NOTE:  COMPLETE OBJECTIVES ARE FOUND ON THIS PAGE AFTER THE LINKS.  FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING LINKS. 

Psychiatric Assessment and Diagnosis

1. Understand the purpose of diagnosis and classification.
2. What advantages and disadvantages are present in the DSM approach.
3. Identify the five axes of the DSM-IV multi-axial system and be able to give examples for each axis.
4. Understand various interview techniques and know where to apply them.
5. Know the format of a complete psychiatric write-up.
6. Describe the components of a mental status exam.
7. Know the difference between open-ended, unstructured questions and closed-ended, structured questions, and when each should be used?
8. Differentiate mood and affect.
9. Discuss different forms of disordered thought processing.
10. Distinguish obsessions from compulsions and from delusions?
11. Describe the components of the biopsychosocial model and the purpose of this model.

Laboratory Testing

1. Be familiar with the ECT workup, need for CT vs. MRI scans, and the uses
   of functional neuroimaging in psychiatry.
2. Understand the general medical workup and its importance in psychiatry.
3. Understand the uses of laboratory tests in medication monitoring.
4. Understand the uses of laboratory tests in differential diagnosis.
5. Understand the uses of laboratory tests when using lithium, carbamazepine,
   or valproic acid. Know which tests are important to check before starting
   these medications and which are important to monitor while using these medications.

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Psychological and Other Testing

1. Describe the uses of psychological testing.
2. Describe and differentiate among intelligence tests, achievement tests, aptitude tests, tests of adaptive behavior, vocational skills and interest, neuropsychological tests, personality tests, and semi-structured diagnostic interviews.
3. Briefly describe the MMPI. What kind of test is it and what are its uses in
   both psychiatric and general medicine services.
4. Discuss when and how a physician should refer a patient for psychological testing.

Cognitive Disorders

1. What are the basic clinical characteristics of delirium (including definition, signs and symptoms, pathogenesis, etiology, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and treatment and management)?
2. What are the basic clinical characteristics of dementia (including definition, signs and symptoms, classification, pathogenesis, etiology, diagnosis and differential diagnoses, and treatment and management)?
3. What are the basic clinical characteristics of amnestic disorder?
4. Describe when and how to use the Mini-Mental-Status Examination. Know the components of the MMSE.
5. When do you use laboratory tests? What tests do you use?

Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders

1. What are the basic clinical characteristics of schizophrenia (including definition, signs and symptoms, presumed etiology, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, treatment and management)?
2. What are the basic clinical characteristics of other Psychotic Disorders?

Personality Disorders

1. Differentiate between personality traits and personality disorders.
2. What are the major components shared by all personality disorders?
3. What are the basic treatment strategies for the personality disorders?
4. In general, what are the descriptive features for each personality disorder?

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Mood Disorders

1. Identity the mood disorders described in DSM-IV.
2. Describe dysthymia and "double depression".
3. Describe the diagnostic criteria for major depression.
4. What is atypical depression?
5. Describe the sleep abnormalities and EEG changes that accompany major depression.
6. What is the DST and what are its limitations?
7. Describe the diurnal variation in depressed patients.
8. Discuss the catecholamine hypotheses of depression.
9. What are the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder, type I?
10. Distinguish mania, hypomania, bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia.
11. Identify the factors and "red flags" indicating higher risk of suicide.
12. Discuss the usage and side-effect concerns of the tricyclic antidepressants,
    bupropion, SSRI's, MAOI's, psycho stimulants, ECT, and other newer
    antidepressants, e.g. effexor, remeron.
13. Discuss the usage and side-effect concerns of the main mood stabilizing
    medications: lithium, depakote, tegretol.

Anxiety Disorders

1. Describe the major diagnostic features of the following:
       a) panic disorder with and without agoraphobia,
       b) social phobia,
       c) specific phobia,
       d) obsessive-compulsive disorder,
       e) post-traumatic stress disorder,
       f) generalized anxiety disorder, and
       g) acute distress disorder.
2. Discuss the pharmacologic and cognitive-behavioral treatment strategies for the above disorders.

Somatoform Disorders, Factitious Disorders, and Malingering

1. What is somatization?
2. Discuss the various potential motivations for somatization.
3. Discuss principles of clinical management of somatization.
4. What characterizes somatoform disorders?
5. Differentiate somatoform disorder, factitious disorder, and malingering
6. What is the most important diagnostic feature of somatization disorder?
7. What are the diagnostic criteria for conversion disorder?
8. Discuss the distinguishing features for pain disorder associated with psychological factors.
9. Discuss the clinical management of pain disorder associated with psychological factors.
10. Identify the distinguishing characteristics of hypochondriasis.
11. Discuss the important issues in the clinical management of hypochondriasis.
12. Identify the distinguishing characteristics of body dysmorphic disorder
13. Discuss the distinguishing features of factitious disorder.
14. What is Munchausen Syndrome.
15. Discuss the clinical management of factitious disorder.
16. Describe the distinguishing characteristics of malingering and identify the one essential clinical feature.

