DM Geriatric Mental Health: Admissions, Medical Colleges, Fees, Eligibility Criteria Details

DM Geriatric Mental Health or Doctorate of Medicine in Geriatric Mental Health also known as DM in Geriatric Mental Health is a super specialty level course for doctors in India that is done by them after completion of their postgraduate medical degree course. The duration of this super specialty course is 3 years, and it focuses on the study, prevention, and treatment of neurodegenerative, cognitive impairment, and mental disorders in people of old age.

The course is a full-time course pursued at various recognized medical colleges across the country. Some of the top medical colleges offering this course include King George Medical University- Lucknow.

Admission to this course is done through the NEET-SS Entrance exam conducted by the National Board of Examinations, followed by counselling based on the scores of the exam that is conducted by DGHS/MCC/State Authorities.

The fee for pursuing DM (Geriatric Mental Health) varies from college to college and may range from Rs. 50000 to Rs. 15,00,000 per year.

After completion of their respective course, doctors can either join the job market or can pursue certificate courses and Fellowship programmes recognised by NMC and NBE. Candidates can take reputed jobs at positions as Senior residents, Consultants, etc. with an approximate salary range of Rs. 6,00,000 to Rs. 20,00,000 per year.

What is DM in Geriatric Mental Health?

Doctorate of Medicine in Geriatric Mental Health, also known as DM (Geriatric Mental Health) or DM in (Geriatric Mental Health) is a three-year super specialty programme that candidates can pursue after completing a postgraduate degree.

Geriatric Mental Health is the branch of medical science dealing with the study, prevention, and treatment of neurodegenerative, cognitive impairment, and mental disorders in people of old age.

National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex medical regulator, has released guidelines for a Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme for DM in Geriatric Mental Health.

The Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme governs the education and training of DMs in Geriatric Mental Health.

The postgraduate students must gain ample of knowledge and experience in the diagnosis, treatment of patients with acute, serious, and life-threatening medical and surgical diseases.

The PG education intends to create specialists who can contribute to high-quality health care and advances in science through research and training.

The required training done by a postgraduate specialist in the field of Geriatric Mental Health would help the specialist to recognize the health needs of the community. The student should be competent to handle medical problems effectively and should be aware of the recent advances in their speciality.

The candidate is also expected to know the principles of research methodology and modes of the consulting library. The candidate should regularly attend conferences, workshops and CMEs to upgrade her/ his knowledge.

Course Highlights

Here are some of the course highlights of DM in Geriatric Mental Health

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for DM in Geriatric Mental Health are defined as the set of rules or minimum prerequisites that aspirants must meet in order to be eligible for admission, which include:

• Candidates must be in possession of a postgraduate medical Degree (MD/MS/DNB) from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (Now NMC)/NBE.
• The candidate must have obtained permanent registration of any State Medical Council to be eligible for admission.
• The medical college's recognition cut-off dates for the Postgraduate Degree courses shall be as prescribed by the Medical Council of India (now NMC).

Admission Process

• The admission process contains a few steps to be followed in order by the candidates for admission to DM in Geriatric Mental Health. Candidates can view the complete admission process for DM in Geriatric Mental Health mentioned below:

• The NEET-SS or National Eligibility Entrance Test for Super specialty courses is a national-level master's level examination conducted by the NBE for admission to DM/MCh/DrNB Courses.

• Qualifying Criteria-Candidates placed at the 50th percentile or above shall be declared as qualified in the NEET-SS in their respective specialty.

• The following Medical institutions are not covered under centralized admissions for DM/MCh courses through NEET-SS:

1. AIIMS, New Delhi and other AIIMS
2. PGIMER, Chandigarh
3. JIPMER, Puducherry
4. NIMHANS, Bengaluru

• Candidates from all eligible feeder specialty subjects shall be required to appear in the question paper of respective group, if they are willing to opt for a superspecialty course in any of the super specialty courses covered in that group.

• A candidate can opt for appearing in the question papers of as many groups for which his/her Postgraduate specialty qualification is an eligible feeder qualification.

• By appearing in the question paper of a group and on qualifying the examination, a candidate shall be eligible to exercise his/her choices in the counseling only for those superspecialty subjects covered in said group for which his/ her broad specialty is an eligible feeder qualification.

Fees Structure

The fee structure for DM in Geriatric Mental Health varies from college to college. The fee is generally less for Government Institutes and more for private institutes. The average fee structure for DM in Geriatric Mental Health is around Rs. 50000 to Rs. 15,00,000 per year.

Colleges offering DM in Geriatric Mental Health

There are various medical colleges across India that offer courses for pursuing DM in (Geriatric Mental Health).

As per National Medical Commission (NMC) website, the following medical colleges are offering DM in (Geriatric Mental Health) courses for the academic year 2022-23.

