Place In Psychiatry Research Articles

Enhancing Medical Student Experience in Psychiatry Placement in Stockport: A Quality Improvement Project

Enhancing Medical Student Experience in Psychiatry Placement in Stockport: A Quality Improvement Project

The new Foundation Programme Mental Health Curriculum: foundation doctors' perceptions of its importance and their competency: pre-post psychiatric placement evaluation study.

The new 2021 UK Foundation Programme Curriculum mandates foundation doctors to acquire mental health competencies. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psychiatry placements in facilitating competency attainment, foundation doctors' perceived importance of acquiring these and their preferred teaching methods. Utilising Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework, the study employed a pre-post intervention design assessing the impact of psychiatry placements on 135 foundation doctors across three cohorts from August 2021 to March 2022. Initially, foundation doctors assigned high importance to mental health competencies. Post-placements, this perceived importance improved slightly, whereas that of clinical skills scenarios slightly decreased. Significant confidence increases were observed in recognising and assessing specific psychiatric disorders. Foundation doctors favoured small seminar groups and on-the-job ad hoc teaching. Qualitative insights underscored the need for context-specific teaching. Psychiatry placements enhance foundation doctors' confidence and perceived importance of mental health competencies as specified by the curriculum. Addressing clinical scenario gaps through context-specific teaching and transferable skills development is essential. Customised teaching approaches, especially small seminars and ad hoc teaching, hold promise for effective mental health training.

Teaching, assessment and best practice in undergraduate psychiatry education in the UK: cross-sectional survey.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey to examine how undergraduate psychiatry is taught and assessed across medical schools in the UK that have at least one cohort of graduated students. In total, 27 medical schools completed the survey. Curriculum coverage of common mental disorders, assessment skills and mental health law was broadly consistent, although exposure to psychiatric subspecialties varied. Significant variation existed regarding the duration of psychiatry placements and availability of enrichment activities. Small-group teaching, lectures and e-learning were the most frequent teaching modalities and various professionals and lived experience educators (patient and/or carers) contributed to teaching. Objective structured clinical examinations and multiple-choice questions dominated assessments. Medical schools should consider increasing students' exposure to different psychiatric subspecialties and integrating physical and mental health training to address comorbidity and promote holistic care. Future research should explore whether specific undergraduate experiences promote greater career interest and skills in psychiatry.

Attitudes of medical students to electroconvulsive therapy

PurposeThis study aims to explore medical students’ attitudes to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The authors sought to determine correlates of baseline attitudes to ECT and whether specific forms of ECT teaching improved attitudes to ECT during students’ psychiatry placement.Design/methodology/approachAt the beginning of their placement, fourth-year medical students completed a questionnaire capturing background information and baseline attitudes. A second questionnaire, in the second half of the placement, recorded educational and clinical experience gained on ECT during placement, in addition to attitudes at this timepoint. The authors measured attitude using a five-point Likert scale and defined a positive shift in attitude as an improvement of ≥ 1 point between the two time points.FindingsAt Timepoint 1, 66% reported a positive attitude to ECT. This was associated with having attended a lecture and with having read a professional article on ECT at some time before the psychiatry placement. Attitudes significantly improved during the placement (66% vs 95% positive). Students who attended a lecture on ECT were more likely to have a positive shift in attitude, as were students who experienced three or more teaching modalities.Practical implicationsPersonal, social and medical problems arise from treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. ECT is a safe and effective treatment for such disorders.Originality/valueIt is hoped that this study will contribute to the development of medical education, so that lectures on ECT, and three or more teaching modalities, are incorporated into the undergraduate medical curriculum.

What place for ethics in psychiatry?

At a time when healthcare establishments are facing sensitive financial and institutional challenges, how can ethics be given a place in psychiatry? Insociety, ethical debates focus on surrogate motherhood, active euthanasia or assisted suicide, and embryo research. In psychiatry, the question often crystallizes around violent incidents that are hardly representative of the daily lives of professionals and patients. Militant discourse prevails over listening to the people concerned. The law requires establishments to reflect on the ethical issues raised by the reception and medical care of patients, without specifying the boundaries. Ethics in healthcare facilities focuses on care situations - what is possible or desirable - with no single theoretical model to serve as an example to follow.

Hunting for Pearls: A Qualitative Analysis of the Reflections of Students Creating Psychiatric Podcasts.

