Psych Matters

As 2021 draws to a close, the Psych Matters team would like to thank you for your support during the year. 

We hope that you’ve enjoyed the many topics presented during 2021, and we look forward to bringing many more to you in 2022.

We would especially like to thank College members and others who have generously given their time to develop and present Psych Matters, and we thank the management and staff of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists for supporting the team in bringing this podcast to you.

Have a great break and stay safe. 

We’ll be back on the 7th of January with the next episode of Psych Matters.

Speaker: Jo-Rose Fato
Producer: David Beal

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

In this episode of Psych Matters, Dr Vinay Lakra is joined by Dr Sidney Cabral, Dr Alida Connell and Dr Ajay Vijayakrishnan to discuss specialist international medical graduates transitioning to practice.

Associate Professor Vinay Lakra
Associate Professor Vinay Lakra is the President of the College. He is also a Clinical Director and a member of the Victorian Board of Medical Board of Australia. He completed his medical and psychiatry training in India. He has had extensive involvement in supporting, training and mentoring SIMGs besides developing the assessment standards for SMIGs.

Dr Sidney Cabral
Sidney works as Deputy Director of Training Queensland and Director of Training for Central and Southern Cluster. His focus is on supporting Trainees and International Medical Graduates from metropolitan and regional areas and has taken the lead in developing online resources for Queensland Trainees including the PGT website.
He has always had an interest in medical education and was awarded the Deans Award for Excellence in Teaching, Newcastle University, NSW in 2005. He has been a member of several training-related committees and is currently the Chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry Federal Partial Comparability Assessment and Review Panel (PCARP).

Sidney is passionate about working with patients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and has a clinical role with the State-wide Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Service.

Dr Alida Connell
MBChB (Pret), DMH (CMSA), FCPsych (CMSA), MMed (Stell), FRANZCP (RANZCP).
 Dr Alida Connell trained and practiced as a General Practitioner before qualifying as a Fellow Psychiatrist of the South African College of Medicine and obtaining a Master’s in Medicine for her research in the field of Psychiatry.   Currently she practices in the private health sector and provides telepsychiatric services to adults.   

Dr Ajay Vijayakrishnan MRCPsych, FHEA, FRANZCP
A general adult psychiatrist with a special interest in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, trained at St George’s and Charing Cross in London, UK; previously a substantive Consultant in the NHS and later in India; currently working across public and private health in Melbourne.

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

In this episode of Psych Matters, Professor Colleen Loo and Dr Brett Simpson discuss Electro Convulsive Therapy.

Professor Colleen Loo is a clinical psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, Sydney; Australia. She is an internationally recognised clinical expert and researcher in the field of ECT, ketamine and novel brain stimulation treatments (rTMS, tDCS) for depression. Her research spans laboratory neuroscience, clinical research and clinical trials. She has contributed to Australian and international treatment guidelines and policy.

Dr Brett Simpson is an old-age psychiatrist practicing in Sydney. He has extensive clinical experience in ECT and directs both a public and private ECT service. He is a member of the NSW ECT working party responsible for the production and revision of the NSW ECT Minimum Standards. He has taught ECT courses for more than 10 years.

Links:
Gold Coast Health video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEot7ow3yfk

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

In this episode of Psych Matters, Dr Nathan Gibson shares a panel discussion from a workshop, recently hosted at Congress in Hobart.

The workshop provided valuable information and insight into the written exams and the marking process.

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

In this episode of Psych Matters, Associate Professor Mat Coleman and his guests discuss Smoking Cessation & E-Cigarettes.
Joining in the discussion are Professor Hayden McRobbie and Dr Mark Montebello.

Associate Professor Mat Coleman is the Clinical Director of the Great Southern Mental Health Service (WA Country Health Service) based out of Albany WA. He is also the inaugural chair of Rural and Remote Mental Health Practice for the Rural Clinical School WA (University of Western Australia) and is a Commissioner with the National Mental Health Commission. Mat is a member of the Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry, and the Child and Adolescent Faculty of the RANZCP and is the current chair of the Section of Rural Psychiatry.

Professor Hayden McRobbie, MB ChB (Otago), PhD (London), FASLM
Hayden has worked in the field of behavioural medicine for more than 20 years and is a senior clinician with a specialist interest in lifestyle medicine. He holds a medical degree from the University of Otago, a doctorate from the University of London, and is Professor in Public Health Interventions at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, and a Fellow of the Australasian Society for Lifestyle Medicine. Hayden has played a key role in Tobacco Control in New Zealand, and his current work includes prevention and management of long-term conditions, with a particular focus on improving health outcomes for Māori in New Zealand. Hayden McRobbie has received honoraria for speaking at smoking cessation meetings and attending advisory board meetings that have been organised by Pfizer

Dr Mark Montebello is the Clinical Director of the Northern Sydney Local Health District Drug and Alcohol Service. He is a Psychiatrist, an Addiction Medicine Specialist, a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, and a Clinical Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Addiction Medicine, Northern Clinical School at the University of Sydney. Dr Montebello’s research interests include novel treatments for substance use disorders including nicotine use disorder withdrawal management in drug and alcohol settings. He was the Psychiatry Board Member for the Australian Association of Smoking Cessation Professionals. Mark Montebello has received honoraria for speaking at smoking cessation meetings and attending advisory board meetings that have been organised by Pfizer.

