PA 518 Behavioral Medicine
This course provides a study of common psychiatric/behavioral disorders encountered in general adult and pediatric medicine. Topics include typical clinical presentation, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic work-up, and management, including referral and prevention, of these disorders. Students will also develop strategies for enhancing patient education and compliance, taking into consideration the socioeconomic and cultural aspects of behavior as it applies to health. The course also emphasizes the role of health behavior and communication in formulating strategies for promoting behavior change. Students will also examine cultural impacts on healthcare beliefs, values, and decisions to deliver patient centered care. Topics covered include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychoses, personality disorders, ADHD, Autism spectrum disorders, conduct disorders, substance abuse, somatoform disorders, eating disorders, sleep disorders, human sexuality, and issues of death and dying.