[Teaching of psychiatry for undergraduates]

This paper postulates that Psychiatry does not fit in the group of the so called medical specialties. It should rather be recognized as a 5th basic clinical discipline if the graduating general practitioner is to cope effectively with the community's health needs. The methodology of natural sciences has prevailed in the teaching of undergraduate medicine, the human being considered mostly as an organism with somatic aspects. To improve upon this situation, rather than introducing humanistic courses, the multidisciplinary team of the Psychiatry Department should teach "Basic Psychiatry" and "Pre-clinical Psychiatry" programs. A list of the proposed contents is included and methodological aspects are discussed.