OVERVIEW

The course will provide elements of knowledge on the key principles of clinical psychopharmacology and then deal with the specific analysis of the major families of psychiatric drugs (mechanisms of action, clinical efficacy, choice criteria, collaterality).

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

- Knowledge of the general basics of clinical psychopharmacology and development of skills on clinical use of the majors classes of psychiatric drugs (action mechanism, classification, clinical indications, side effects)

- Acquisition through the study of the subject  of deep teamworking skills

- Ability to integrate knowledge to provide safe, effectiveness and evidence-based psychiatric rehabilitation interventions

- Understand how to monitor, prevent, deal with critical situations related to the clinical aggravation of a patient by promptly activating, if necessary, other professionists, with particular reference to the detection and proper management of the side effects associated with pharmacological treatment

- Acquire correct information on the management and goals of pharmacological treatment

- Acquire the ability to properly present your scientific knowledge

Teaching methods

Traditional lecture with examples on the clinical cases

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Introduction to clinical psycho-pharmacology 

      •      Psycho-pharmacology fields of clinical interests

      •      General aspects of neurotransmission

      •      General pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic principles

      •       Clinical criteria for choosing a psycho-pharmacological treatment 

 Antipsychotics

       •      Information on the pharmacological treatment of psychosis

       •      Antipsychotic action mechanism

       •      FGA and SGA

       •      Differences between different antipsychotics

• Interventions to improve adherence to treatment

       •     Use of long acting antipsychotics

Antidepressants

       •     General information on the treatment of depression

       •     Mechanism of action of antidepressants

       •     Classification and differences between antidepressants

       •     Phases of antidepressant treatment

   Anxiolytics

      •      General information on the treatment of anxiety

      •      Anxiolytic action mechanism

      •      Advantages and disadvantages in the clinical use of anxiolytics

Mood stabilizers

      •      General information on the treatment of bipolar disorder

      •      Definition of mood stabilizer

      •      Benefits and disadvantages in the clinical use of the main mood stabilizers (lithium, antiepilects, SGA)

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAFIA    S.M. Stahl “Psicofarmacologia essenziale”  II Ed. -  Centro Scientifico Ed. 2002

Il docente fornirà il materiale didattico delle lezioni

Exam Board

ANDREA AMERIO (President)

MARCO VAGGI

MARINA BELLOMO

MARIO AMORE

GIANLUCA SERAFINI (President and Coordinator of Integrated Course)

Teaching methods

Traditional lecture with examples on the clinical cases

LESSONS START

October

Exam description

Oral Interview. The score will be expressed in a thirty point  evaluation scale and will contribute to the average of the final grade of the Integrated Course.

Assessment methods

Knowledge of the subject and the ability to apply that knowledge to the professional practice of the specific profile will be assessed. It will also evaluate the specific capacity of appropriate technical language.

Exam schedule