Dr. Ehsen Naveed Irfan

The nature and prevalence occurring in primary care of psychoneuroses, including anxiety disorders and mood disorders. An awareness of the many presentations including somatic presentations of these disorders in the primary care setting. The manifestations of the major functional psychoses, especially schizophrenia and the affective psychoses. The main features of substance-related disorders. Recognition of hidden alcoholism & drug misuse in general practice together with strategies for successful intervention and the main treatment methods used. The management of psychiatric emergencies as they present in the community. The assessment of suicidal risk and the management of the suicidal patient. The psychiatric disorders of pregnancy and the puerperium. The diagnosis and management of normal and abnormal grief reactions. The assessment of sexual dysfunction and its appropriate management. The principal manifestations and management of psychological dysfunction in children and adolescents. Knowledge of the procedures to be adopted relating to sexual abuse. Knowledge of eating disorders. The main manifestations of acute and chronic confusional states, particularly in the elderly. The recognition and treatment of functional disorder in the elderly. Management approaches to dementia in primary care. Knowledge of forensic psychiatry especially as it pertains to committal of patients to hospital. The development of personality and its disorders. The therapeutic potential of the doctor-patient relationship and the main elements of psychotherapy including psychodynamic psychotherapy, behaviour therapy and cognitive therapy. The appropriate referral of patients for specialist psychiatric opinion and their appropriate referral to counselling and support groups, voluntary organisation and statutory agencies in the community. The psychopharmacology of those psychotropic agents commonly used in primary care.