To create such superspecialists in the field of addiction psychiatry, who can function as experts in the field, proficient in clinical acumen and skills of patient care; in active teaching, productive research, and advocacy.
For this purpose, “Addiction Psychiatry” has been defined as the superspecialty of psychiatry “that focuses on the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of substance use disorders (SUD) and other substance-related disorders (SRD) as well as related education and research. In addition, the addiction psychiatrist will be fully trained in techniques required in the treatment of the larger group of patients with dual diagnoses of addictive disorders and other psychiatric disorders.” (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, USA)
The candidate will have in-depth knowledge of the etiology, diagnoses and management of addictions (psychoactive SUDs and behavioural addictions). They will have a clear understanding of the relevant basic sciences as well as of the clinical and developmental aspects of addictions, including preventive and promotive aspects within the existing socio-cultural framework.
On completion of the course the candidate should be proficient in the theory and practice of addiction psychiatry and be able to deliver the highest quality of patient care, advocate on prevention and control of addictive disorders, be a competent and inspiring teacher and be able to pursue and supervise both clinical and experimental research.
The D.M. Addiction Psychiatry Resident will gain knowledge and experience in dealing with
Experience in teaching and supervising student clinicians in the care of patients with SRDs
DM Addiction Psychiatry candidates must fulfil all the Learning Objectives as detailed above.
The training program will include the following clinical components: Evaluation, consultation, and treatment of:
Alcohol
Opioids
Cocaine and Other Stimulants
Marijuana and Hallucinogens
Benzodiazepines
Tobacco
Other substances of abuse, including sedatives, hypnotics or anxiolytics, organic solvents/inhalants
New Psychoactive Substances
Miscellaneous/unusual, e.g., nutmeg, designer or club drugs, etc.
Clinical Teaching: There will be regular clinical teaching on cases worked up by the trainee along with discussions of conceptual issues and clinical diagnosis, differential diagnosis and management
Academic presentations and discussions: regular academic meetings geared to keep the trainee abreast with contemporary advances and developments in the field of addiction psychiatry would be held. These would consist of seminars, journal clubs, CCs, clinical meetings, etc., under supervision of a consultant Lecture Courses: Lectures will be held providing a broad and full coverage of addiction psychiatry and related areas
Thesis: Candidate will write a thesis on original research carried out by him/her Conferences: Conferences in addiction psychiatry, such as ground rounds, CCs, reading seminars, and journal clubs, will be specifically designed to complement the clinical experiences. Regular attendance by Residents and faculty will be documented
The trainees will have experience of working in a variety of settings and with full range of related disciplines. These should include in-patient, outpatient, C-L, emergency, and community:
Placeof Posting | 1st Yr | 2nd Yr | 3rd Yr |
---|---|---|---|
DDTC OPD | 6 months | 6 months | |
DDTC inpatient ward | 6 months | 6 months | |
Clinical psychology and Psychological | 1 month | ||
Interventions | |||
Medicine, and allied specialties | 2 months | ||
C-L, including Emergency | 2 months | ||
Community and Rehabilitation services | 4 months | ||
related to de-addiction | |||
Laboratory and Investigations | 1 month | ||
Forensic/Legal (CFSL, brain mapping etc.) | 1 month | ||
Optional posting (of trainee’s choice) | 1 month |
The candidate should furnish proof of having undertaken original research of high order in a form of a research thesis. This work shall be submitted six months prior to the date of the final examination
The training programme will also provide the trainee with knowledge and understanding of research methodology so that they are able to evaluate critically the literature relevant to addiction psychiatry. In addition, the trainee will be encouraged to take up any other research project of some clinical innovation
The ultimate aim of the DM course will be to produce superspecialist in Addiction Psychiatry who will not only provide clinical service, but also will teach and train medical, premedical other professional involved in care of children. Hence, during their training the trainees will get opportunities to teach particularly trainees in general psychiatry, other medical students, social workers, nursing staff and other professionals involved in care of substance users. This is to prepare them for the teaching role of future consultant. The teaching should involve both clinical instruction and academic tuition
The passed out candidate are expected to join other institutions and start addiction psychiatry academic and service units at their respective places and/or guide other professionals and administrators in setting up and running such services in the country
In keeping with the objectives of the course, it is proposed that candidates should be exposed to a syllabus that consists of not only the core clinical discipline of Addiction Psychiatry but also the allied areas and disciplines comprising basic and clinical neurosciences, genetics, psychology, psychotherapies, clinical psychiatry, and social sciences. The candidate is expected to achieve a high degree of competence and expertise in both theoretical underpinnings and practical applications in clinical areas as well as basic sciences. The syllabus has been conceived to ensure both the breadth and depth in the knowledge in terms of recent advances, state-of-art development and historical evolution of the current knowledge base
In addition to core clinical areas, the course focuses on valuable exposure to medicine, CL, emergency assessment and management, psychological assessment, social assessment and social work, liaison with NGOs, schools, colleges, industrial workers, prison and judicial system, etc. The course also requires mandatory academic submissions, research, and conference/CME presentations
During the period of study the candidate shall work under the guidance and supervision with increasing clinical and practical responsibilities. Active participation in the Seminars, Journalclubs and CCs and Clinical Meetings are expected. The candidate shall be required to participate in the teaching and training programme for other students in the Department The candidate will continue to take up cases in special areas supervised by the respective supervisor beyond the period of posting. The candidate shall work whole time in the present Department with full clinical responsibilities in accordance with the provided schedule of postings. During the course the candidate will attend classes covering all the courses
Basic sciences as related to addiction psychiatry
Clinical addiction psychiatry
For addiction psychiatry core competencies, the addiction psychiatry specialist (by the end of DM course) must be able to demonstrate his/her proficiency in the multiple roles as follows:
Evaluation: Via the supervisor of the Resident, and the monitoring of competency through a log-mechanism.