This paper aims to explore medical student experiences of creating a peer-to-peer psychiatry educational podcast. During psychiatry placement, ten year-4 University of Bristol medical students created peer-educational multi-episode podcasts on psychiatric topics. Following completion, they submitted reflective essays on their experiences. Qualitative thematic analysis of these essays was completed by two independent authors. Following data familiarisation, authors independently generated codes that were collated into relevant themes. Upon reaching thematic saturation, findings were collated, and member checking was carried out to confirm the validity of findings. Themes included effective preparation, choosing content, podcast production, enhancing learning, the weight of responsibility and creating educational support networks. All students found podcast creation to be beneficial for personal learning. Exploration of students' experiences creating podcasts can support clearer guidance for medical podcast production, providing opportunities for educators to optimise podcast creation efficiency and educational effectiveness.

Foundation Trainees and Their Perceived Confidence in Practicing Mental Health Competencies Post Their Psychiatry Placements: An Evaluation Study

AimsThe new United Kingdom Foundation Programme Curriculum was implemented in 2021 and emphasizes the importance of Foundation Trainees (FTs) acquiring mandatory core skills and knowledge in mental health. The primary aim of this evaluation study is to assess the effectiveness of Maudsley's Training Programme in teaching these skills. Secondarily, it looks at FTs' preferred method of acquiring the mandated competencies. Finally, it aims to shine a light on an area of program evaluation that is lacking in the literature.MethodsAn outcome analysis evaluation design was used with a pre and post-quantitative questionnaire as the preferred data collection tool. The outcome measured was confidence and corresponds to Level 2 – Learning on Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Hierarchy. Our questionnaire comprised 4 stem questions, using a 5-point anchor Likert scale. The scales were tailored to reflect the core curricular competencies. Data were collected from a sample of 85 FTs between August 2021 and March 2023 and analysed using Excel functions and a Power Shell Script to calculate measures of central tendency.ResultsEntry median confidence levels were: 3 (Fairly confident) for recognition, 3 for assessment, and 2 (Slightly confident) in managing common mental health conditions. Post-training, the median confidence level in our sample increased to 4 for recognition, 4 for assessment, and 3 for management which denotes a significant positive impact. Examples of outliers are the median confidence seen in assessing Personality Disorders, which increased from 1 (Not at all important) to 3, whereas for recognizing and assessing Delirium and Substance use disorder the median did not change. Looking at teaching methods preferred by the trainees, ad-hoc training on the job and small group seminars were by far most preferred with 24% and 23.6% of responses respectively followed by Self-directed learning and Simulation with 13.8% each and the least preferred were reflective practice (Balint) and mentoring with 3.7% each.ConclusionThere is a trend of FTs becoming confident post 4 months of psychiatric training in recognizing assessing and managing mental health conditions. Ad hoc and seminar teaching being is the preferred method of acquiring these skills. Moving forward, efforts should be made in evaluating training programs for FTs in psychiatry with the purpose of improving the acquisition of such skills and understanding the best way to teach these. Then, consideration should be given to how we apply these to FTs that don't rotate in psychiatry.

Service Evaluation of Medical Undergraduate Psychiatry Placement

AimsThere are no clear guidelines for the optimal organisation of psychiatry placements for medical undergraduates. Moreover, the UK needs to enrol more psychiatry trainees. This service evaluation aimed to show that an efficient psychiatry placement can improve attitudes of students towards psychiatry and increase their likelihood to choose psychiatry.MethodsWe evaluated the efficacy of a new strategy for the psychiatry placement of 24 fourth-year medical students from the University of East Anglia during the academic year 2021/2022. The strategy consisted of having a 4-week placement in one of 3 wards at the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Woodlands Unit (PICU, acute male and female wards) with brief (one- to two-day) rotations across the wards, as well as the community team and individual areas of interest. This afforded students exposure to different settings, pathologies and levels of severity, with enough time in one service to allow integration into the team, participation in clinical and therapeutic activities and most important, observation of patient longitudinal improvement. Multidisciplinary teams were included by presenting the training as a win-win, and we relied on a good teaching culture at our Trust. We also offered a programmed induction day, a mid-placement meeting and an end-of-placement debrief. We evaluated the efficacy of the strategy using the Attitude Towards Psychiatry Questionnaire before and after the placement, as well as measuring overall satisfaction.ResultsThe overall satisfaction score on a 5 point Likert scale was very good (M = 4.58; SD = 0.58). Mean ATP total score significantly improved from 116.50 (SD 9.49) to 133.00 (SD 8.68) over a maximum attainable score of 150 (F(1;23) = 69.70, p < .001, ηp2= .75), with 23 out of the 30 items having significantly improved individually as well. The reliability of the scale was high with a Cronbach's alpha of .81 before and .84 after the psychiatry placement. The question “I would like to be a psychiatrist” improved significantly from 2.54 to 3.25 on the 5 point Likert scale (F(1, 23) = 16.33, p < .001, ηp2= .42) with an increase in students answering “agree” or “strongly agree” from 16.7% to 45.8%. This improvement was significantly positively correlated with the overall satisfaction score (R = .528, p < .01).ConclusionPsychiatry placement for medical undergraduates is a valuable opportunity to improve their attitudes towards psychiatry and their likelihood of choosing psychiatry as a specialty. We present our strategy as a model toward these goals.

