Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
founded in 1918, is one of the oldest voluntary organizations in Canada.
Website: www.cmha.ca
Video: Matthew Good receives award from CMHA Vancouver-Burnaby branch
Canadian Custom Search...
Custom Search
Canadian Mental Health Association
DSM revision surrounded by controversy
Medical Journal Club article for January 2010:
DSM revision surrounded by controversy | Canadian Family Physician -
“Former editors of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) have publicly declared their concerns that the ongoing revision process of the influential publication has been cloaked in secrecy.”
Do we really need a DSM revision?
Bringing a research base to psychiatry
Medical Journal Club article for May 6, 2008:
Bringing a research base to psychiatry | Canadian Medical Association Journal -
“In this era of evidence-based medicine, the scarcity of high-quality evidence for mental health care is striking. Mental health practitioners often cannot obtain useful information to guide their clinical decisions, a situation that the director of the US National Institutes of Mental Health described as “the unfortunate current state” in psychiatry, “where too many research studies have little immediate relevance to practice, and too little practice is based on research evidence.” “
Chemical lobotomy?
Collaborative Forums In Mental Health 2009
The Collaborative Forums In Mental Health is brought to you by the Canadian Psychiatric Association and supported by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
“A unique opportunity for family physicians and psychiatrists to network, dialogue and establish collaborative working relationships in an educational environment.
An intensive, practical one-day update covering a wide range of psychiatric disorders.
State-of-the-art educational programs and workshops on the latest biopsychosocial approaches in treating mental illness.”
I attended the conference in Montreal yesterday and now I understand why mental illness exists in our society…
Breakfast and booth visits starting at 07:30.
Conferences and workshops starting at 08:00.
Fifteen minute nutrition breaks at 09:45, 14:30, and 16:45. During these breaks, time to visit the pharma booths and have the drug reps stamp your passport for a chance to win a book. (I believe it may be about obsessive-compulsive disorder).
The luncheon presentation is at 12:00, eat while you learn about Practical Strategies for Managing Tobacco Use in Psychiatric Patients. No time for a little walk after lunch in downtown Montreal.
More conferences and workshops at 13:00.
If you are still conscious at 17:00, it is time for Mental Health Issues in the Workplace.
And at 17:45, after sitting in non-ergonomic chairs all day, Fibromyalgia: Diagnosis and Treatment.
Closing remarks at 18:30.
Could Cymbalta™ have helped me get through this day?
Related Post:
FDA Approves Depressant Drug - MedicalJoke.com
The Harry Potter Sorting Hat and Psychiatry
Psychiatry is too complicated for a Muggle family physician like me. Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) makes me feel like I have been affected by a Confundus Charm.
Why take the time and effort required to conjure a psychiatric diagnosis when many conditions can be treated with the same medication?
For example, Paxil (paroxetine) is indicated for the treatment of:
- major depressive disorder,
- obsessive-compulsive disorder,
- generalized anxiety disorder,
- post-traumatic stress disorder,
- panic disorder,
- social anxiety disorder and
- premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Why don’t we treat first and ask questions latter?
Mnemonic devices such as SIGECAPS, DIGFAST and I DESPAIRR can help. But C GASP DIE sounds more like a magical incantation?
What we need is a magical solution. We could reprogram the Harry Potter Sorting Hat at Hogwarts School of Magic to sort patients by psychiatric condition.
The Sorting Hat could use Depressed Patients Seem Anxious, So Claim Psychiatrists:
- Depression and other mood disorders.
- Personality disorders.
- Substance abuse disorders.
- Anxiety disorders.
- Somatization disorder, eating disorders.
- Cognitive disorders.
- Psychotic disorders.
Now, we can use Divination to find the best treatment.
Image courtesy of SweetGirl by Creative Commons