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

In this episode of Psych Matters, Members of the RANZCP Military, Veterans and Emergency Services Personnel Mental Health Network engage in a lively discussion of how to improve assessment of current serving members and ex-serving veterans of the Australian Defence Force. This includes conducting a tailored history-taking process that includes specific aspects of service and transition to civilian life. Practical guidance for clinicians on specific details to consider and address during assessment is covered. Comorbid conditions, chronic pain and the needs of both women and older veterans are also discussed.

Speakers:

Dr Wallace was appointed to his current position as psychiatrist at the Australian Defence Force Centre for Mental Health, at HMAS Penguin, Sydney, in 2010. In March 2018, he was appointed as the inaugural chairman of the RANZCP Military and Veterans’ Mental Health Network and is now a member of the RANZCP Military, Veterans and Emergency Services Personnel Network Committee. He has been a Visiting Medical Officer at St John of God Hospital, North Richmond since 2015 and is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of NSW.

Lieutenant Colonel Diana McKay is a fulltime psychiatrist in the Australian Army.  She has worked in public and private civilian practice as an adult psychiatrist, with special interest in trauma and anxiety disorders, perinatal psychiatry and clinical education.  She is a member of the RANZCP Military, Veterans’ and Emergency Services Personnel Mental Health Network Committee.  She is Honorary Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University.

Dr Tom Turvey is a senior advanced trainee in the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry. He has an interest in matters of military psychiatry which stems from his Father and his 7 siblings all being military and having spent the last 2 years being specifically involved and trained in military psychiatry. Tom is a member of the RANZCP Military Veterans and Emergency Services Personnel Network and a member of the Australian Military Medicine Association.

Resources:

Wallace D, Lane J, Heffernan K, Nas Jones C. Australian military and veterans’ mental health care: improving assessment of military personnel and veterans. Australasian Psychiatry. 2021 Apr;29(2):153-6.

Lane J and Wallace D. Australian Military and Veteran’s Mental Health Care, Part 1: An Introduction to Cultural Essentials for Clinicians. Australasian Psychiatry 2020: 28 (3), 267-269. 

Shepard B. A war of nerves: Soldiers and psychiatrists in the twentieth century. Harvard University Press; 2001.

Phoenix Australia’s 2020 Australian Guidelines for the Management of PTSD and CPTSD

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Tobacco smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in Australia. People with mental illness and substance use disorders smoke at rates significantly higher than the general population, have high levels of nicotine dependence and are less likely to be offered treatment to stop smoking. The management of tobacco smoking is one of the most important activities a mental health clinician or service can undertake in terms of reducing mortality, improving quality of life and improving the efficacy of mental health treatment. This podcast examines the barriers, myths and evidence-based treatments for people who are dependent on tobacco and who experience a mental illness or other substance addiction. Associate Professor Mat Coleman leads the discussion.

Psychiatrists have expertise in understanding and managing mental health and substance use conditions in addition to experience interacting with a vulnerable group of patients who require more intensive smoking cessation support.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Supporting Smoking Cessation guidelines, highlight cessation rates of people with mental health illness are generally lower for any given level of assistance and the treatment of mental illness must be monitored carefully as neuropsychiatric symptoms are more common during quit attempts in this population.

Keep an eye out for further Smoking Cessation Resource for mental Health Clinicians resources on the RANZCP website.

Speakers:

• Associate Professor Mat Coleman
• Professor Sharon Lawn
• Associate Professor John Allan
• Dr Tanya Ahmed
• Dr Kelly Ridley

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

This episode provides a quick clinical update on the evidence-base and recommendations for managing mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes research and clinical recommendations regarding media exposure, managing misinformation, communication and maintaining mental health during the current pandemic.

A/Prof Jeffrey Looi, MBBS Syd, MD ANU, DMedSc Melb, FRANZCP, AFRACMA, is a clinical academic neuropsychiatrist, in private and public practice, and Head of the Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the Australian National University Medical School. Jeffrey leads the Australian, United States, Scandinavian-Spanish Imaging Exchange (AUSSIE) and the Consortium of Australian-Academic Psychiatrists for Independent Policy and Research Analysis (CAPIPRA). He has received multiple research and leadership awards and is a co-author on more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, including research at the UCLA Medical School, Karolinska Institute and University of Melbourne.