Syllabus

A DM in Geriatric Mental Health is a three years specialization course that provides training in the stream of Geriatric Mental Health.

The course content for DM in Geriatric Mental Health is given in the Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme released by National Medical Commission, which can be assessed through the link mentioned below:

Course contents:

The student should acquire knowledge in the following areas:

First Year

A: The Basic Sciences as applied to Geriatric Mental Health I: The Myth, History, Science and Theories of aging:

• The prolongation of youth and life

• Attitudes towards aging

• Definition of aging

• Biological theories of aging:

• Psychological theories of aging

• Social theories of aging

• Length of life: the sex differential

• Stem cells and aging

II: Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology, Neuropathology and Neuropharmacology of Aging and Behaviour:

• Neuroanatomy:

• Brain development
• Neuroanatomy and aging brain

• Brain stem

• Prosencephalon

• Cerebral cortex and its connections

• Association cortex

• Organisation of sensory-motor systems

• Limbic system

• Neurophysiology:

• Electrophysiological studies in the psychiatric evaluation of the elderly

• Electroencephalogram (EEG)

• EEG changes with normal aging, dementia, delirium, depression

• Magneto Encephalography (MEG)

• Neuropathology:

• Normal aging
• Alzheimer's disease
• Dementia with Lewy bodies or vascular dementia
• Frontotemporal dementia

• Neuropharmacology of behaviour:

• Neural transmission of information
• Principles of chemical neurotransmission
• Receptors, enzymes and chemical neurotransmission as the target of drug action
• Special properties of receptors
• Biogenic Amines and behavioral functions:

• Norepinephrine

• Dopamine

• Serotonin

• Histamine

• Acetylcholine and behavioral functions
• Non-neuropeptides and behavioral functions

• Prostaglandins

• Thromboxanes

• Purines

• Neuropeptides and behavioral functions:

• Endogenous Opioids

• Gut peptides

• Hypothalamic, Pituitary and Pineal peptides

III: Genetics of Geriatric Psychopathology:

• Fundamentals of Genetics: o Molecular Genetics

• Linkage analysis
• Candidate gene

• Genetic factors in normal and accelerated aging:

• Cognitive impairment with advancing aging
• Cellular aging research

• Methodology in psychiatric genetics:

O Traditional methods

• Pedigree and family studies
• Twin studies
• Adaptation studies

• Interpretation of genetic results.

• Genetics of Psychiatric disorders of old age: o Cognitive and motor disorders:

• Alzheimer 's disease

• Multi-infarct dementia

• Parkinson's disease

• Huntington's disease

• Pick's disease

• Transmissible dementias

• Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease

• Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Disease o Non-Cognitive disorders:

• Schizophrenia and related psychosis

• Mood disorders

• Schizo-affective disorder

• Anxiety disorders

• Adjustment disorders

• Sleep disorders

• Sexual disorders

• Alcohol and substance abuse disorders

IV: Physiological and Medical considerations of Geriatric Patient Care:

• Central Nervous system

• Cardiovascular system

• Respiratory system

• Gastrointestinal system

• Endocrine system

• Musculoskeletal system

• Haematological and immune systems

• Renal system

• Considerations in geriatric prescribing

• Chronic diseases in elderly

• Geriatric syndromes

• Geriatric assessment

V: Psychological Aspects of Normal Aging:

• Experimental and cognitive psychology

• Neuroimaging and neurosciences

• Behavioural medicine and health and behaviour relationships

• Health and disease interaction with intellectual and cognitive functioning

• Health and self-related health

• Personality and aging in the social context

• Coping in later life

• Care-giving issues in the normal psychology of aging

• Longevity and the extreme aged

VI: Social and economic factors related to Psychiatric Disorders in late life:

• Social risk factors for psychiatric disorders

• Age changes and cohort differences in social risk factors

• Social factors that affect recovery from psychiatric disorders

• Help seeking for psychiatric disorders

• Public policies and programs

VII: Demography and Epidemiology of Psychiatric disorders in late life:

• Demography

• Case identification

• Distribution of psychiatric disorders

• Historical studies

• Etiological studies

• Health service utilization

VIII: Human Development through Life Cycle:

• Infant development

• Childhood development

• Adolescent development

• Adult development

• Normal aging - psychological, socio-cultural, physiological aspects

• Self experience across the second half of the life

IX: Contribution of Intra-psychic and phenomenological theories in Psychopathology of late life:

• Intrapsychic theories

• Freudian approach
• Jungian approach
• Adlerian approach
• Interpersonal and social approaches
• Ego theories

• Phenomenological theories

• Existential movement
• Humanistic movement
• Behavioural theories
• Classical and Operant conditioning theories
• Drive reduction and reciprocal inhibition theories
• Social learning and other psychobiological approaches

