PSY601 — General Psychiatry: Lecture Note

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la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Course code: PSY 601 Course title: General Psychiatry Course credit load: 3 Units Series 1: History, Aetiology, Ethics, and Neuroscience of Psychiatric Disorders • Part 1.1: History and Definition of Psychiatry o Sub Part 1.1.1: Historical milestones in the development of psychiatry o Sub Part 1.1.2: Defining psychiatry as a medical discipline o Sub Part 1.1.3: The biopsychosocial model • Part 1.2: Aetiological Factors and Hypotheses in Mental Illness o Sub Part 1.2.1: Biological factors in the causation of mental illness o Sub Part 1.2.2: Psychological factors in the causation of mental illness o Sub Part 1.2.3: Social and environmental factors in the causation of mental illness • Part 1.3: Ethics in Psychiatry o Sub Part 1.3.1: Principles of medical ethics applied to psychiatry o Sub Part 1.3.2: Confidentiality and capacity in psychiatric practice o Sub Part 1.3.3: Involuntary treatment and ethical safeguards • Part 1.4: Neuroscience of Psychiatric Disorders o Sub Part 1.4.1: Neural networks and neurotransmitters o Sub Part 1.4.2: Brain plasticity and genetics of psychiatric disorders o Sub Part 1.4.3: The prefrontal cortex and executive functioning • Part 1.5: Neurophysiology of Integrated Behaviour o Sub Part 1.5.1: Neurophysiological basis of integrated behaviour o Sub Part 1.5.2: Linking neuroscience to clinical presentation o Sub Part 1.5.3: The biological foundation of human behaviour as a unifying framework Introduction

la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Psychiatry occupies a genuinely distinctive position within medicine, treating conditions whose underlying causes span biological, psychological, and social domains simultaneously, and whose own understanding has shifted dramatically across recorded history. This opening Series of PSY 601: General Psychiatry builds the essential foundation for everything that follows, working through the history and definition of psychiatry itself, the aetiological factors and hypotheses underlying mental illness, the ethical principles genuinely distinctive to psychiatric practice, and, finally, the neuroscience and neurophysiology underpinning the biological basis of human behaviour. The aim of this Series is to equip you with a thorough understanding of milestones in the historical development of psychiatry, factors and hypotheses in the causation of mental illness, the biological foundation of human behaviour, and the application of principles of medical ethics in psychiatry. This Series begins with history and definition of psychiatry, before turning to aetiological factors and hypotheses in mental illness, ethics in psychiatry, and neuroscience of psychiatric disorders. It concludes with neurophysiology of integrated behaviour. Series Learning Outcomes At the end of this Series, you should be able to: • SLO 1.1: illustrate milestones in the historical development of psychiatry and define psychiatry as a discipline • SLO 1.2: describe the biopsychosocial model • SLO 1.3: list biological, psychological, and social factors and hypotheses in the causation of mental illness • SLO 1.4: describe the principles of medical ethics applied to psychiatry • SLO 1.5: describe confidentiality, capacity, and involuntary treatment in psychiatric practice • SLO 1.6: describe neural networks and neurotransmitters relevant to psychiatric disorders • SLO 1.7: describe brain plasticity and genetics of psychiatric disorders • SLO 1.8: describe the prefrontal cortex and executive functioning • SLO 1.9: describe the neurophysiological basis of integrated behaviour, and • SLO 1.10: explain the biological foundation of human behaviour as a unifying clinical framework.

la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 1.1 History and Definition of Psychiatry 1.1.1 historical milestones in the development of psychiatry From moral treatment to modern evidence-based practice Psychiatry's historical development, discussed throughout this Series, includes genuinely important milestones such as the moral treatment movement, discussed in relation to nineteenth-century asylum reform, replacing custodial confinement with a more humane, therapeutic model, and the mid-twentieth-century deinstitutionalisation movement, shifting care increasingly toward community settings. Further recognised milestones, discussed earlier in this sub-Part, include the development of formal diagnostic classification systems, discussed further later in this course, and the emergence of effective psychotropic pharmacotherapy from the mid-twentieth century onward, together transforming psychiatry from a genuinely descriptive, largely custodial discipline into a genuinely evidence-based medical specialty. Fill in the blank: Psychiatry's historical development includes the moral treatment movement, replacing custodial confinement with a more humane, therapeutic ________. 1.1.2 defining psychiatry as a medical discipline A specialty defined by its distinctive scope and method Psychiatry is defined as the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders, genuinely distinguished from related disciplines such as clinical psychology by its specific medical training and, consequently, its capacity to prescribe pharmacological treatment. This definition, discussed earlier in this sub-Part, reflects psychiatry's genuinely integrative nature, drawing simultaneously on neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, and social science, meaning psychiatric practice demands a genuinely broader, more integrative clinical approach than many other medical specialties addressing more narrowly defined organ systems alone. Fill in the blank: Psychiatry is defined as the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioural ________.

