Teaching medical students about communicating with patients with major mental illness

Abstract

Persons with major mental illness often have chronic diseases and poor physical health. Therefore, all practicing physicians should learn about communicating effectively with these patients. Few efforts to teach medical students communication skills have specifically targeted patients with major mental illness. Indeed, most of the limited literature on this topic is decades old, predating significant scientific advances in cognitive neuroscience and psychiatric therapeutics and changes in social policies regarding major mental illness. To gather preliminary insight into training needs, we interviewed 13 final-year students from 2 Boston medical schools. Students' observations coalesced around 4 themes: fears and anxieties about interacting with persons with major mental illness; residents "protecting" students from patients with major mental illness; lack of clinical maturity; and barriers to learning during psychiatry rotations. Educational researchers must explore ways to better prepare young physicians to communicate effectively with patients with major mental illness.

Constructing patient–psychiatrist relations in psychiatric hospitals: the role of space and personal action

“…8. See Borge and Hummelvoll (2008) ;Goss, Moretti, Mazzi, Piccolo, Rimondini & Zimmermann (2008); Lezzoni, Ramanan and Lee (2006). 9.…”

“…One reason for the restriction of information is that doctors lack communication skills, in terms of relationship building skills, and specific abilities to involve the patient in the shared decisionmaking process (Goss et al 2008, 420;Lezzoni et al 2006Lezzoni et al , 1112. In particular, Lezzoni et al cites (2006Lezzoni et al cites ( , 1112 that there are few efforts to teach medical students the communication skills specifically to care and treat patients with major mental illness.…”

“…In particular, Lezzoni et al cites (2006Lezzoni et al cites ( , 1112 that there are few efforts to teach medical students the communication skills specifically to care and treat patients with major mental illness. Indeed, most of the limited literature on this topic is severely outdated and predating any significant scientific advances in psychiatric therapeutics (Lezzoni et al 2006(Lezzoni et al , 1112.…”

A randomized study of iterative hypothesis testing in undergraduate psychiatric education

“…However, few studies to teach medical students diagnostic and communication skills have specifically targeted patients with major mental illness (7). Untrained clinicians newly confronting persons with these disorders may feel uncertain about how to conduct even basic communication.…”

“…Untrained clinicians newly confronting persons with these disorders may feel uncertain about how to conduct even basic communication. However, few studies to teach medical students diagnostic and communication skills have specifically targeted patients with major mental illness (7).…”