Teaching Of Psychiatry Research Articles

Trainees Form New Reproductive Psychiatry Group to Learn, Network, Collaborate

Trainees Form New Reproductive Psychiatry Group to Learn, Network, Collaborate

Join in the APA Foundation’s 30th Anniversary Celebration!

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Annual MeetingFull AccessJoin in the APA Foundation’s 30th Anniversary Celebration!Katie O'ConnorKatie O'ConnorSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:25 Feb 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.03.3.48AbstractWhat better place to have a birthday party than New Orleans! It will take place on a riverboat on the Mississippi River and celebrate the APA Foundation’s 30-year history of working to improve community mental health.APA Foundation’s 30th anniversary celebration will be held on the Riverboat Louis Armstrong, which was originally designed as a gaming boat and is one of the newest and biggest event venues in New Orleans.Riverboat Louis Armstrong/Aron LukacherIn a column published in Psychiatric News 30 years ago, Elissa Benedek, M.D., then president of the APA Foundation (APAF), wrote that the Foundation’s work supports “the development of public and professional activities to advance education and research in psychiatry, increase public awareness of psychiatric illness, and improve access to treatment.”While APAF’s mission has evolved over time, its core values have remained the same. Throughout the past 30 years, it has worked diligently to improve awareness of mental health issues and overcome barriers to care.To celebrate its 30th anniversary, APAF is hosting a benefit during APA’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans on the Riverboat Louis Armstrong, known as the largest event venue on the Mississippi River. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and spend time with APA leaders, colleagues, and friends, all while enjoying the region’s unique cuisine, entertainment, and culture.APAF’s work has become even more important as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and people across the country struggle with mental health issues, burnout, and other challenges. “We have been presented with no shortage of challenges, but also with some significant opportunities to help people take their first steps toward better mental health and well-being in new and innovative ways,” said Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., APAF’s executive director.In his introduction to Benedek’s column in Psychiatric News, then president Joseph T. English, M.D., wrote that APAF was helping the field of psychiatry in “moving ahead and planning for the future.” Even as it looks back over the past 30 years, APAF is working toward the future, and Andrews pointed to several APAF programs that he expects to flourish during its next 30 years.For example, APAF Center for Workplace Mental Health has become a vital resource for Fortune 500 companies, government employers, and academic institutions, on and offline, who are trying to improve workplace mental health. The Notice. Talk. Act. at School program has reached 166 schools across 42 states to help faculty and staff members recognize signs of distress among thousands of students and connect them to resources when appropriate. Finally, APAF’s fellowship programs have produced a number of today’s leaders in psychiatry—an important mission as the need for such leaders is exponentially increasing, Andrews said.“The mental health crisis that existed before the pandemic has become even more urgent now, and APAF has stepped up to meet the need with programs to support mental health in communities across the country,” said Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., APA’s CEO and medical director and chair of APAF Board of Directors. “APAF’s benefit and anniversary celebration will provide an excellent opportunity to relax with colleagues in a beautiful setting while reflecting on the incredible work that APAF has accomplished over the past 30 years.”Proceeds from the benefit will be used to support APAF’s programs and initiatives, all of which embody APA’s tradition of working to increase access to high-quality care for all people with mental disorders. ■The benefit will be held Monday, May 23, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Information on purchasing tickets is available here.More information about APAF’s programs is posted here. If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation at this site. ISSUES NewArchived

Enhancing Psychiatry Education through Podcasting: Learning from the Listener Experience.