la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 1.1.3 the biopsychosocial model A framework integrating three genuinely distinct causal domains The biopsychosocial model, discussed throughout this Series, provides the genuinely foundational conceptual framework for modern psychiatric practice, recognising that mental illness generally results from the combined interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors rather than any single domain acting in genuine isolation. This integrative model, discussed earlier in this sub-Part, directly shapes both psychiatric assessment, discussed further in a later Series of this course, and treatment planning, since a genuinely comprehensive psychiatric formulation must consider contributing factors from each of these three domains rather than focusing narrowly on any one alone. Fill in the blank: The biopsychosocial model recognises that mental illness generally results from the combined interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors rather than any single domain acting in genuine ________.

la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS Figure 1.1: A diagram illustrating the biopsychosocial model, showing the interaction of biological, psychological, and social domains in mental illness. Pilot questions 1.1 1. Describe key historical milestones in the development of psychiatry. (Linked to SLO 1.1) 2. Explain the significance of the moral treatment movement. (Linked to SLO 1.1) 3. Define psychiatry as a medical discipline. (Linked to SLO 1.1) 4. Describe the biopsychosocial model. (Linked to SLO 1.2) 5. Explain why the biopsychosocial model directly shapes psychiatric formulation. (Linked to SLO 1.2)

la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS 1.2 Aetiological Factors and Hypotheses in Mental Illness 1.2.1 biological factors in the causation of mental illness Genetic, neurochemical, and structural contributions Biological factors, discussed throughout this Part, include genetic predisposition, discussed further later in this Series, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and structural or functional brain abnormality, together contributing to the recognised biological vulnerability underlying many psychiatric disorders discussed throughout this course. This biological contribution, discussed earlier in this sub-Part, does not operate in genuine isolation, since environmental and psychological factors, discussed further in this Part, frequently interact with underlying biological vulnerability, meaning biological causation should genuinely be understood as one important, though rarely sole, contributing factor. Fill in the blank: Biological factors include genetic predisposition, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and structural or functional brain ________. 1.2.2 psychological factors in the causation of mental illness Cognitive, developmental, and personality-based contributions Psychological factors, discussed throughout this Part, include maladaptive cognitive patterns, discussed in relation to cognitive theory, early developmental experience, and personality vulnerability, each contributing to an individual's genuine, specific psychological susceptibility to developing a particular mental disorder. These psychological factors, discussed earlier in this sub-Part, generally interact meaningfully with biological vulnerability, discussed earlier in this Series, and with the social factors discussed further in the next sub-Part, meaning psychological causation represents a further genuinely important, though similarly rarely sole, contributing domain. Fill in the blank: Psychological factors include maladaptive cognitive patterns, early developmental experience, and personality ________. 1.2.3 social and environmental factors in the causation of mental illness Life circumstance and adversity as genuine contributing causes Social and environmental factors, discussed throughout this Part, include socioeconomic adversity, significant life stressors, and social isolation, each recognised as genuine, meaningful

la-NET | ONLINE LEARNING VIDEO PLATFORM FOR POST-SECONDARY & HIGHER INSTITUTION STUDENTS contributing factors to mental illness causation, particularly in individuals who additionally carry biological or psychological vulnerability discussed earlier in this Series. Recognising this specific social dimension, discussed earlier in this sub-Part, carries direct clinical relevance, since effective psychiatric management frequently requires addressing these social and environmental contributing factors alongside biological and psychological treatment, reflecting the genuinely integrative, biopsychosocial approach discussed earlier in this Series. Fill in the blank: Social and environmental factors include socioeconomic adversity, significant life stressors, and social ________. Table 1.2: The three domains of the biopsychosocial model. Domain Example factor Clinical relevance Biological Genetic predisposition, neurotransmitter dysregulation Informs pharmacological treatment planning Psychological Maladaptive cognition, developmental experience Informs psychotherapeutic treatment planning Social Socioeconomic adversity, life stressors Informs social intervention and support planning Pilot questions 1.2 1.

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