Three perspectives on learning in a simulated patient scenario: a qualitative interview study with student, simulated patient, and teacher

IntroductionPatient simulation can be useful for medical students in developing communication skills for vulnerable situations. Three participants are primarily involved in the patient simulation activities: the student, the simulated patient (SP), and the teacher. We here aimed to explore these participants’ perceptions of learning in a patient simulation scenario.MethodsWe conducted individual interviews with eight students, three teachers, and one SP at a psychiatry placement of a Medical Doctor Program (5th year). During the interviews we asked the participants to watch a video of their participation in a patient simulation session. Thus, we obtained three perspectives on each of the eight recordings. We analysed our data with qualitative content analysis.ResultsThree themes were generated: identity formation, collaborative learning, and learning intentions. This highly emotional scenario forced students out of their comfort zone, to the intersection of their roles as private person and professional. The SP perceived the collaborative creation of the scenario as significant learning. The teacher took a professional position and perceived the learning in the perspective of a future colleague.ConclusionsThe mutually created emotionally loaded scenario was found to be important from all three perspectives, forcing the students to identify unexpected ways of communicating.This possibly enhanced their professional identity development. Implications for future research can be to explore the process of skills transfer.

An innovative and collaborative teaching approach to delivering mental health capabilities in the UK Foundation Programme Curriculum 2021.

About 45% of foundation doctors in the UK now have a placement in psychiatry. However, the current UK Foundation Programme Curriculum states that all foundation doctors need to demonstrate basic mental health-related capabilities. To address this we developed a novel teaching approach to cover these new capabilities using principles of team-based learning (TBL). This can be delivered to all foundation doctors both face to face and online using case scenarios and in no more than 4 hours over the 2-year foundation programme. The approach can be easily be replicated, but collaboration between mental health and acute trusts is essential for delivery.

Spirituality in Moroccan Psychiatric Context

Objective: Assessing the place of spirituality in psychiatry seems interesting, since the spiritual life influences the psychological experience of patients, and sometimes a defense deal with life frustrations. Studies are rare in this field. Methods: We evaluate the role of spirituality in psychiatry in the moroccaon context: its palce in the lives of patients followed in psychiatry and its place in the practice of psychiatrists. We have evaluated patient socio-demographic and medical characteristics, the importance of spirituality in their life, its importance to deal with their disease. We have also evaluated the importance of spirituality in the psychiatrists practice, and if it has or not a paradox with their medical interventions. Results: The results showed that 56 % of patients were men. Patients with schizophrenia represented 37%, and 28% had a depression. Religious practices were present in 87% of patients. Religion had an important place in the life of 71% of patients and 61 % had mentioned their faith in God to deal with the disease. The majority of patients (83%) do not find a conflict between spirituality and the psychiatric cares. The majority of practitioners (90%) accept receiving a spiritual request from their patients. Conclusion: Spirituality has an important place in psychiatry in Moroccan context. Patients and practitioners consider it an important side of life, and do not find any paradox between it and psychiatric cares.

Boarding for Youth Mental Health Conditions: How Can Hospitalists Be Part of the Solution?

Boarding for Youth Mental Health Conditions: How Can Hospitalists Be Part of the Solution?