Podcasts have recently been introduced into psychiatry education, despite limited evidence evaluating podcasting in medical education. PsychEd is an educational, publicly available podcast targeting junior learners in psychiatry. This study characterized PsychEd's listeners and the podcast's role in their education. The study involved a mixed-methods survey, followed by semi-structured phone interviews with respondents. There were 97 survey responders in total, of whom 9 participated in a telephone interview. Survey responses were coded as interval data and analyzed descriptively using statistical software. Interviews were transcribed and coded for emergent themes using a grounded theory model. PsychEd listeners represented an interprofessional audience, with 46 respondents (48%) being physicians or physicians in training, and 34 (35%) being allied mental health professionals. All respondents (100%) rated the podcast as "helpful" or "very helpful" for general knowledge. Listeners were attracted to PsychEd for the auditory learning format, the opportunity to review existing knowledge, the focus on core topics, the Canadian expertise, and the presentation of "clinical pearls." Respondents highlighted valuable qualities of a psychiatry podcast: conversational, case-based, narrative approach, longer episodes (i.e., 30-60 minutes) as compared to other medical specialties, and a clinical focus. Furthermore, they identified podcasts as an opportunity for shared interprofessional curricula. This study is the first to examine the motivations and experiences of listeners of a psychiatry educational podcast. The findings support existing literature on the benefits of podcasts in medical education. Future studies should explore the impact of podcasts on learning and behaviors.

Despite Addition to DSM, Few Treatments Emerge for Hoarding Disorder

Despite Addition to <i>DSM</i>, Few Treatments Emerge for Hoarding Disorder

Power, recovery and doing something worthwhile: A thematic analysis of expert patient perspectives in psychiatry education.

BackgroundPatient involvement in psychiatry education is required by policy and has many benefits for students. Little research has focused on the impact on expert patients (EPs).ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the impact of involvement in psychiatry education on mental health patients.DesignA qualitative descriptive study using semistructured interviews was conducted in a psychiatry teaching unit in the East Midlands, UK. A purposive sample of 20 EPs involved in teaching was interviewed about the social and psychological impacts of involvement. Transcripts were analysed thematically and a coding scheme was developed.ResultsFive themes were identified: shaping the doctors of the future—something worthwhile, challenging assumptions about mental health, recovery and transformation, vulnerability and support and expertise and power.ConclusionThese EPs benefitted from their experience of teaching. Involvement in psychiatry teaching may require putting oneself in a vulnerable position, but a supportive and open faculty team may mitigate this challenge. The Expert Patient Programme was seen as a way of helping to reduce the power difference between patients and doctors in the future. There is a need to examine the language that we use to talk about patient involvement as this may have implications for this power dynamic. The context and mechanisms that lead to the benefits described by participants should be studied so that these benefits may be generalized to other contexts.Patient ContributionAn EP was involved in the planning and ethical approval application process of the project and the drafting and approval of this manuscript.

Symposium

Psychiatry education and faculty training are important components of enhanced public mental health services. There is hardly any initiative for enrichment of teaching skills. A unique initiative by Indian Teachers of Psychiatry forum and Minds united for Health Sciences and Humanity Trust, funded by Infosys Foundation, the Scholarship for Teachers towards Enrichment in Psychiatry teaching Skills (STEPS) began in October 2020.Applications were invited from all over India and 4 psychiatry teachers were selected by expert panel to undergo the scholarship program which had 20 contact hours (Online) spread over 20 weeks. All selected were awarded with Rs10000 scholarship. The program has topics that ranged from adult learning, specific learning objectives to specific topics like bedside clinics for UG/PG, online learning, self-directed learning, problem-based learning, principles of assessment etc. The resource faculty comprised of experts in medical education from India and abroad. The program also included tasks/assignments, reflections and feedback for assessing the participant teachers apart from the feedback of invited undergraduate and postgraduate students during the sessions.With the completion of first batch, the scholarship program is being reviewed. The feedback from recipient psychiatry teachers, resource faculty and involved students is time for reflection and ‘first step’ taken in the right direction in enhancing quality of psychiatry teaching / learning.The Need for STEPS in India: Dr Vinay HR, Department of Psychiatry, AIMS, ACUThe STEPS Program Curriculum: Dr Kishor M, Department of Psychiatry, JSSMC, JSSAHERThe Teaching Learning Methodology in STEPS: Dr Vikas Menon, Department of Psychiatry, JIPMERAssessment of STEPS: Dr Henal Shah, Department of Psychiatry, TNMC Online Teaching Skills: Dr Mahesh Jayaram, Dept of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, AustraliaThe External Assessment of STEPS: Dr Arun M, Medical Education Unit, JSSMC & St John’s Medical CollegeThe Uniqueness of STEPS: Dr Mohan K Isaac, Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Australia