Establish effective relationships with patients and their families. It is very frequent that addiction and concurrent disorders impact on not just the person suffering from these conditions but the family as well. Often addiction issues occur in multiple members of a family as well. Families often have difficulties in understanding the treatment of addiction
Interact with community caregivers and other health resources to obtain and synthesize relevant information about the patient. Due to the complexity of concurrent disorder presentations, it is essential to be able to coordinate and communicate amongst treatment providers involved with a patient
Know when to consult other caregivers appropriately (Addiction and Concurrent Medical Disorders). Essential to treatment as concurrent disorder patients often need many aspects of their life to be dealt with simultaneously
Work with the interdisciplinary team to develop appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patient care. Patients will often need a case management or other mechanism to help keep track of the treatment received. This still requires input from the multiple caregivers involved with the patient
Learn to effectively balance patient care and health care resources.
Ability to adopt a preventive approach in clinical practice including an awareness of potential iatrogenic harm; of safe prescription practices; and of the appropriate management of chronic pain, chronic insomnia, chronic anxiety and chronic somatization conditions in dependency-vulnerable individuals; a familiarity with harm-reduction practices and the skills to promote them; an adequate knowledge of child neglect, child abuse and domestic violence issues, as well as the legal obligations of health care providers in such cases; the ability to assess fitness to operate vehicles or to perform high risk occupations, and an adequate knowledge of the health-care provider’s legal responsibilities in this area
Develop effective learning and teaching strategies in Addiction Psychiatry. This includes learning skills in evidence-based medicine, bioethics, ethics, acquisition of knowledge; the development of self-assessment skills /reflective practice for ongoing self-development of knowledge, skills and attitudes; the learning and performing of effective teaching strategies to teach more junior house staff and other inter-professional learner groups
The opportunity for participation in research projects under the supervision of appropriate supervisors
Development of appropriate professional attitudes toward individuals with addiction and concurrent disorders including an awareness of critical personal views, prejudices and unhelpful responses; the ability to overcome such negative attitudes and accept substance abusers as bona fide patients, deserving of a full professional commitment; the ability to tolerate the chronic and recurring nature of substance-abuse behaviour; the ability to persevere in the therapeutic effort despite poor patient compliance or limited treatment success; the ability to perceive and identify -driven behaviour, and to interpret accurately the patient’s difficulties to follow a treatment plan; the readiness to support disability entitlements on the grounds of addictive disorders; as well as the competence to recognize manipulation and to abstain from fostering maladaptive regression or unwarranted idleness; accepting the chronic, recurring nature of addictive illness; that these conditions can affect individuals from every sector of society, including social and professional peers; self-awareness of potential role as an enabler (e.g., prescribing medication that might continue or create new addiction issues); Understand professional obligations to patients and colleagues, including being punctual/timely; communication of essential information; upholding the Hippocratic Oath; maintaining confidentiality and understanding when it must be broken to protect the patient and other individuals’ safety; Exhibit appropriate personal and interpersonal professional behaviours. Including taking care of one’s own mental and physical health; communicating to others in a courteous and non-hostile manner; to insure patient care is maintained if away; maintain honesty and integrity; exercise compassion, empathy and understanding.
Assessment: Formative (i.e. internal assessment) and Summative (i.e., end-of-course assessment) No candidate shall be admitted to the examination unless the candidate has satisfied the following conditions:
Passing the thesis will be mandatory requirement for passing the degree
Each candidate will be required to maintain a log book, wherein his/her clinical, teaching and research activities through the DM course will be logged. This will have to be verified and certified by the consultant in-charge.
Internal Assessment: Periodic Assessment will be done during the course. Semester wise assessment of the trainee including performance in theory exams in courses taught, clinical/practical exam, and assessment of day to day clinical and academic work as well as of discipline and responsibility by the faculty of the Department will be done and sent to the Dean of the Institute for information and record. This will constitute the internal assessment and will be shown to the external examiners at the time of final exams.
The general scheme of examinations for DM shall be: Theory, practical and viva-voce. The candidate shall be permitted to take the examination only after all the conditions are fulfilled A. Theory: 3 papers (3 hours each)
Paper 1: Basic Sciences as applied to addiction psychiatry
Paper 2: Clinical addiction psychiatry including dual diagnosis
Paper 3: Recent advances and specialty areas in addiction psychiatry B. Clinical Examination and viva voce
Clinical examinations shall consist of one long case, one inpatient case management and two short cases. The duration of clinical examination and viva-voce will last at least 1 day.