Dr Paul Anthony Maguire, MBBS UNSW, PhD ANU, FRANZCP, is a clinical and academic psychiatrist, working in public practice, and Co-Deputy Head of the Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the Australian National University Medical School. Paul has worked both as an inpatient consultant and community psychiatrist for many years. He is a co-author on more than 20 peer-reviewed papers, and on a book chapter. His special interest areas are the physical health of people with a mental illness, pandemic influenza, risk perception, and schizophrenia. Prior to his transition to clinical and academic psychiatry, Paul worked as a general practitioner in the Canberra community for many years. 

Papers discussed:

ANZJP

• Neither the internist or the internet: use of and trust in health information sources by persons with schizophrenia – first author: Maguire, PA
• Fire, disease and fear: effects of the media coverage of the 2019-2020 bushfires and novel coronavirus 2019 on population mental health – first author: Looi, JCL
• Vulnerability of people with schizophrenia to COVID-19 – first author: Maguire, PA

 Australasian Psychiatry

• Nothing to sneeze at – uptake of protective measures against an influenza pandemic by people with schizophrenia: willingness and perceived barriers – first author: Maguire, PA
• A sense of dread: affect and risk perception in people with schizophrenia during an influenza pandemic – first author: Maguire, PA
• Clinical update on managing media exposure and misinformation during COVID-19: recommendations for governments and healthcare professionals – first author: Looi, JCL

Reputable information sources for patients

https://www.australia.gov.au 

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

In this episode of Psych Matters, Dr Andrew Amos and Professor Valsamma Eapen discuss the neurodevelopmental disorder, Tourette Syndrome.

Professor Valsamma Eapen is Professor and Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney and Head, Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry and Director of BestSTART Child Health Academic Unit at Southwest Sydney. She is Director of Early Years Program, Autism Cooperative Research Centre and Stream Director of Early Life Determinants of Health Clinical Academic Group within SPHERE, a NHMRC accredited Advanced Health Research Translation Centre.  She is known internationally for her expertise in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Tourette Syndrome. She is part of major research programs totalling 40 million in funding and has authored over 300 peer reviewed publications.

Links:
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrdp201697

Nature Reviews Disease Primers 3, Article number: 16097 (2017) volume 3, Article number: 16097 (2017)
https://www.nature.com/nrdp/

Tourette Syndrome in children. Valsamma Eapen and Tim Usherwood, Australian Journal of General Practice, 50 (3), 120-125 (2021).
https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2021/march/tourette-syndrome-in-children

Children with Tourette Syndrome and Covid-19
https://tourette.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/TS-COVID-19_Resource_2020.pdf

Tourette Syndrome Association of Australia
https://tourette.org.au/

Tourette Association of America
https://tourette.org/ 

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

This Psych Matters podcast discusses the challenges faced by early career psychiatrists as they transition into a consultant psychiatrist role in the public or private sectors. Drawing on the experiences of early-career, early mid-career and mid-later-career psychiatrists, Associate Professor Jeffrey Looi, Dr Samantha Loi and Dr Daniel Heard discuss issues including clinical, leadership, supervision, academic, and work-life balance.

Associate Professor Jeffrey Looi, MBBS Syd, MD ANU, DMedSc Melb, FRANZCP, AFRACMA, is a clinical academic neuropsychiatrist, in private and public practice, and Head of the Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the Australian National University Medical School. Jeffrey leads the Australian, United States, Scandinavian-Spanish Imaging Exchange (AUSSIE) and the Consortium of Australian-Academic Psychiatrists for Independent Policy and Research Analysis (CAPIPRA). He has received multiple research and leadership awards including: a Fulbright Scholarship and Australian-Davos-Connection Future Summit Leadership Award. He is a co-author on more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, including research at the UCLA Medical School, Karolinska Institute and University of Melbourne.

Dr Samantha Loi, MBBS, BMedSc, MPsych, FRANZCP, GradCertPOA, PhD. is a neuropsychiatrist and old age psychiatrist, involved in clinical research at Neuropsychiatry, Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne.  She is an advocate for early career psychiatrists and women in academia and leads a longitudinal study of people with younger-onset neurocognitive disorders (BeYOND).  She is currently funded by an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship and is a past recipient of the RANZCP early Career Psychiatrist award.  She has over 60 peer reviewed publications and is first author in 30.

Dr Daniel Heard, BSc/LLB, MBBS(Hons) ANU, MPsych Melb, FRANZCP, Cert. Old Age Psych, is an early career old age psychiatrist working in the Older Person’s Mental Health Community Team, Canberra Health Services. He trained in psychiatry at North Western Mental Health, Melbourne, and has co-authored four peer reviewed publications, including two systematic literature reviews on the topic of repurposing drugs for the treatment of dementia.


SAGE Journals
Members login to RANZCP.org and access journals. Search for this title on the Journals website: 

• Reflections on how to approach early career psychiatrist roles and challenges

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.