Free Papers Compiled

Background:Substance use disorder (SUD) is a global public health concern. National Mental Health Survey 2015-2016 brought out that 22.4% of adult Indian population was addicted to psychoactive substances A study by Raju et al estimated 15.53 % prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) cases amongst all psychiatric admissions in a year. Keeping in view, the relapsing nature of substance use disorder cases conflicting with the organisational requirements of having “combat-fit” armed forces, there was a necessity of having specialised centres for providing a well-structured de-addiction therapy to difficult cases.Aim:To highlight the journey of establishment of the first De-Addiction Centre (DAC) of Indian Army and its achievements.Development of a De-addiction Centre: In Nov 2017, under aegis of Director General of Medical Services (Army), the inception of 50 bedded DAC at Base Hospital, Barrackpore occurred. A dedicated de-addiction team was ear-marked, headed by a specialist in Addiction Psychiatry. A batch wise, six- week duration, structured de-addiction course was charted out for difficult to treat serving SUD cases posted in the Eastern sector of Indian Army. It was divided into 3 phases – Evaluation (1 week), De-addiction phase (04 weeks) and Post treatment protocol (1 week). The first structured de-addiction course commenced in Sep 2018.Results:10 batches with total of 345 patients have received benefit of de-addiction therapy. 94% of these were AUD cases, 4% cannabis and 2% were addicted to opioids. On the basis of feedback received from units, 58.4% were reported to be completely abstinent, 16.7% occasionally drinking with satisfactory vocational performance, 13.9 % had relapsed into substance use and 11 % were lost to follow up.Conclusion:The humble beginning of this DAC is in the process of growth wherein a lot still needs to be achieved in terms of building “state of art” SUD Laboratory harbouring specialised equipment for diagnostic and therapeutic purpose and initiate teaching and training curriculum in addiction psychiatry for Post Graduate residents, medical officers and paramedics.

Effective and innovative teaching methods in psychiatry for the medical undergraduates in South India: An exploratory study of teachers' and students' perspectives.

Effective teaching methods are important in psychiatry. Previous studies have focused on the assessment of students about the effective teaching methods but not on a self-assessment by teachers. Primary objective is to evaluate the teachers' and students' perspectives of effective teaching methods in psychiatry for medical undergraduates. Secondary objectives include assessment of the concordance of each item and exploring innovative teaching methods. A cross-sectional study design used in teachers and medical students from St. John's Medical College, Bangalore (India). A modified teachers and medical students perspectives of effective psychiatry teaching methods were used. Differences in continuous variable assessed with independent sample-test and categorical variables with Chi-square test. The Domain scores were divided into tertiles and the highest and lowest tertiles were analyzed. Both students and teachers had high perspectives on most of the teaching methods. Differences were found in items such as "using multimedia slide effectively," "good sense of humor while teaching," "presentation summarizes the key points," and "presentation links ideas effectively." Role play-based and live/simulated patient-based teachings were reported most frequently by both. Significantly, a higher proportion of the 6th term students and a lesser proportion of teachers were associated with the lowest tertiles for Domain 1, 2, and 3. Significantly, increased number of 8th term students were found in the higher tertiles in Domain 3. These findings have practical implications in identifying the gaps in effective teaching methods by the teachers. Teachers can improve their teaching methods by upgrading their presentation skills, employing new and innovative teaching skills.

