Psychiatry

Introduction

The Department of Psychiatry is undergoing a comprehensive transformation in terms of infrastructure, patient treatment, and research. It has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception. The Psychiatry OPD began in March 2013 and the IPD began on September 3, 2018. This year, the department added electro convulsive therapy to the services. It’s postgraduate programme began in July 2019, and currently has two postgraduate students. The Department of Psychiatry has three Faculty members (one Additional Professor and two Assistant Professors), seven Senior Residents (SR), and two Postgraduate students from July 2019 session. Faculty members are, experts in several fields, including adult psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, headache, epilepsy, and sleep disorders, as well as cognitive neurosciences. As a result, the Department is soon going to be cutting-edge in terms of treatment, research & teaching, and patient care. Each faculty member has extensive expertise in teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. Patients come to us from all over Bihar and neighbouring states such as Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and as far as Nepal. Typically, we get a diverse spectrum of psychiatric patients, including difficult, treatment-resistant, and referral cases, for diagnostic evaluation and care. The department takes scheduled lessons for MBBS and BSc. Nursing students on a regular basis, in addition to teaching them everyday in their clinical placements in the OPD.

OPD complex: There are seven OPD rooms for faculty and residents, as well as one board room for clinical teaching of students and running special clinics. The department conducts OPD: 6 days per week.
Special clinics: 3

  1. Geriatric Clinic
  2. Child Guidance, and
  3. De-addiction Clinic.
IPD: Our earmarked ward for total 30 beds has been started in September 2018 at 1-C Ward block.

Clinical Services:

The department operates a fully functional clinical psychiatry service facility that is capable of offering general adult psychiatry as well as a variety of specialised specialty psychiatry treatments. Additionally, the department provides consultation-liaison and emergency services in psychiatry. Clinical services are given in out-patient settings through dedicated clinics (Child Guidance clinic, De-addiction clinic and geriatric clinic). Our patients are covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since its start, the department has seen about 7600 patients every year in the OPD, a figure that is likely to grow significantly in the future. At the moment, the psychiatric OPD sees an average of 75 patients per day.

Three specialised clinics are currently operating: an addiction treatment center, a child guidance center, and a geriatric clinic. Child Guidance Clinics are affiliated with the Department of Paediatrics, whereas the Geriatric Clinic is affiliated with the Departments of Medicine and Neurology. In conjunction with the department of Neurology, the general OPD manages a wide variety of seizure disorders. This year, we added electro convulsive therapy to our services. We added a neurodevelopmental clinic last year, with an occupational therapist dedicated to this service in our department. We began offering teleconsultation services during COVID in the last year. The department is in the mode of launching therapeutic intervention services for autistic children and other neurodevelopmental disorders, this is an ICMR-funded project. In partnership with NIMHANS, Bengaluru, we have trained Medical officers and Nursing staff in Bihar this year and awarded them a ‘certificate course in diploma in primary care psychiatry’ (one year programme)

Teaching and training:

The department takes the allotted classes for MBBS and BSc Nursing students on a regular basis, in addition to teaching them daily in their clinical postings in the OPD. The department has designed a teaching curriculum for the various MBBS semesters that is similar to the one used by AIIMS New Delhi. This includes cross-departmental seminars, clinical case conferences, and tutorials. In addition, the department holds weekly clinical grand rounds with the PG students and senior residents. We are taking orientation classes daily - 5 days a week for 4 postgraduates, as well as seminars, journal clubs, case conferences, and tutorials.

SL No.Name of FacultyDesignation

6 days per week

  1. Geriatric Clinic
  2. Child Guidance, and
  3. De-addiction Clinic.

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