Introduction to Psychological Medicine

Under the direction of your Educational Supervisor, you will join a multidisciplinary team, usually comprising doctors, nurses, clinical psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists, and see how psychiatry is practiced in hospital, outpatient and community settings.  You should also have the opportunity to see an aspect of a least one sub-specialty of psychiatry.

In many respects psychiatry is similar to other branches of medicine.  However, there are important differences.  Patients with mental illness often have to cope not only with their illness and its consequences, but also with associated stigma and social exclusion.  For these reasons, confidentiality, which is of utmost importance in all interactions with patients, is often of particular concern to psychiatric patients.  Sometimes issues of confidentiality can become blurred with duties of care toward the patient, for instance, when on rare occasions, patients may attempt to ask you not to pass on information to other members of the clinical team.  It is important to explain to patients that your involvement with them is as part of a team, each of whom will respect confidentiality.  If you have any concerns you should discuss them with your educational supervisor.

The same standards of dress and behaviour toward patients and professional colleagues are expected as in any other branch of Medicine.

The Undergraduate Tutor co-ordinates placements at each hospital site.  They will usually arrange to meet with you as a group on the first day of the block, to tell you about the hospital and local services, and to link you with your Educational Supervisor.  If there are difficulties which cannot be resolved with your Educational Supervisor, you should talk to the Undergraduate Tutor in the first instance.  A list of tutors and hospital placements is given on the next page.

The Glasgow University Psychiatry Interest Group (GUPIG) was founded in 2009 by a group of medical students with an enthusiasm for psychiatry. We organise monthly talks on issues related to psychiatry and psychology that are not part of the core undergraduate curriculum to encourage students’ interest in psychiatry, all in a relaxed and social atmosphere. We have organized talks such as Psychiatry in Africa and Forensic Psychiatry, have arranged a revision night for finals exams and plan to hold future OSCE practice evenings and elective information nights.

Our aims are:

If you're interested in becoming a member or joining the committee please email: glasgowpsych@googlemaill.com or become a fan on our facebook page (G.U.Pig).

Everyone is welcome!

The GUPIG team