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Substance Use Disorders

1. Define the spectrum of alcohol-related disorders.
2. Describe the concept of dual diagnosis and its contribution to the difficulty of treatment.
3. Describe the key elements of acute management of intoxication and withdrawal
   of specific psychoactive substances.
4. Under what circumstances should treatment of withdrawal from alcohol take place in an inpatient setting?
5. Identify the risk factors for development of psychoactive substance use disorders.
6. What are the criteria from DSM-IV for the diagnosis of psychoactive substance use disorders?
7. Define dependence, abuse, tolerance, intoxication, withdrawal, delirium tremens, blackout.
8. Describe Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis.
9. Be familiar with medical complications associated with alcoholism.
10. Identify the eleven distinct classes of psychoactive substances designated by DSM-IV.
11. Define polysubstance dependence and abuse.
12. What are the key elements of an effective diagnostic interview.
13. Describe the use of CAGE as a screening tool.
14. Describe what laboratory tests should be ordered during a diagnostic work-up
    involving alcohol and substance abuse and why.
15. Describe the role of the family in the treatment process.
16. Be familiar with the use of disulfiram (antabuse) and naltrexone (revia/formerly called trexan) in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
17. Be familiar with the use of methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone in the management of opioid dependence.
18. Discuss the impact of the physician's attitude upon treatment.
19. Discuss the benefit and purpose for 12-step self-help programs.
20. Discuss the difference between self-help programs and substance abuse treatment.

Neurobiology of Mental Illness

1. What is the prefrontal cortex and what functions does it serve?
2. What is the limbic system and what functions might it serve?
3. Be familiar with the neurobiology of memory and attention.
4. What is the glutamate hypothesis of psychosis?
5. Discuss the dopamine and hypofrontality hypotheses associated with schizophrenia.
6. What is a second messenger? Be able to discuss one example.

Geriatric Psychiatry

1. Identify Erikson's eight stages of human development and discuss especially the
   stage that is relevant to late life.
2. Discuss the range of life stresses facing aging individuals and give examples of
   ways in which individuals may cope with these.
3. Discuss ways in which aging effects the different areas of cognitive functioning.
4. Identify the various types of dementia in the elderly and the relative proportion
   of all dementia cases.
5. What are the distinguishing features of mood disorders in the elderly?
6. What are the alterations in metabolism and drug sensitivity that occur with aging?
7. Identify the special problems associated with the use of neuroleptics, anti-depressants, and anxiolytic drugs in the elderly.

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Eating Disorders

1. What are the signs and symptoms of the eating disorders?
2. Describe the major biological, psychological, and social factors which are
   thought to contribute to the development and etiology of eating disorders.
3. What are the major psychotherapeutic approaches used in the treatment of
   anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa?
4. Describe the utility of pharmacotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of
   anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Dissociative Disorders

1. What is dissociation?
2. Differentiate the four specified dissociative disorders.
3. Discuss the differential diagnosis of amnestic states.
4. Discuss the differential diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder.
5. What is depersonalization and under what conditions may it occur?
6. What is derealization and how does it differ from depersonalization?
7. What are some of the treatment options for dissociative disorders?
8. Discuss the role of the non-psychiatric physician in responding to patients with dissociative disorders.

Sexual Disorders

1. Define the sexual dysfunctions: disorders of desire, disorders of arousal,
   disorders of orgasm, sexual pain disorders.
2. Describe some of the psychological and physical causes of sexual dysfunctions.
3. Describe treatment approaches to sexual dysfunctions.
4. Describe the major paraphilias and their diagnostic criteria.
5. Describe treatment approaches to paraphilias.

Suicide and Violent Behaviors

1. Be able to describe some general differences between suicide attempters and suicide completers.
2. Be able to describe the risk factors for suicide and violence.
3. Discuss the biology of suicide and how that knowledge might help in treatment.
4. Describe management principles for the suicide patient and for the violent patient.

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Psychiatric Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence

1. Be familiar with the mental disorders that more typically arise in childhood and adolescence.
2. Describe the components of the biopsychosocial model in pediatric psychiatry.
3. What are common psychological and educational test instruments useful in childhood assessment?
4. What are the common medications used to treat ADHD?
5. What are the common side effects of stimulant medication?
6. Describe the potential adverse EKG changes induced by tricyclic antidepressants such as desipramine.
7. What are the categories of mental retardation?
8. What are the types of specific developmental disorder?
9. Discuss causative factors in noncompliance with psychiatric treatment in children and adolescents.
10. What are the distinguishing features of ADHD and childhood mania?
11. Be able to discuss features of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

Psychosocial Treatments

1. Describe the goals and techniques associated with the psychodynamic psychotherapies.
2. Describe the goals and techniques of cognitive therapy.     
3. Describe the goals and techniques of supportive psychotherapy.
4. Describe the goals and techniques of behavior therapy.
5. Describe the goals and techniques of group therapy, family therapy, couples therapy,
   and social skills training.
6. Be familiar with common defense mechanisms and coping mechanisms.

Somatic Treatments

1. Discuss the basic principles of proper use of psychotropic medications, including:
       a) diagnostic indications,
       b) choice of medication,
       c) medication adverse effects,
       d) treatment of adverse effects.
       e) medication interactions.
2. Be familiar with the types & categories of antidepressants, mood stabilizing medications, anxiolytics & other antianxiety medications, antipsychotic medications, and psychostimulants.
3. What is the difference between typical and atypical antipsychotics medications?
4. What is the difference between high potency and low potency antipsychotics?
5. What are the proper uses and the risks associated with the use of benzodiazepines?
6. What are indications for ECT and how effective is ECT?

Legal and Ethical Issues 

1. Be familiar with the Tarasoff ruling and the "duty to protect".
2. Be familiar with the M'Naghten rule and how it is applied?
3. Discuss the assessment of competency.
4. Be familiar with common categories of competency.
5. Be able to describe the elements of informed consent.
6. Be able to discuss the right to refuse treatment and the right to treatment.
7. Be able to discuss issues of confidentiality and mandatory reporting.
8. Be familiar with issues of sexual misconduct in the doctor-patient relationship.
9. Be familiar with issues of sexual harrassment.

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Psychiatric Aspects of Medical Practice

1. Discuss common psychological reactions to medical illness and treatment.
2. Differentiate between normal and pathological grief and distinguish grief from depression.
3. Discuss physicians' reactions to dying patients and appropriate ways to intervene with dying patients.
4. Which common drugs cause psychiatric symptoms?
5. Which medical disorders cause psychiatric symptoms?
6. Describe ways to prepare the patient for, and appropriate ways to request psychiatric consultation.

Psychiatric Aspects of Acquired Immuodeficiency Syndrome 

1. Be familiar with risk factors associated with HIV infection.
2. Describe the neuropsychiatric complications of HIV infection.
3. Discuss the psychological aspects of HIV infection.
4. Describe the types of help that are available to HIV patients for the neuropsychiatric manifestations of their illness.

Sleep Disorders

1. Differentiate the various stages of sleep.
2. Differentiate dysomnias from parasomnias.
3. Discuss REM and NREM sleep.
4. Know the difference between night terror and nightmare.
5. What are some of the ways to improve sleep hygiene?
6. What are the predisposing factors for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome?
7. What are the two types of sleep apnea syndrome and how do they differ?
8. Be familiar with the neuropsychological implications of sleep deficiency and impairment.
9. Be able to describe narcolepsy and common treatment options.
10. What are some of the common pharmacologic agents that can cause insomnia?
11. What are some of the common pharmacologic agents that can cause excessive daytime sleepiness?
12. Discuss the use of various hypnotic agents in the treatment of sleep disorders.

Basic Principles of Pain Management

1. Discuss the proper use of narcotic analgesics in the treatment of severe pain
   and identify the common problems related to dose and frequency.
2. Discuss the phenomenon of tolerance and its potential impact on required analgesic dosage.
3. Discuss the recognition and management of narcotic withdrawal.
4. Discuss the role of anxiety and depression in pain management and the
   feedback loop that may develop.
5. Identify the issues of concern in conducting a psychosocial assessment in pain patients.
6. Be familiar with cognitive-behavioral treatment strategies for chronic pain patients.

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Adjustment and Impulse Control Disorders

1. Discuss the key features of adjustment disorders and the six types of maladaptive
   responses that may occur in relation to a psychosocial stressor.
2. Be familiar with the impulse control disorders and their criteria.
3. Be familiar with treatment strategies for the various impulse control disorders.
4. Be able to describe a differential of other psychiatric disorders which include impulsive behaviors.