Symposium

Clinical Research Centre for Neuromodulation in Psychiatry(Multicentric Project under India Alliance at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, CIP, Ranchi and KMC, Manipal)Proposal for Symposium at Annual National Conference of Indian Psychiatric Society, 2022Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) in psychiatry: Scope and Emerging evidencesDuration: 60 minutesNon-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques are increasingly being used to treat symptoms that are resistant to psychotropic treatments. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is one such emerging focal stimulation technique showing promising leads in treatment resistant psychiatric conditions and getting popular due its lower-cost and ease of administration. Emerging mechanistic and clinical efficacy studies are showing promising results of tDCS for psychiatric practice. Its relative safety has implications for its utility in special populations including extremes of age, pregnancy, and comorbid conditions. Advancing technologies are leading tDCS towards personalised therapeutic options.In addition, novel transcranial electrical stimulations (tES) with different waveforms are being evaluated in neuroscience. Alternating current (tACS), oscillatory current (tOCS), pulse current (tPCS) and random noise (tRNS) stimulations are modulating neural oscillations in various clinically translatable fronts. Rich knowledge in neural oscillations in psychiatric conditions from Electrophysiological/magnetoencephalographic studies over many decades are now beginning to bear fruits for translational research.First presentation will cover theoretical basis and translational aspects of tDCS. Second presentation will discuss on safety and clinical utility of tDCS with special focus on its utility in special clinicalPage 1 of 2population. Third presentation will provide an overview on neural oscillation, and its importance in psychiatric disorders. Fourth presentation will review the novel waveforms of tES and how they can modulate neural oscillations to bring about therapeutic changes in psychiatric disorders.Structure of the SymposiumRelevance of Psychiatry in (NExT) National Exit TestThe medical colleges in India are likely to increase as per the Govt of India’s plan to have one medical college in every district to enhance the availability of medical doctors to the population needs. India already has more than 80000 medical students graduating as doctors every year. Unfortunately, the training medical students in psychiatry has been poor with no psychiatry skill mandatory for licencing to graduate as a doctor. This is in contrast to the needs of India, which has more than 200 million people with psychiatric disorders as per the WHO ICMR Global burden study. The 2019 Competency- based medical curriculum implemented in India to ensure Indian Medical Graduate (IMG) have required skills failed to incorporate psychiatry as mandatory in the examination process. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed the National Exit Test at the end of the MBBS course as a single examination for postgraduation courses. It is important that Psychiatry as a subject is given required weightage in NExT to enhance the knowledge of upcoming doctors to cater the needs of the people with psychiatric disorders in the community.Dr Ravi Gupta : Why is the NExT important for Undergraduate psychiatry education ?Dr Henal Shah : What is relevance of Psychiatry in the NExT for postgraduates, irrespective of speciality ? Dr Kishor M : Why is NExT important for Psychiatry teachers?Dr Sujit Sarkhel : The Role of Indian Psychiatric Society and its preparedness for upcoming NExTSpeakerTopicDuration discussion (including)Dr. Samir Kumar Praharaj Prof. of Psychiatry, KMC, ManipalApplication of tDCS: Bench to Bedside15 minutesDr. Sonia Shenoy Assoc. Prof. of Psychiatry, KMC, ManipalScope of tDCS in Special Population15 minutesDr. Umesh S Assoc. Prof. of Psychiatry, CIP, RanchiNeural oscillations: Implications for psychiatry15 minutesDr. Sreeraj VS Assist. Prof. of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, BengaluruNovel tES waveforms: Potentials application for psychiatric15 minutes

A center for psychiatry education, faculty training, and research.

A center for psychiatry education, faculty training, and research.

