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 resemble psychiatric disorders, such as thyroid problems, B12 deficiency, infections, head injuries, and effects from medicines, highlighting warning signs, screening methods, and the need for teamwork with primary health care providers in Uganda.
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 principles of psychiatric diagnosis, focusing on symptom descriptions, long-term patterns, co-existing conditions, and cultural influences, while teaching a systematic approach to differential diagnosis that prioritises safety, treatability, and areas of uncertainty in diagnosis.
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 featuresThis lesson explains how to identify bipolar spectrum disorders, including mild hypomania, mixed episodes, and unusual depression, stressing changes in sleep, energy levels, and activities, along with patterns over time and differences from single-episode depression and 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 statesThis lesson looks at distinguishing primary psychotic disorders from those caused by substances, withdrawal, delirium, or other sudden confusion states, using factors like onset, duration, awareness, thinking ability, and related medical signs to direct urgent care decisions in local clinics.
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)This lesson introduces important structured tools and scales for clinic-based assessments, such as PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, CAGE and AUDIT for alcohol use, C-SSRS for suicide risk, and YMRS for mania, including how to use them, interpret results, their limits, and fitting them into clinical choices.
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 combine contributing, triggering, ongoing, and protective elements, and deciding between main and secondary diagnoses to shape treatment order and teamwork in care planning for Ugandan patients.
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 identifying alcohol, benzodiazepine, and opioid use disorders, concentrating on intoxication, withdrawal symptoms, and lasting impacts on mood, worry, thinking, and psychosis, plus how usage patterns complicate diagnosis and hide main disorders.
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 severityThis lesson explains DSM-5 and ICD-11 standards for Major Depressive Disorder, covering essential symptoms, time frame, additional features, and severity levels, and explores differences from grief, adjustment issues, bipolar depression, and medical 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 prognosisThis lesson investigates how family background, job pressures, loss of relationships, trauma, poverty, and cultural settings affect symptom start, progression, and treatment outcomes, aiding clinicians in refining diagnosis chances, risk levels, and future expectations.
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