Modelling vulnerability: qualitative study of the Balint process for medical students

BackgroundHealth professionals in training may be overwhelmed by the emotional dimensions of their work. Balint groups have been proposed as an intervention to support students to process emotional aspects their encounters with patients. The aim of this study was to explore medical students’ emotional experiences of a Balint group during their psychiatry attachment.MethodsMedical students completing a six week clinical attachment in psychiatry took part in weekly Balint group sessions. Five sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded by members of the research team and an independent researcher co-coded all transcripts. Themes were discussed and refined over three rounds of coding.ResultsFour themes were identified: the Balint process as a container to enable vulnerability; becoming attuned to clinical and professional encounters; an evolving sense of identity within the medical hierarchy; and, the need for self-preservation to retain empathy for others.ConclusionThe Balint structure provides medical students with a secure and emotionally resonant experience. Medical students’ engagement with the Balint process, even over a relatively short time period, teaches them how to reflect on difficult emotions associated with clinical encounters. Early exposure during a psychiatry placement may benefit students in terms of understanding relationship dynamics and the need for self-integration and lifelong reflection over the course of their medical career.

Implementing 360-Degree Simulation Training During Psychiatry Placement Inductions: A Mixed Methods Training Evaluation

AimsThe authors designed a simulation training programme for foundation doctors beginning psychiatry placements across a large mental health trust. The simulation training aimed to improve the confidence, competence, and well-being of foundation doctors through exposing them to realistic psychiatry scenarios and teaching clinical skills in a safe environment.MethodsFour clinical scenarios were filmed with a 360-degree camera, professional actress, and doctors working in psychiatry. The scenarios depicted the journey of a patient being admitted onto a psychiatry ward from the community. Various clinical skills were embedded into the videos including psychiatric history taking, risk assessment, managing acute distress, managing comorbid physical and mental health problems, using the Mental Health Act, and teamwork with colleagues. All videos were delivered to learners using simulation with head-mounted-displays (HMDs). Each video lasted 6–8 minutes and was accompanied by pre-briefing and de-briefing with experienced psychiatrists for a further 15–20 minutes. Participants rated their confidence regarding several skills in psychiatry on Likert scales from 1 to 5 immediately before and after the session. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were conducted to detect statistically significant differences in learner's median confidence ratings before and after the training. Free-text questions explored trainee's most and least favourite aspects of the simulation. A survey also was distributed to learners 2-months after the training to assess how it had influenced their clinical practice.Results20 foundation doctors completed the training and provided feedback. Following the simulation training, there were statistically significant improvements in foundation doctor's confidence in: completing psychiatric assessments (p < 0.01), managing physical health problems in psychiatry (p < 0.05), managing acute distress (p < 0.01), reporting information to senior colleagues (p < 0.05), and containing anxiety when communicating with patients (p < 0.05). Trainees highlighted the debriefing, group discussions, and “interactive” simulation videos as the most useful aspects of the training. Some trainees enjoyed viewing the 360-degree videos, whilst others found the HMDs difficult to use. Of the 8 trainees who completed feedback 2 months after the training, 7 (87.5%) felt that it had helped them in their current roles. All trainees agreed (37.5%) or strongly agreed (62.5%) that the simulation scenarios were closely aligned to real-life clinical encounters.ConclusionSimulation training in psychiatry using 360-degree videos and HMDs is generally well-received amongst foundation doctors. Embedding simulation training into placement induction can improve the confidence and skills of junior doctors starting psychiatry placements.

Face-to-Face Psychiatry Placements and Their Impact on Student Attitudes to Psychiatry

AimsLast year the COVID-19 pandemic meant that there could not be any face-to-face psychiatry placements for medical students at QMUL (Queen Mary University of London). This year there has been a return to face-to-face placements within psychiatric settings. The aim of this project was to evaluate whether face-to-face placements have an impact on medical student attitudes to psychiatry. This will have implications for recruiting students into the specialty, once they qualify.Methods128 students were placed in face-to-face psychiatric settings at the beginning of their 4th year of medical school. The placements were 3 days a week for 5 weeks. The placements varied with some students being placed in inpatient services and others within the community, across a broad range of subspecialties including child and adolescent, general adult and forensic. Students were given the Attitudes To Psychiatry Questionnaire to fill out before and after their placement. Students were also given the opportunity to provide open text feedback on their placement in the form of a weekly feedback form. Results were analysed using simple descriptives of data and paired t-tests. The study was conducted with permission from Associate Dean for Undergraduate Teaching and QMUL Centre Lead for Psychiatry.Results115 students (89.8%) completed pre-placement attitudes to psychiatry questionnaire and 51 students (39.9%) completed the post-placement questionnaire.Paired t-tests were used to compare average pre and post-placement results for individual questions. There were significant changes in student responses to questions about psychiatric undergraduate training being valuable, attitudes to psychiatrists and psychiatric treatment. Lots of students gave positive feedback on their placements citing interesting experiences, helpful seniors and varied learning opportunities.ConclusionStudents having face-to-face psychiatry placements has objectively changed some attitudes to psychiatry and is very important for their experience and interest in the specialty. The students have valued the exposure and contact with patients and the varied experiences. This will hopefully lead to more students considering psychiatry as a career as well as keeping mental health as a priority for any patient that they see.