Workshop Compiled

Back ground: Run-away- Marriages are on the rise and growing concern. There is little awareness that these could be due a mental illness.Layout:Aim: To present a psychiatric and legal perspective on Run-away- Marriages. 1. Introduction to the topic: Dr Indira Sharma2. Causes of Run-away- Marriages: Dr Vivek Kirpekar Improvement in socioeconomic status, improper parenting, focus on personal autonomy, digital media, globalisation, and protection given by judiciary are some of reasons for increase in Run-away- Marriages3. Socioreligous versus Run-away- Marriages, which ones are better: Dr Vipul Singh Socio-religious marriages have been the accepted norm. However, in exceptional situations a Run-away- Marriage could be the better option.4. Psychiatric perspective: Dr Shashi Rai Patients with severe mental illness or personality disorder may opt for Run-away- Marriages5. Legal Perspective: Dr Indira SharmaCourts have accepted ‘Run-away- Marriage’ as a fundamental right and given protection to them. However, there is little recognition that this could be due to a severe mental illness.6. Question and Answers from: Participants7. Concluding Remarks: Dr Vipul Singh The PresidentIndian Psychiatric societySir,Sub: submission of workshop proposal for ANCIPS2022 on behalf of Indo-US Psychiatry Education forum and Life fellow of IPS reg.I am herewith submitting the proposal of workshop titled “CBT for practicing clinicians” for discussion and approval by the scientific committee of the ANCIPS2022.Psychiatric practice in India can be improved by making psychotherapy interventions available to more number of patients and their families. However most psychiatrists in practice are limited by lack of adequate number of trained therapists to meet the enormous need for these services.This workshop is planned with the intention of making practicing psychiatrist well versed with principles of CBT and learn high powered techniques that can be incorporated into the routine psychiatric practice. The workshop is based on the one year of monthly online webinars on CBT involving Faculty from New Jersy, USA and faculty as well as residents of three medical colleges: Gandhi, Osmania and SVS medical colleges from India.The residents learnt CBT skills, prepared videos as well as patient skill building educational leaflets. The essence of our work for the past year will be presented through workshop.Duration of workshop : 2 Hrs, preferably on Friday / Saturday 21st/ 22nd Jan 2022.Co-ordinator: Dr. K. Ashok Reddy M.D, Professor and Head, Dept. of Psychiatry, SVS Medical College, Mahabubnagar & Co-ordinator of Indo-US Psychiatry Education ForumModerator of the workshop: Dr.Pinninti Narsimha Reddy, Professor of psychiatry , New Jersy, USAPresenters of the WorkshopABC plan for suicidal ideation based on CBT for Suicide Prevention: Dr. Ravikishore & Dr.U.Aditya Residents from Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad.Demonstration of CBT-for OCD : 1. Dr. Dikshit & 2.Dr.NikhitaGandhi Medical College, HyderabadDemonstration of CBT for Delusions By 1.Dr.Venkata Ramakrishna & 2. Dr. Srishti Residents from SVS Medical college, MahabubnagarAfter the demonstration, Delegates in the hall will be given the clinical challenges which they have to work out using CBT Principles and what they learned from present workshop so that the audience can take the skills they learned to their patients in their respective settings.Kindly arrange for the approval of the above workshop during ANCIPS2022 at Vizag and communicate to us.Thanking you Sir,Yours trulyDr. K. Ashok Reddy M.DIPS LifeFellow No. LF 1055Professor & Head, Dept. of PsychiatrySVS Medical College, MahabubnagarPast president of IPS-SZBReturning officer, IPS Election commissionCo-ordinatorIndo-US Psychiatry Education Forum- - - - -Yours Faithfully,Dr.K.Ashok Reddy M.DProfessor & HoDDept. of PsychiatryS V S Medical College,MAHABUBNAGAR. T.SMobile: +91 93910-41531.Workshop:

Education and training in psychiatry in South Asian countries.

"Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you."-Carl Jung. Essentially, Jung was saying that a sane man does not exist. Emotional problems and difficulties are present in a benign form in the vast majority of people. Therefore, psychiatric education should focus on the very common nature of mental and emotional problems. Training of psychiatrists to provide the best quality care and conduct the highest quality research continues to remain a priority across the globe. The treatment and training gaps in many countries continue despite the sustained efforts at improving these, especially in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries. Although many LAMI countries have improved curricula for undergraduate and postgraduate training, yet the treatment and training gap continues. This article will look to explore education and training in psychiatry in some of the South Asian countries with a special focus on India.

