3 credit hours
Behavioral Medicine aims to explore the most common mental health disorders encountered across the lifespan. Students will address the signs and symptoms, etiology, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral disorders. It includes the following topics as they pertain to human behavior: children and adolescent health, aging, chronic pain, provider empathy, loss, domestic violence, eating disorders, mental health, human sexuality, stress, and substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs). This course also explores provider burn-out and steps for prevention.
Students will learn to conduct a psychiatric interview, classifying disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, sleep disorders, abuse and neglect, death and dying, childhood disorders, psychological testing, psychological therapy, and pharmacological agents.