Psychiatry (PSYCH-MD)

Psychiatry

The faculty of the NYU Psychoanalytic Institute, in the Department of Psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, offers an elective in Psychoanalytic Medicine. This elective provides the students with the opportunity to learn about psychoanalysis as a clinical field of practice, to become familiar with the psychoanalytic point of view, and to understand the relationship of psychoanalysis to general psychiatry and to medicine in general. The elective aims to introduce students to the basic principles of modern psychoanalytic theory and practice, and demonstrate their applicability in a variety of psychiatric settings and treatment of modalities. It is hoped that students will acquire a greater appreciation and understanding of the usefulness of psychodynamic listening, interviewing and formulation.

For students interested in psychiatry, this is an opportunity to gain experience in the psychiatric care of medically complicated patients admitted to medical and surgical services. Students can expect to see a wide range of psychopathology and learn about myriad clinical issues involving the interplay of psychiatry, ethics, medico-legal, end-of-life care, hospital systems and decision-making capacity. The student works with Psychiatry residents, CL fellows, and CL attendings whom have a wide range of clinical expertise including addiction psychiatry, transplant psychiatry, infectious disease, palliative care, and reproductive psychiatry. In addition to the individual supervision, the student participates in regularly scheduled rounds, clinical case conferences, journal club, and consultation-liaison seminars.

The Forensic Psychiatry Service serves male inmates (ages 16 years and older) in the New York City correctional system. The demographics of the male population served reflects that of the jails and prisons of New York City in that the majority of patients are from minority groups: black and hispanic. Although the majority of the patients are from lower-income, minority groups, we frequently treat and evaluate professionals including doctors (even psychiatrists), lawyers, businessmen and clergymen. The age range is generally in the younger to middle twenties. On average the population is generally one-half treatment cases and one-half evaluation cases. A majority of cases carry a DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric diagnosis. The most frequent diagnoses are that of Schizoaffective Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Depressive Disorders. Also common among the population are diagnoses of Personality Disorder and Impulse Control Disorder. The assessment of Malingering is an essential component of each evaluation. A substantial number of referrals are sent for treatment because of suicidal or homicidal tendencies.

The Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) Elective gives the student the unique opportunity to participate in the evaluation, diagnosis, and the short-term treatment planning for patients in the Bellevue Psychiatry Emergency Room. Under close supervision by the faculty and staff of this service, the student gains experience in interviewing, diagnosing, and managing the acute psychiatric patient. The student sees a very wide range of pathology from adjustment disorders to frank psychoses to complex multi-system illnesses. Students work with the attending psychiatrists as well as the Director of the Bellevue Psychiatry Emergency Services.

This is an introductory 2-week elective that seeks to introduce students to the field of Community Psychiatry. As an introductory elective, students will be expected to gain a broad understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty through encounters with a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty. Students will gain increased knowledge of psychopathology, psychiatric diagnosis, and psychotherapeutics. During the 2-week introductory elective, students will experience the evaluation and management of psychiatric outpatients with a broad range of psychiatric disturbances, depending on resident and faculty supervisor schedules. Settings vary based on time of year but may include: community outpatient clinics, a homeless shelter program, school-based mental health, and emergency room evaluations. This rotation is based in the Family Health Centers, an NYU-affiliated Federally Qualified Health Center System. Students will also join the PGY-2 didactics on Thursdays in Manhattan, and Psychiatric Grand Rounds. Elective objectives are outlined below.

This is an introductory 2-week elective that seeks to introduce students to the field of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Students will be expected to gain a broad understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty through encounters with a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty. Students will gain increased knowledge of psychopathology, psychiatric diagnosis, the intersection of medicine and psychiatry, psychiatric emergencies, community resources, and psychotherapeutics. During the 2-week elective, students will experience a continuum of evaluation and treatment of acute psychiatric conditions that medically ill patients experience. Students will also learn what it means to be a psychiatric liaison within the broader hospital setting, working with various specialties and disciplines to benefit patient care. Settings may vary based on patient volume but may include: medical, surgical, obstetric, and emergency medicine floors. This rotation is based in Bellevue Hospital. Students will also join the PGY-2 didactics on Thursdays in Manhattan, and Psychiatric Grand Rounds.

This is an introductory 2-week elective that seeks to introduce students to the field of Emergency Psychiatry. As an introductory elective, students will be expected to gain a broad understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty through encounters with a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty. Students will gain increased knowledge of psychopathology, psychiatric diagnosis, psychiatric emergencies, community resources, and psychotherapeutics. During the 2-week introductory elective, students will experience a continuum of evaluation and treatment of acute psychiatric conditions. Settings may vary base on patient volume but may include: emergency room evaluations in Bellevue CPEP, follow up evaluations in the Interim Crisis Clinic, and community outreach with the Mobile Crisis team. This rotation is based in Bellevue Hospital. Students will also join the PGY-2 didactics on Thursdays in Manhattan, and Psychiatric Grand Rounds. Elective objectives are outlined below.

This is an advanced 4-week elective that seeks to build on psychiatric knowledge and experiences gained in the pre-clerkship and clerkship years. Students will be expected to serve at the level of a sub-intern. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty through encounters with a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty. Students will gain increased knowledge of psychopathology, psychiatric diagnosis, and psychotherapeutics. During the 4-week advanced elective, students will experience the evaluation and management of psychiatric inpatients representing a broad range of psychiatric disturbances. Students will also join the departmental PGY2 didactics and Grand Rounds, as outlined below.

This is a 2-week elective that seeks to introduce students to the field of Addiction Psychiatry. Students will be expected to gain a broad understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the field of addiction psychiatry through encounters with a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty. During the 2-week elective, students will gain increased knowledge of substance use disorders, management of intoxication/withdrawal, treatment and community resources. Consults are in the inpatient medical/surgical setting and may also be in the emergency room. This rotation is based in Bellevue Hospital. Students will also join the PGY-2 didactics on Thursdays in Manhattan, Psychiatry Grand Rounds and Bellevue Case Conference on Fridays. Elective objectives are outlined below.

This advanced 4-week elective offers the student a unique opportunity to evaluate and treat patients with both substance misuse disorders and complex co-occuring psychiatric disorders on the Dual Diagnosis Training Unit, a 30-bed inpatient psychiatric unit at Bellevue Hospital. As an advanced elective, the student will gain an understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty of psychiatry. While the patients on this service most frequently use alcohol, cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines or cannabis, the service also treats patients who use phencyclidine (PCP), hallucinogens, inhalants, methamphetamine, and other drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine, and GHB. Prescription drug misuse is also common. The majority of patients also suffer from psychotic and/or mood disorders, as well as severe personality disorders, trauma, and significant psychosocial stressors. The student will also learn about associated neurobiology, psychopathology, behavior modification techniques, group therapy techniques, motivational interviewing, and psychopharmacology specifically designed for this patient population.

This is a 4-week elective that seeks to introduce students to the field of reproductive psychiatry. Students will be expected to gain a broad understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty through encounters with a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty.