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Psychiatry of Old Age (PSYT90004)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 18.75Online and On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
January
Email: continuing-education@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: + 61 3 8344 0149
Contact hours: https://unimelb.edu.au/professional-development/contact-us
January
Email: continuing-education@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: + 61 3 8344 0149
Contact hours: https://unimelb.edu.au/professional-development/contact-us
Overview
| Availability | January - Online January - On Campus |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject is a core subject in Year 3 of the Masters of Psychiatry program. Ten weeks focus directly on the clinical and research aspects of Old Age Psychiatry – psychiatric disorders as they present in the older age group (>65 years). The teaching will promote development of a clinical style that delivers care to this population in a positive, compassionate and patient-centred manner and with an awareness of their needs. The old age component of the unit will address the interaction of ageing and mental health, epidemiological and demographical aspects of ageing in Australia and worldwide, the social construction of ageing, individual experiences of ageing, ageing and mental health of indigenous Australians, physical and psychological consequences of ageing, families and ageing, sexuality and ageing, death and dying, common cognitive and functional disorders in the elderly, physical health, pharmacology and ageing and service provision to the elderly with a mental illness. An additional 2 weeks within this subject will be more practical sessions; in which themes of the Capstone Special Topics in Psychiatry Subject will be introduced. In these sessions, students will build upon their concepts of the vocational aspects of psychiatry as they move towards advanced training.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of the subject, students should be able to:
- Compare and contrast the common psychiatric issues that affect older people, their presentation, differential diagnoses, assessment, basic management and outcomes.
- Formulate a comprehensive psychiatric assessment following on from a clinical interview of older persons to effectively assess mental state with particular reference to cognitive function.
- Analyse and apply the skills necessary to manage common psychiatric disorders affecting older people and the sensitivity to the social milieu in which the aged person lives with particular reference to the need to support and assist carers of older persons with psychiatric disorders.
- Evaluate the experience of ageing as lived in Australia together with the social, societal and personal implications of the ageing process and range of services that they may require.
- Utilise appropriate referral to other specialists and services (both medical and social) for older people.
Generic skills
- Advanced critical appraisal and clinical analytic skills
- Skills in collaborative working within multidisciplinary teams as well as peers, and across multiple organisations
- Enhanced skills in managing acute as well as complex enduring problems
- Improved written and communication skills
- Improve self-directed learning skills and enhance motivation to innovate and incorporate novel ideas in day-to-day work
Last updated: 6 November 2025