Taking back control of the Data. Developing an all in one System to monitor training post quality and provide trainer feedback

IntroductionWe will present experience developing a system for monitoring training placements in psychiatry and community paediatrics, and how this was expanded to provide an automated anonymised MSF for trainers for annual appraisal and will identify trainers in need of additional support and other post/training programme issues. The session will be of interest to educators and medical education leads with practical tips and lessons learnt over the last 8 years since the system was first developed.ObjectivesThe system was also used to identify trainers in need of additional support and other post/training programme issues.MethodsWe used an electronic system to gain the infromation as stated in the introduction.ResultsOver the last 8 years we have collected data using this system. the results for our trust will be displayed annoymously but the system is the ficus of this presenation.ConclusionsThe advantages of the system are that it runs throughout the year (so covers each post and placement), has high trainee response rates, has no selection bias (compared with some other MSF systems) and the results are embedded within local quality systems and individual consultant appraisals. The data that the system collects can help provide robust evidence when investigating concerns that might only arise periodically (for example through the annual GMC trainee survey in the UK). We believe that this system will be applicable for doctors providing training in other countries and empowers the improvement of psychiatric training for the profession.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

A Peer Supervision Pilot Scheme

AimsFollowing mixed feedback from Foundation (FY) trainees during their Psychiatry placements, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust introduced a pilot scheme whereby FY and General Practice (GP) trainees were paired with a current Psychiatry Core Trainee (CT). This was in addition to regular Clinical Supervisor meetings with weekly self-directed sessions encouraged. Suggestions included covering portfolio requirements or facilitating joint learning. The study aimed to improve FY/GP experience through increased learning and relationship-building opportunities. It equally offered leadership experience for CTs and development of supervision skills. Feedback gathered from the initial pilot would highlight difficulties and guide future peer supervision schemes.MethodsAll FY/GP trainees allocated to the Trust from April–August 2021 were included. CTs were included by default but given the option to opt-out (opt-out policy). Pairings were made based on locality where possible (group sizes ranging from 2 to 3) and an initial supervisor training session was provided by the Director of Medical Education. Online feedback surveys were sent to all participants at baseline and after the pilot.Results44 doctors were included in the pilot scheme, of which 26 completed the pre-pilot survey and 16 completed the post-pilot survey. Expected personal benefit prior to the scheme averaged 7.1/10, where 10 was deemed “extremely helpful” and 1 “not at all”. Following the scheme, experienced personal benefit was valued at 4.7/10. Reported benefits of the scheme were friendship, support and learning, although around a third described no benefit whatsoever. The most common problem encountered was that of being unable to meet and was seen in almost half of cases, with detailed feedback citing rota clashes or working on separate sites. Other problems included poor engagement and feeling the pairing was a poor match. Written feedback stated that the scheme was a good idea and well-supported, however there were challenges with its execution.ConclusionResponse rates were low throughout but particularly in the post-pilot survey, limiting interpretation. Overall, final scores did not appear to reflect initial optimism. The next cycle will include only CTs who have requested to be involved (opt-in policy), to establish whether this improves engagement. It will additionally incorporate a mid-point review to highlight and address issues at an earlier stage. The scheme is due to be repeated in 2022 and re-evaluated.

