2022/2023

2022/2023

DM270

M-PSI/08 (CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY)

DEPARTMENT OF BRAIN AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

PSYCHOLOGY

PERCORSO COMUNE

1°

2nd semester (27/02/2023 - 09/06/2023)

9

54 lesson hours

Italian

WRITTEN TEST

AMBROSI PAOLO (titolare) - 9 ECTS

Propaedeutic examinations are not required, but is desired a previous knowledge of the basic notions of clinical psychology.

Acquire expertise in the field of general psychopathology and of the psychopathological expressions of the various kinds of mental disorder: psychotic, organic, neurotic and personality disorders.
Make use of the anthropological, sociological, phenomenological and psychological concerns to recognize the needs of the subject and their socio-cultural impact, prerequisites for the development of an healthy and integrated personality.
Possess and integrate theoretical knowledges of the concept of health and of the various clarifying models of mental disorder.
Learn knowledges necessary for understand the biological appearances, the main mechanisms of mental functions and systems, the physiologic sublayers of mental and physical activity.
Acquire basic notions of physiological, social and mental dimensions of mental disorders and of their psychosocial and behavioral effects.
Learn and enforce theoretic, cultural and vocational values which guide the diagnostic and assessing process during the clinical interview.
Recognize the elementary manifestations of pathological functioning at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral level.
Formulate diagnostic hypotheses from the report of a clinical case and reason in terms of differential diagnosis.
Integrate detected symptoms into a diagnostic hypothesis.
Collect a complete psychopathological history.,

