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Master of Science (MSc) in Liaison Psychiatry: Integrative Care of Physical and Mental Health

CURRICULUM

Information

During their studies, postgraduate students have the following obligations:

  • According to the Academic Regulations, class attendance is compulsory and student attendance lists are maintained by the programme's secretariat. The right to participate in the exams is granted after completion of at least 80% of the hours of each course.

  • Preparation and presentation of a research Master's thesis.

  • Practicum at a Liaison Psychiatry department.

Courses are taught face to face and, if deemed necessary.

The courses are organized in semesters, take place on a weekly basis and are conducted in the Greek language.

 

COURSES

Courses' Information

1st Semester

   Introduction to Liaison Psychiatry: General Principles

  • Biopsychosocial Model, Psychosomatic Medicine, Liaison Psychiatry, Health Psychology: Introductory Elements
  • Basic concepts of Biopsychosocial Medicine and comparisons with other medical models.
  • The contribution of Psychosomatic Medicine to the development of Liaison Psychiatry.
  • Definition and distinction between Counseling and Liaison Psychiatry. Purpose of Liaison Counseling Psychiatry.
  • Implementation models and main tasks of the Liaison Psychiatry team.
  • The suite of services provided by Liaison Psychiatry in a modern general hospital – Procedural steps for examination by the Liaison Psychiatry team.
  • Attitudes and skills necessary for the Liaison Service practitioner.
  • Liaison Psychiatry: The meeting point of mind and body – Psychodynamic approach.
  • Interprofessional collaboration in the general hospital: The roles of the Psychologist, Nurse, and Social Worker.
  • Psychological reactions to chronic physical illness.
  • Personality and physical diseases.
  • Health behaviors, prevention, and health promotion.
  • Adherence to treatment.
  • Theoretical models for health and illness: Cognitive representations of illness

 

Assessment in Liaison Psychiatry

  •  Psychiatric assessment in the general hospital.
  • Diagnostic interview in Liaison Psychiatry.
  • Issues of differential diagnosis in Liaison Psychiatry.
  • Mental functions.
  • Evaluation of mental function disorders.
  • Psychometric evaluation.
  • Neuropsychological evaluation.
  • Evaluation of legal and ethical issues in Liaison Psychiatry practice.

 

 Research in Liaison Psychiatry

  •  Evidence-based Liaison Psychiatry: Introduction to Research Methodology
  • Literature search in databases.
  • Measuring disease frequency (morbidity and mortality indicators, the concept of person-time, etc.).
  • Comparing disease frequencies (etiological indicators – relative and absolute indicators, etc.).
  • Randomized studies/clinical trials.
  • Methodology for recording and assessing risk.
  • Formulating a research question.
  • Epidemiological designs.
  • Principles of Psychometrics, evaluation of psychometric tools.
  • Systematic review.
  • Meta-analysis.
  • Qualitative research methodology.
  • Formulating and writing a research protocol with a methodological approach.
  • Issues of Bioethics and ethics (Measurements and use of psychometric tools, writing research protocols, database management, Informed consent form, Special populations, etc.).
  • Presentation of results, plagiarism, scientific misconduct.
  • Critical study of scientific articles.

2nd Semester

Psychopathology, nosological entities and common clinical problems

  • Evaluation based on international classification systems (ICD, DSM)Acute organic psychosyndrome: Delirium.
  • The suicidal patient: Epidemiology.
  • The suicidal patient: Physical morbidity.
  • The suicidal patient: Management and prevention of suicides.
  • Anxiety disorders.
  • Dementia.
  • Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder.
  • Somatoform disorders.
  • Bipolar disorder.
  • Mood disorders: Depression.
  • Eating disorders.
  • Delusional disorder.
  • Personality disorders.
  • Sleep disorders.
  • Sexual disorders.
  • Sexuality and health: Sexual health in Liaison Psychiatry.
  • Substance use: Alcoholism.
  • Drug addiction (Substance dependencies).
  • Therapeutic relationship.

 

3rd Semester

Integrating Psychiatry with other medical specialties.

  • Infectious Diseases and Mental Health
  • Pulmonology and Mental Health.
  • Neurology and Mental Health.
  • Endocrinology (Diabetes and Depression).
  • Thyroid function disorders and calcium homeostasis disorders and their relationship with mental illnesses.
  • Neurology – Neurosurgery – Liaison Psychiatry issues.
  • Liaison Child Psychiatry – Adolescent Psychiatry.
  • Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder.
  • Surgery – Transplant surgery and Mental Health.
  • The role of stress in psychosomatic illnesses.
  • Rheumatology.
  • Nephrology – Hemodialysis and Mental Health.
  • Anesthesiology and Mental Health.
  • Cardiology and Mental Health.
  • Obstetrics – Gynecology and Mental Health.
  • Oncology and Mental Health: Breaking bad news.
  • Dermatology and Mental Health.
  • Intensive Care Unit and Mental Health.
  • Gastroenterology and Mental Health.
  • Orthopedics – Traumatology and Mental Health.
  • Plastic Surgery and Mental Health.

    Special categories of patients.

  • The severely and chronically ill child
  • Mother-child relationship.
  • The woman as a patient.
  • The dying patient.
  • The patient with chronic disability.
  • Psychogeriatrics issues.
  • The elderly patient in the general hospital.
  • The patient with psychogenic anorexia in the general hospital.
  • The "difficult" patient in the general hospital.
  • Cross-cultural issues.

    Psychiatric interventions.

  • Mental health and family: Principles of family functioning – psychosomatic illnesses
  • Psychiatric rehabilitation/Community-based care.
  • Interventions in addictions.
  • Psychopharmacology in the general hospital.
  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
  • The problem of hospitalizing a person with borderline personality disorder.
  • Communication with the patient (in general) – Competence in intercultural communication in a clinical context.
  • Psychoeducation: principles, philosophy, goals, applications in mental and physical illness.
  • Legal and ethical issues in Liaison Psychiatry.
  • Legal capacity in clinical practice.
  • Professional burnout: recognition and coping strategies.

4th Semester

    Principles of biomedical statistics.

This course provides both theoretical and practical training in biostatistics. It includes:

  • Descriptive Statistics: Techniques for summarizing and describing data, including measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of variability (range, variance, standard deviation). Investigating data distribution.
  • Inferential Statistics: Methods for drawing conclusions about populations based on sample data, including hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and p-values.
  • Regression Analysis: Linear and logistic regression, understanding the relationships between variables, and predictive modeling.
  • ANOVA (Analysis of Variance): Techniques for comparing means across multiple groups.
  • Evaluation of the Reliability of Psychometric Scales
  • Introduction to Mediation Analysis
  • Data Management: Techniques for organizing, managing, and cleaning data for statistical analysis.
  • Statistical Software: Practical training in using statistical software (e.g., SPSS) for data analysis.
  • Interpretation and Reporting: Skills for interpreting statistical results and effectively communicating findings in research papers and presentations.
  • Bioethics in Biostatistics: Understanding ethical issues in the design, analysis, and reporting of research.

 

 

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