SECOND YEAR

Principles and Practice of applied sciences (clinical) in Geriatric Mental Health

I: The History and diagnostic interview in late life:

• The Psychiatric interview of older adults:

• History
• Physical examination
• The mental status examination
• Family assessment
• Rating scales and standardized interviews
• Effective communication with the older adults

• Use of the Laboratory in the diagnostic workups: o Complete blood count

• Serological tests for syphilis
• HIV testing
• Thyroid Function Test
• Vit-B12, Folate and homocysteine
• Toxicology
• Urine analysis
• ECG, EEG, Polysomnography
• Imaging Studies: CT Scan, MRI
• Genetic testing, Apo-E testing
• Ethical and psychological concerns

• Neuropsychological Assessments:

• Neuropsychological assessment in geriatric settings
• Neuropsychology of normal aging
• Differentiation of Alzheimer's Dementia from normal aging
• Neuropsychological profile of following disorders:

• Mild cognitive impairment

• Alzheimer's disease

• Frontotemporal dementia

• Lewy body dementia

• Vascular dementia

• Parkinson's disease dementia

• Huntington 's disease

• Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

• Hydrocephalus

• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

• Dementia of geriatric depression

• Stroke

• Motor neuron disease

• Demyelinating disorders

II: Clinical Phenomenology and Psychopathology in late Life:

• Disorders in general appearance and behavior

• Disorders of consciousness and orientation

• Disorders of attention and concentration

• Disorders of affect

• Disorders of thinking

• Disorders of perception

• Disorders of memory

• Disorders of intelligence

• Disorders of insight and judgment

III: Socio-cultural foundations of behavior related to late life:

• Normality and Abnormality:

• Concept of mental health and illness
• Attitudes towards mental illness, stigma and social identity
• Epidemiological studies and socio-demographic correlates of mental illness in India.

• Family:

• Personality formation in the family: parent child Dyad
• Early development and communication pattern: triadic relationship, family norm
• Self-image and self-esteem
• Impact of mental illness on the family: the attribute of responsibility, decision taking, role performance, Power Orientation, care giver burden.
• Problems due to family, society, community and generation gap in old age.

• Disturbance in Interpersonal Processes:

• Personal relationships in different mental disorders of old age.
• Abnormal self-attitudes, self -perceptions, self-other perceptions, social competence, interpersonal perceptions.

• Socio-psychological Methods:

• Clinical applications of social identity, interdependence, social skill and interaction models.

• Trans-cultural Aspects:

• Socio-cultural studies of socialization: culture and mental illness, social class and mental illness, religion and mental illness, social change.
• Ancient Indian concepts of mind: cognition, emotion, motivation, stress, personality and their relevance to modern health.

• Concepts of mental illnesses and its treatment in ancient Indian thought, and promotive aspects of mental health

• Contemporary Indian concepts, theories and models used in geriatric mental health.

IV: Neuropsychology in late life:

• Frontal Lobe Syndrome:

• Basic Anatomy
• Pre-frontal Cortex
• Disturbance of regulatory functions
• Disturbance of attentional processes
• Disturbances in emotion, memory and intellectual activity
• Premotor Cortex: disturbances in psychomotor functions

• Temporal Lobes Syndrome:

• Basic Anatomy
• Special senses, hearing, vestibular functions
• Integrative functions
• Disturbances in learning and memory functions
• Disturbances in speech
• Disturbances in emotions, time perception and consciousness

• Partial and Occipital Lobes Syndrome:

• Basis Anatomy
• Disturbances in sensory functions and body scheme perception
• Agnosias and Apraxias
• Disturbances in visual space perception
• Disturbances in visual memory
• Disturbances in emotions, time perception and consciousness

• Functional specialization of Cerebral Hemisphere

• Handedness and cerebral dominance
• Split brain and reported studies on cerebral lateralization of functions.
• Plasticity and restoration of functions.

• Psychophysiology

• Methodology and measurement.
• Psychophysiology of cognition and emotional states
• Studies in psychiatric conditions

III: Psychiatric Disorders in Late Life:

• Cognitive disorders

• Movement disorders

• Mood disorders

• Schizophrenia and paranoid disorders and other psychosis

• Anxiety and panic disorders

• Somatoform disorders

• Sexual disorders

• Bereavement and adjustment disorders

• Sleep and circadian rhythm

• Alcohol and drugs associated problems

• Personality disorders

• Agitation and suspiciousness

• Sub-syndromal mental health problems

IV: Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders in late life:

• Principles and practice of:

• Psychopharmacology
• Electroconvulsive therapy
• Diet, nutrition and exercise
• Individual and group psychotherapy
• Working with the family of the older adult
• Clinical psychiatry in the nursing homes
• The continuum of care: movement toward the community
• Acute care inpatient and day hospital treatment

THIRD YEAR

Related allied diagnostic and research sciences in Geriatric Mental Health with recent advances

I: Special Topics:

• Legal, ethical and policy issues

• Integrated community services and rehabilitation

• Housing for elderly

• Yoga/meditation and its applications in mental health.

