AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching of pharmacology with a focus on psychotropic drugs is aimed to offer the basic notions about the correct use of psychotropic drugs, their mechanism of action, and their side effects. Students will be able to learn the pharmacological approaches that more often are used to treat patients affected by mood, affectivity, and behavior disorders.  
In particular, students will be able to:

• Learn the most common treatments for patients with psychotropic drugs
• Identify the early signal of drug overdose and learn the most important life-supporting pharmacological approaches for each of these specific situations.  
• Discuss with patients about the necessity for pharmacological intervention, and the possible side effects, warning them about the risk of abuse of psychoactive drugs
• Recognize the signs of a possible intoxication with drugs of abuse.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching of Pharmacology (with focuses on psychotropic drugs) will be held as frontal lessons. Any Student with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs, shall reach out to the Lecturer(s) and to the dedicated SLD Representative in the Department before class begins, in order to arrange the specific teaching methods and ensure proper achievement of the learning aims and outcomes.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Program and topics.

General pharmacology

• Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacodynamics 
• Basic concepts of neuropharmacology

Clinical neuropharmacology

• Opiates in the therapy of pain
• Antidepressant
• Anxiolytics
• Antipsychotics
• Drugs of abuse

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The topic discussed during the font lessons will be available as PDF files in aulaweb section of unige website.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

lessons will be held starting from March 

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam will  be held in form of interview; the score will be used to obtain the average with the other sections of the course. Students with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs are invited to contact the teacher  and the referent for disabilities of School/Department before the exam for the approval of conceptual maps, that will be used during the interviews.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Interviews will be solely focused on the topics that have been discussed during the course. They will be addressed to estimate the capacity of the students to critically evaluate the pathological situations that require the use of psychotropic drugs. The capacity to discuss the most useful neuropharmacological approach according to the clinical characteristics of the patients will be considered worthy of the highest score. Students that have been certified with learning  special education needs (DSA), pare invited to contact the teacher and the referent for disability at the moment of their enrollment to the exam to have their conceptual maps approved. Approved maps may be used to help students in the interview.