The course aims to offer an in-depth description of psychopathology, both general and special, discussing the following topics organized in 8 modules:
First Module: Concepts and methods
1. The fundamental concepts of descriptive psychopathology
WHAT IS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY?
PHENOMENOLOGY AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
NORMAL HEALTH
UNDERSTANDING THE PATIENT'S SYMPTOMS
THE ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENCE
THE THEORETICAL POSITIONS OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
2. The collection of symptoms of mental illness
TYPICAL CLINICAL EXAMINATION SCHEME
THE EXAMINATION OF THE MENTAL STATE
USE OF EMPATHY IN CLINICAL INTERVIEW
Second Module: Consciousness and Cognition
3. Consciousness and disorders of consciousness
CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS EXPERIENCES
CONSCIOUSNESS
PATHOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
QUANTITATIVE LOWERING OF CONSCIOUSNESS
QUALITATIVE MODIFICATIONS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
OTHER DEFINITIONS
TWILIGHT STATE
MANIA À POTU (PATHOLOGICAL INTOXICATION)
AUTOMATISM
DREAMING STATE (ONIROID)
STUPOR
4. Attention, concentration, orientation and sleep
ATTENTION, AWARENESS AND CONCENTRATION
ORIENTATION
SLEEP DISORDERS
INSOMNIA
HYPERSOMNIA
SOMNAMBULISM
NARCOLEPSY
DREAMS
HYPNOSIS
5. Memory disorders
THE MECHANISMS OF MEMORY
ORGANIC ALTERATIONS OF MEMORY
VARIOUS MEMORY DISORDERS
DÉJÀ VU AND RELATED PHENOMENA (IDENTIFICATION PARAMNESIA)
CONFABULATION
PERSEVERATION
MEMORY ALTERATION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
AFFECTIVE MEMORY DISORDERS
THE RECOVERY OF MEMORIES AND THE FALSE MEMORY SYNDROME
Third Module: Awareness of Reality: Perception and Judgment
6 Pathology of perception
PERCEPTION AND REPRESENTATION
ABNORMAL PERCEPTIONS
FALSE PERCEPTIONS
ILLUSIONS
HALLUCINATIONS
AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS
VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS
AUTOSCOPIC HALLUCINATIONS
SOMATIC HALLUCINATIONS
OLFACTORY AND GUSTATORY HALLUCINATIONS
DIFFERENTIATION OF HALLUCINATIONS
INSIGHTS INTO HALLUCINATIONS
PSEUDOHALLUCINATIONS
OTHER ABNORMAL PERCEPTIONS
7 Delusions and other erroneous ideas
IDEAS, BELIEFS AND DELUSIONS
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DELUSIONS
TYPES OF PRIMARY DELUSION
NATIVE DELUSIONS (DELUSIONAL INSIGHTS)
DELUSIONAL PERCEPTIONS
REFERENCE DELUSION
MEANING DELUSION
DELUSIONAL ATMOSPHERE
DELUSIONAL MOOD
DELUSIONAL MEMORIES
THE ORIGINS OF DELUSION
CONTENT OF DELUSIONS
REALITY OF DELUSIONS
ERRONEOUS IDEATION
8 Disorders of the thought process
TYPES OF THINKING
DISTURBED THOUGHT PROCESSES
JUDGMENT DISORDERS
THOUGHT CONTROL DISORDERS
FIRST-RATE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
9 Speech and speech disorders
LANGUAGE, SPEECH, THOUGHT
SPEECH DISORDERS
ORGANIC SPEECH DISORDERS
SCHIZOPHRENIC LANGUAGE DISORDER
PSYCHOGENIC ANOMALIES OF LANGUAGE
10 Insight
INSIGHT IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
CONCEPT OVERVIEW
INSIGHT AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
CRITICISM OF THE CONCEPT
ETIOLOGY OF WEAK INSIGHT
Fourth Module: the Self and the Body
11 Disorders of the self
THE EGO AND THE SELF
DIMENSIONS OF THE SELF: JASPERS AND SCHARFETTER
DISORDERS OF THE SELF
DISORDERS OF THE SENSE OF EXISTENCE OR VITALITY OF THE SELF
DISORDERS OF ACTIVITY OF THE SELF
DISORDERS OF AWARENESS OF ONE'S OWN UNIQUENESS
DISORDERS OF IDENTITY OF THE SELF
DISORDERS OF THE BOUNDARIES OF THE SELF OR THE DEMARCATION OF THE EGO
CLINICAL SPECTRUM OF DISORDERS OF THE SELF
THE SELF-IMAGE IN NEUROSIS
12 Depersonalization
HISTORY, DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION
ORGANIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES
CONDITIONS OF APPEARANCE
DEPERSONALIZATION: NEUROTIC OR PSYCHOTIC?
13 Disorders of body awareness
CLASSIFICATION OF DISORDERS OF BODY AWARENESS
DISORDERS OF BELIEFS RELATED TO THE BODY (PHYSICAL COMPLAINTS WITHOUT ORGANIC CAUSES)
DISORDERS OF BODILY FUNCTIONS
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER (CONVERSION)
FICTITIOUS DISORDERS
DISORDERS OF THE PERCEPTION OF PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND THE EMOTIONAL VALUE ATTRIBUTED TO THE BODY (AVERSION TO THE BODY)
DISORDERS OF SENSORY AWARENESS OF THE BODY (ORGANIC CHANGES IN BODY IMAGE)
CULTURE-RELATED BODY IMAGE DISORDERS
Fifth Module: Emotions and Action
14 Mood and emotion disorders
THEORIES OF EMOTIONS
THE CLASSIFICATION OF PATHOLOGIES OF EMOTIONS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES OF BASIC EMOTIONS
MANIC-DEPRESSIVE MOOD
DEPRESSED MOOD
MANIA
15 Anxiety, panic, irritability, phobia and obsession
ANXIETY
ANXIOUS SYMPTOMS
PANIC ATTACKS AND RELATED DISORDERS
PHOBIC STATES
TYPES OF PHOBIAS: SIMPLE PHOBIAS AND SOCIAL PHOBIAS
SUBDIVISION OF PHOBIC NEUROSES
ANXIETY IN OTHER DISORDERS
IRRITABILITY
OBSESSIONS AND COMPULSIONS
16 Volition and performance disorders
NEEDS, INSTINCTS, WILL AND RELATED DISORDERS
CLASSIFICATION OF ANOMALIES OF NEEDS, INSTINCTS, MOTIVATIONS AND WILL
IMPULSIVE AND AGGRESSIVE CONDUCTS
MOVEMENT AND BEHAVIOR DISORDERS
MOTOR DISORDERS
DISORDERS IN CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA
Sixth Module: Variations of Human Nature
17 The expression of the disturbed personality
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND STATES
PERSONALITY DISORDERS IN THE DSM-5
CLUSTER A
CLUSTER B
CLUSTER C
OTHER PERSONALITY DISORDERS
ALTERNATIVE MODEL FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS: SECTION III OF THE DSM-5
DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR PERSONALITY DISORDERS:
18. Attachment, Mentalization and Personality Disorders
MENTALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL
DEFICIT OF MENTALIZATION IN THE COURSE OF DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
THE AXES OF MENTALIZATION
MENTALIZATION, MIRRORING OF AFFECTION, EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND SENSE OF THE SELF
AGENTIVE SELF AND ALIEN SELF
MENTALIZATION DEFICIT IN PATIENTS WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER
MENTALIZATION-BASED TREATMENT: MBT
Seventh module: Diagnosis
19 Psychopathology and diagnosis
CONCEPTS OF HEALTH AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
THE USE OF SYMPTOMS TO FORM DIAGNOSTIC CATEGORIES
CLASSIFICATION OF MENTAL DISORDERS
Eighth module: Psychodynamic and psychoanalytic applications
20 Thoughts On Loneliness: A psychoanalytic perspective
MEANINGS OF THE WORD LONELINESS
LONELINESS: A FEELING AND A PSYCHIC CONDITION
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LONELINESS AND COMPANIONSHIP
THE FEAR OF BEING ALONE: FEELING ABANDONED- GETTING LOST- PSYCHIC AGONIES
THE DESIRE TO BE ALONE: PSYCHIC WITHDRAWAL AND ISOLATION AS A NECESSARY POSITION FOR HEALTH
THE ABILITY TO BE ALONE
ISOLATION AND CREATIVITY

