relevant to Ghanaian experiences.
Core mood, cognitive, and somatic symptomsDuration, impairment, and exclusion criteriaSpecifiers: melancholic, atypical, psychotic, anxiousSeverity assessment: mild, moderate, severeDifferentiating MDD from grief and adjustment disorderDistinguishing MDD from bipolar and medical causesLesson 9How family history, occupational stressors, relationship loss, and social determinants modify diagnostic probability and prognosisThis lesson explores how family background, job pressures, loss of loved ones, trauma, poverty, and cultural settings affect symptom start, progression, and treatment success, aiding doctors to adjust diagnosis chances, risks, and future outlooks accurately.
Eliciting detailed family psychiatric and substance historyAssessing occupational stress, burnout, and job insecurityImpact of bereavement, separation, and attachment lossSocial determinants: housing, income, discrimination, migrationCultural and religious factors in symptom expressionIntegrating contextual risks into prognosis and planning