INSIGHT: Evaluation of the Year Four Psychological Medicine Student Placements at HMP Berwyn, North Wales

AimsBackground: Although social determinants of health (SDOH) are to some extent incorporated within preclinical medical education, little validated educational methodology exists to provide guidance on how to integrate teaching about SDOH within the competency-based training of medical students’ clinical years. This is potentially important. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of SDOH, and social determinants have become topical, with increasing discussion in journals about equity, inequality, and sustainability. Sir Michael Marmot's 2020 review has highlighted these issues. Consequently, the evaluation of medical students’ experience of prison placements is an interesting area to investigate. This will help us to explore their understanding of SDOH, and implications of gained knowledge for their future practice. Aims: This study explores changes in year four psychological medicine students’ knowledge and attitude towards SDOH during prison placements.MethodsA mixed-methods study between Sep 2021 to Apr 2022 recruiting all year four medical students on their psychiatry placement in North Wales. Data collection involves baseline and mid-placement questionnaires and end-of-placement individual interviews to explore their understanding of SDOH.Thematic analysis will be used to describe students’ reflection on placement satisfaction; explore impacts on trainee doctors and supporting staff; make suggestions to improve placement structure in the future; and evaluate the utility of placements in prison.ResultsData collection is in progress. However, early indications suggest that students view these placements favourably and find them a helpful learning experience. Preliminary results will be reported at the conference.ConclusionWe are hopeful that this evaluation will suggest a way forward to raise awareness about SDOH during clinical placements and will give these students confidence in working with socially excluded populations in the future.Implication for practise, policy and researchFindings of this study may provide exploration of means of capacity building and training with improved knowledge of the SDOH in partnership between the medical school, the local health board and the prison.We have developed systems and processes to raise awareness of social factors to be considered by medical students in their future practice. These can guide further development of such placements at HMP Berwyn and in other prisons.This research was funded by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and sponsored by Bangor University in North Wales, UK.

Junior Doctor Mentors: Enhancing Medical Student Psychiatry Training

AimsIncreased clinical contact during undergraduate psychiatry placements has been shown to both increase the likelihood of students considering a career in psychiatry and reduce mental-health related stigma. It can be challenging to provide medical students with a valuable clinical experience, a problem which has been further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. We aimed to develop a junior doctor mentoring scheme to increase clinical exposure and teaching for students.MethodsWithin NHS Lanarkshire, groups of 4–6 University of Glasgow medical students are accommodated for their five-week clinical psychiatry blocks, during which they have a varied structured timetable, providing an overview of different psychiatric specialties. As such, students meet a wide range of clinicians, which can unfortunately mean there is little continuity in their training throughout the block.We developed a mentoring scheme to help address this issue. Enthusiastic trainee doctors – including foundation year two doctors, GP trainees and psychiatry core trainees – were invited to participate. Medical students are paired with a mentor for the duration of their block, during which they meet informally on a weekly basis. Mentors provide students with ward shadowing opportunities and bedside teaching, as well as completing work-place based assessments (WPBAs), discussing case reports and providing an additional perspective for end-of-block reports.ResultsThe mentoring scheme has been running successfully for every five-week student placement since October 2020. Student feedback has been collected via an anonymous electronic questionnaire. Students were asked what they enjoyed the most about their placement, with students frequently highlighting the support from their mentor.Examples from free-text comments included, “having an assigned mentor was really useful as someone to touch base with and go through clinical cases” and, “having a mentor was invaluable – it is crucial to have a friendly face on the wards and a contact to complete WPBAs”.Informal feedback from mentors has also been positive with trainees enjoying the opportunity to develop their teaching skills and support student training. Mentors also highlighted the role's benefit for their portfolios and specialty applications.ConclusionThis simple and cost-free intervention has had resoundingly positive feedback from medical students and trainees. Medical students enjoy having consistent informal teaching, support and feedback. Our mentoring scheme will continue for all medical students in NHS Lanarkshire and we would encourage other areas to consider a similar project. By increasing clinical exposure we hope to further reduce mental health stigma amongst students and inspire the psychiatrists of tomorrow.

The Scope of Metacognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders.

Metacognitive therapy (MCT) is a novel and promising transdiagnostic psychotherapy intervention based on the Self-Regulatory Executive Function model of conceptualizing emotional disorders. It was developed by Adrian Wells in 2009. Its therapeutic response occurs by reducing dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs regarding worry and rumination, often seen in patients with psychiatric disorders. Since its inception, it has been increasingly applied to a wide spectrum of psychiatric illnesses, but mainly focusing on mood and anxiety disorders. To our knowledge, no study has detailed its existing therapeutic scope in psychiatry. In this comprehensive narrative review, we describe the various psychiatric illnesses in which MCT has been used, the advantages of MCT, and the limitations of the MCT research. In addition, we propose some solutions to systematically examine its place in psychiatry. We encountered its potential role in treating trauma and stress-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, and sexual disorders.