Lesson 1Medical and neurological mimics of psychiatric presentations: thyroid, B12, infection, head injury, and medication-induced symptomsLooks at common medical and brain conditions mimicking mental health issues like thyroid problems, B12 shortage, infections, head injuries, and drug side effects, highlighting warning signs, basic tests, and teamwork with local clinics.
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 formulationCovers basic rules of mental health diagnosis, focusing on symptoms, long-term patterns, overlapping conditions, and cultural factors, teaching a clear method to prioritise safety, treatment options, and areas of doubt.
Phenomenological description of symptoms and signsLongitudinal course and life-stage considerationsComorbidity and overlapping symptom clustersCultural formulation and explanatory modelsPrioritizing safety and treatable conditions firstCommunicating diagnostic uncertainty to patientsLesson 3Bipolar spectrum and bipolar depression: signs suggesting hypomania/mania, sleep and activity changes, and differential featuresExplains spotting bipolar conditions, including mild highs, mixed moods, and unusual depression, stressing sleep shifts, energy surges, activity changes, patterns over time, and differences from single-episode depression or personality issues.
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 statesShows how to tell true psychotic illnesses from those caused by drugs, withdrawal, confusion states, using start time, progression, awareness, thinking skills, and linked health signs to make quick care choices.
Core features of schizophrenia spectrum disordersTemporal relationship between substance use and psychosisRecognizing delirium and fluctuating consciousnessCognitive testing and attention in acute confusionMedical workup for first-episode psychosisRisk assessment and need for urgent hospitalizationLesson 5Structured diagnostic tools and rating scales useful in outpatient assessment (PHQ-9, GAD-7, CAGE/AUDIT, C-SSRS, YMRS)Introduces main tools and scales for clinic checks like PHQ-9, GAD-7, CAGE, AUDIT, C-SSRS, YMRS, with tips on use, reading results, limits, and fitting into everyday decisions.
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 diagnosesTeaches building full mind-body-social explanations linking triggers, ongoing factors, protections, and balancing main vs side diagnoses to sequence treatments and plan team care.
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 cognitionDeals with spotting alcohol, benzo, and opioid misuse, covering high states, coming down, long-term hits on mood, worry, thinking, and psychosis, plus how habits cloud true diagnoses.
Screening for alcohol, benzodiazepine, and opioid useIntoxication syndromes and acute behavioral 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 severityMakes clear DSM-5 and ICD-11 rules for major depression, listing must-have symptoms, time frames, extras, severity levels, and sorting from grief, stress reactions, bipolar lows, or body causes.
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 prognosisExamines family risks, job pressures, loss of loved ones, hardships like poverty, and community ways shaping symptoms, paths, and responses, aiding sharper risk and outlook guesses.
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