How to overcome barriers to publication in low- and middle-income countries: Recommendations from early career psychiatrists and researchers from around the world.

There is an increasing movement toward international collaboration and global discussion in mental health. If provided with the right opportunities, early career psychiatrists (ECPs) and researchers in mental health can contribute meaningfully to this discussion. However, they often experience multiple barriers when attempting to add their voices via academic publications. We represent a diverse group of ECPs and researchers from all six World Health Organization regions. In this piece, we discuss these barriers, grounded in our first-hand experiences, and put forth a series of recommendations. The most potentially beneficial and immediate way forward is ensuring a much-needed mentorship and support, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. In this regard, international organizations, especially those with a particular focus on education, such as the Section on Education in Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association, can play a pivotal role.

Training and education in digital psychiatry: A perspective from Asia-Pacific region.

BackgroundDigital mental health interventions and digital psychiatry have been rapidly implemented over the past decade, particularly with the intent to offer a cost‐effective solution in those circumstances in which the current mental health services and infrastructure are not able to properly accommodate the patients' needs. However, mental health workforce is often poorly theoretical/practical trained in digital psychiatry and in delivering remote consultations safely and effectively, not being common to own curricula‐specific training requirements in digital psychiatry and skills.MethodsA web‐based international cross‐sectional survey was carried out by a working group constituted by one or two national representative(s) of each WHO South‐East Asia and Western Pacific Regions (APAC), with the aim to evaluate the level of training, knowledge, experience, and perception regarding the topic of digital psychiatry in a sample constituted by medical students, psychiatry trainees, and early career psychiatrists from APAC.ResultsAn overall lack of theoretical and/or practical training on new digital tools and digital health interventions in psychiatry was observed. The level of training influences knowledge background, which, in turns, influences young professionals' perceptions and opinions regarding digital psychiatry and interventions in mental health.ConclusionImplementing psychiatry training programs may significantly improve the level of knowledge and use of digital tools in mental healthcare. Moreover, mental health services and infrastructures should be properly adapted to the digital era, considering the overall weak and heterogeneous technical support and equipment, issues of internet connectivity, and other administrative‐related challenges observed in APAC.

Teaching psychiatry in a low-income country during the COVID-19 pandemic: A hybrid collaborative psychiatry course.

Amoud University in Borama is located in the self-declared state of Somaliland, in the Horn of Africa. Past conflicts and resulting economic hardship have led to a lack of local academic psychiatry faculty and resources. Amoud has been for some years partnering with voluntary faculty in the United Kingdom to teach psychiatry to its medical students through in-person "teaching missions." This was recently led by a Borama-native psychiatry resident in Ethiopia. COVID-19 added further hardships due to restrictions to travel and in-person gatherings. These challenges also created the opportunity for the development of an innovative, international, hybrid (online onsite), self-sustaining partnership model which has been successful in improving psychiatry teaching for undergraduate students in 2020-2021 and will continue in 2021-2022. An international, 'online-connected' department of psychiatry comprising a primary care physician in Somaliland, three postgraduate trainees in Ethiopia and the United States, and three senior psychiatrists in the United Kingdom developed a local faculty-led, hybrid-delivered, dynamic curriculum (bedside teaching, in person and online lecturing) that adapted to the needs, resources, faith and culture of Somaliland. While 2020-2021 has been the pilot year for the program, the overall experience has been enriching for students and faculty, leading to valuable cross-cultural conversations with impact on teaching and research. While learning about Somalilanders' and trauma, the program leads, also the authors of this article, have identified ways to harness the resilience and faith of students to bring about improvements in global mental health.