• The past and future of Geriatric Psychiatry

• Generational conflicts

II: Recent Advances:

• Basic Sciences: Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology, Neuropathology, and Neuro-psychopharmacology

• Applied Sciences: Phenomenology, diagnosis, management, rehabilitation

• Other Special Issues: Forensic Geriatric Mental Health, Liaison Geriatric Mental Health and Community Geriatric Mental Health.

III: Methods of Clinical Research:

• Descriptive Statistics

• Univariate: central tendency, skewness and Kurtosis
• Bivariate: regression and correlation Coefficient
• Special measure of association: Rank Order Correlation Coefficient, Tetrachonic Correlation Coefficient and Phi - Coefficient.

• Probability

• Probability laws, Binominal, Poisson and normal distributions, sampling from finite population, sample size, sample spare, Student t- statistics, Chi-square statistics, F-Variate, statistical inference.
• Estimation, point estimation, interval estimation, test of hypothesis, Type I and Type II errors, tests based on student-t, Chi-Square, V- Variate, proportion tests, tests of goodness of Fit: 2 x 2 contingency table, 2 x r contingency table, r x c contingency table.

• Analysis of Variance:

• Basic models, assumptions, One way and Two-way classifications, Analysis of covariance Multiple variate analysis: principle component analysis, Factor analysis, Cluster analysis, Discriminate function analysis, Multiple Regression, Data processing and Computer analysis.

• Non-parametric Statistics:

• Central limit theorem, One sample and Two sample problems, Analysis of variance of rank order statistics.

• Scientific Method:

• Procedures to ascertain knowledge, scientific method and its features, Courses and effect: Mill's canons.

• Theory of Measurement:

• Measurement Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and Constructing Rating scales and Attitude Scales, Validity Ratio Scales, Reliability scale.

• Epidemiological Studies:

• Prospective and retrospective studies, prevalence, incidence, age- specific disease and adjusted rates, Life Table technique.

• Survey Technique:

• Various tools, Mail Questionnaire and interview schedule
• Sampling Methods: complete enumeration, sample survey, sampling and non-sampling errors, random and non-random samples
• Sample Random, Systematic Random, Stratified Random and Cluster Random Sampling Design; methods of minimizing non-sampling errors.

• Experimental Design:

• Experiments versus Surveys, general principles in experimental design, requirements for a good design, methods of controlling experimental errors, idea of control, matching, local control, concomitant variation, randomization and replication.
• Completely randomized design, randomized block design, Latin Square design, Factorial designs and Cross-Over design.

Career Options

After completing a DM in Geriatric Mental Health, candidates will get employment opportunities in Government as well as in the Private sector.

In the Government sector, candidates have various options to choose from which include Registrar, Senior Resident, Demonstrator, Tutor, etc.

While in the Private sector the options include Resident Doctor, Consultant, Visiting Consultant (Geriatric Mental Health), Junior Consultant, Senior Consultant (Geriatric Mental Health), Geriatric Mental Health Specialist.

Courses After DM in Geriatric Mental Health Course

DM in Geriatric Mental Health is a specialisation course that can be pursued after finishing a Postgraduate medical course. After pursuing specialisation in DM in Geriatric Mental Health, a candidate could also pursue certificate courses and Fellowship programmes recognised by NMC and NBE, where DM in Geriatric Mental Health is a feeder qualification.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) –DM in Geriatric Mental Health Course

Question: What is the full form of DM?

Answer: The full form of DM is Doctorate of Medicine.

Question: What is a DM in Geriatric Mental Health?

Answer: DM Geriatric Mental Health or Doctorate of Medicine in Geriatric Mental Health also known as DM in Geriatric Mental Health is a super specialty level course for doctors in India that is done by them after completion of their postgraduate medical degree course.

Question: What is the duration of a DM in Geriatric Mental Health?

Answer: DM in Geriatric Mental Health is a super specialty programme of three years.

Question: What is the eligibility of a DM in Geriatric Mental Health?

Answer: Candidates must be in possession of a postgraduate medical Degree (MD/MS/DNB) from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (now NMC)/NBE.

Question: What is the scope of a DM in Geriatric Mental Health?

Answer: DM in Geriatric Mental Health offers candidates various employment opportunities and career prospects.

Question: What is the average salary for a DM in Geriatric Mental Health candidate?

Answer: The DM in Geriatric Mental Health candidate's average salary is between Rs. 6,00,000 to Rs. 20,00,000 per year depending on the experience.

Question: Can you teach after completing DM Course?

Answer: Yes, candidate can teach in a medical college/hospital after completing DM course.