Mental health

Clozapine. Malignant constipation can kill

Clozapine is used for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Agranulocytosis and neutropenia are the usual concerns but there are more deaths from ileus/megacolon.

Webinar: Prescribing antipsychotics in primary care

Webinar with Associate Professor David Menkes. David is an academic psychiatrist with a background in psychology and pharmacology (PhD 1983, Yale), and a continuing interest in the optimal use and toxicology of drug treatments in psychiatry.

Stillborn children: photographs may help the healing

How clinicians’ handling of this can traumatise the parents or when done well, can lead to a valued experience.

The Happiness Trap

Dr Russ Harris talks about the happiness trap. Russ is an international best selling author of a self help book titled the happiness trap. He is a world expert in acceptance and commitment therapy. Russ started his career as a GP and are now a published author and now work as a therapist and trainer.

 

Decision-making capacity: the legal aspects

In this course, you will learn about the legal process that follows a capacity assessment. It follows on from Assessing decision-making capacity - the clinical basics, where we covered the relevant principles when assessing decision-making capacity for consent to healthcare, and demonstrated how to perform a capacity assessment using a 3-stage approach.

Assessing decision-making capacity: the clinical basics

GPs are in a good position to assess the mental capacity of their patients and it is within the scope of practice of ALL medical practitioners to assess decision-making capacity and obtain informed consent.

GPs have an existing therapeutic relationship with their patients and the benefit of understanding their psychosocial background and longitudinal presentation, which can help in detecting any significant change from their premorbid cognitive functioning and decision-making ability.  

Improving the physical health of those with chronic mental illness

Dr Helen Fulcher, Goodfellow GP Advisor talks with Professor Bruce Arroll about improving the physical health of those with chronic mental illness, including:

  • types of health problems, individual and system wide
  • the impact of psychiatric medication on physical health
  • reducing the effect of prescription medication
  • mitigating health issues for patients
  • the role of screening
  • transition to primary care
  • take home messages.

Insomnia - Bruce Arroll

Podcast: Professor Bruce Arroll talks about managing insomnia in primary care. Bruce is a GP in South Auckland, director of the Goodfellow Unit and professor in general practice and primary care at the University of Auckland.

Resilience, avoiding burnout, and team work in primary care - David Kuhl

Professor David Kuhl talks about resilience and team work in primary care. David is a Professor in the Departments of Family Practice and Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.

Pages

Subscribe to Mental health