Virtual reality in teaching of psychiatry and psychotherapy at medical school

HintergrundAusbildung und Lehre müssen sich den Gegebenheiten insbesondere in Corona-Zeiten anpassen, zumal neue digitale Technologien zur Verfügung stehen. Ärztliche Interaktions- und Explorationstechniken sind die wichtigsten Werkzeuge, die Medizinstudierende im Fach Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie zu erwerben haben.Ziel der ArbeitAvatare in virtueller Realität (VR) können grundsätzlich alle Krankheitsbilder in unterschiedlichen Schweregraden zu jeder Zeit repräsentieren.Material und MethodenIm Bochumer Avatar-Explorationsprojekt (AVEX) treten Studierende in den Dialog mit „psychisch kranken“ Avataren und versuchen, unter Anleitung und Supervision Diagnose, Differenzialdiagnose und Behandlungsempfehlungen zu erarbeiten.Ergebnisse und DiskussionDadurch können die Studierenden auch seltene oder schwere psychiatrische Krankheitsbilder durch VR vermittelt kennenlernen. Dieser Übersichtsartikel stellt erste Erfahrungen insbesondere in Aufbau und Entwicklung sowie bez. der technologischen Herausforderungen dar.

A Psychiatrist to Doctors Is Witness to Impact of Stigma on Physicians

A Psychiatrist to Doctors Is Witness to Impact of Stigma on Physicians

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Undergraduate Psychiatry Teaching, Educational Environment, and Learning Processes.

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in the way undergraduate medical education is conducted including psychiatry teaching. In view of sparse data on how the perception of the undergraduate educational environment (EE) is affected by the pandemic, we sought to compare the ratings of EE and learning processes (motivation, engagement, equipping, appreciation of psychiatry) between the 2020 (during pandemic) and 2019 (before pandemic) cohorts of students, and examined how the perception of the EE would influence overall experience within the psychiatry rotation.Patients and MethodsThe DREEM (Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure) was administered to fourth-year medical undergraduate students undergoing a psychiatry rotation in 2020 during the pandemic and these ratings were compared with those of the preceding cohort in 2019. Students also completed five additional items evaluating various learning processes and overall rating of the posting. Relationships between the DREEM scores, learning processes, and overall effectiveness of rotation were assessed using correlation and mediational analyses.ResultsAltogether, 84 (response rate 93.3%) and 269 (response rate 89.7%) medical undergraduates participated in the study from 2020 and 2019 cohorts, respectively. The 2020 cohort had higher scores on the total DREEM (p = 0.032), academic self-perception DREEM subscale (p = 0.002), felt more engaged (p = 0.043) and better equipped (p = 0.003) compared with the 2019 cohort. Overall, DREEM and subdomain scores correlated significantly with specific learning processes. The direct effect of total DREEM and overall rating of psychiatry posting was significant in mediational analyses.ConclusionOur results highlighted that students’ perception of the EE remained positive during the pandemic and impacts overall experience of the psychiatry posting. Undergraduate psychiatry training should continually seek to enhance the EE so as to optimize learning through better engagement and equipping of the learners even during the pandemic.

Psychiatry Education and 11th Five Year Plan

Psychiatry Education and 11th Five Year Plan

Accepting the Incomprehensible: What Samuel Beckett Can Tell Psychiatrists Today.

The aim of this article is to propose that reading Samuel Beckett's novels can improve compassionate acceptance of mental phenomena and human behavior deemed incomprehensible. In a narrative inquiry into all of Beckett's novels, we could discern nihilism and existential insecurity as themes both central to Beckett's prose and relevant in working with people with severe mental disorders. By deconstructing narrative structures and struggling to say the unsayable, Beckett can provide a perspective that goes beyond rational understanding. Beckett's prose can extend our imagination of mental and embodied phenomena by describing absurd and incomprehensible aspects of human experience and behavior. His unique sense of humor in dealing with bleak, meaningless situations and the acceptance and perseverance that his characters show in their struggles could help promote compassionate therapeutic relationships and improve clinical teaching in psychiatry. This can help psychiatrists and patients to face the existential aspects of mental illness, "limit situations" according to Jaspers, in a manner both respectful and open to subjective views.