The lessons will consist of frontal teaching according to the model of master's degrees. In the case of specific psychopathological pictures, they will be accompanied by clinical vignettes, example cases and audiovisual supports; documentaries, films, etc. The lessons will be published in PDF format on the website of the Department of Psychology before the lesson. Students are advised to download the PDF file and consult it before the lesson, so that they can ask for any clarifications or explanations.

Required for examination:
A. Sims: **Introduzione alla psicopatologia descrittiva.** Raffaello Cortina Editore. Milano, 2009.
Exclusively for personal deepening (not required for the examination):
* Lavinia Barone, Edgardo Caverzasi: **Curare il borderline.** La Goliardica Pavese, Pavia, 2002.
* David B. Feinsilver:** Un modello comprensivo dei disturbi schizofrenici.** Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 1990.
* Karl Jaspers: **Psicopatologia generale.** Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore, Roma, 2000.
* Nancy McWilliams:**Il caso clinico. Dal colloquio alla diagnosi.** Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2002.
* Allen J.G., Fonagy P. (a cura di): **La mentalizzazione. Psicopatologia e trattamento.** Il Mulino, Bologna, 2008.
* Bateman A., Fonagy P.: **Mentalizzazione e disturbi di personalità.** Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2019.
* Debbané, M.: **Mentalizzazione. Dalla teoria alla pratica clinica**. Edra Editore, Milano, 2019.

The exam will be a written test, consisting of 30 questions:
10 multiple choice closed questions, with four choice options, aimed at verifying the specific knowledge of the theoretical aspects covered in the course; each question has only one correct answer, evaluated with a score of 1.
10 multiple open questions with short answers, aimed at verifying the ability to assimilate the main psychopathological issues. Each answer is evaluated with 3 distinct scores: 0, 0.5 and 1.
10 single open questions, which require synthetic definitions of the main psychopathological concepts illustrated in the lessons. Each answer is evaluated with 3 distinct scores: 0, 0.5 and 1 The final grade consists of the sum of the scores of each question; comprehensive answers to open questions allow you to award praise.

The exam will be a written test, consisting of 30 questions:
10 multiple choice closed questions, with four choice options, aimed at verifying the specific knowledge of the theoretical aspects covered in the course; each question has only one correct answer, evaluated with a score of 1.
10 multiple open questions with short answers, aimed at verifying the ability to assimilate the main psychopathological issues. Each answer is evaluated with 3 distinct scores: 0, 0.5 and 1.
10 single open questions, which require synthetic definitions of the main psychopathological concepts illustrated in the lessons. Each answer is evaluated with 3 distinct scores: 0, 0.5 and 1 The final grade consists of the sum of the scores of each question; comprehensive answers to open questions allow you to award praise.