CPD Online talks to...

July 2010: Internet addiction

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Today we are discussing internet addiction, which has become a growing global phenomenon reported by professional anecdote and by mainstream media. Although internet addiction is not formally recognised by the ICD or DSM as yet, there is much research afoot to attempt to define it, and by so doing, develop specific and evidence-based ways to treat it. We discuss a two-wave prevalence study by Dr Fu et al, looking at how big the problem of internet addiction is, what it is comorbid with, and whether it can be seen to exist on its own as a diagnostic entity.

June 2010: Supported employment programmes

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This podcast is about the concept and practice of supported employment programmes. We all have concerns about helping patients maximise their potential, and of course, meaningful work is one of the prime ways in which this is achieved. In an uncommon trial for the UK, Dr Louise Howard and colleagues conducted a randomised controlled trial of an American system called IPS or Individual Placement Support, to see if this evidence based programme would be as effective over here in the UK (Howard et al, 2010). Their paper helps shed a lot of light on the challenges that supported employment programme participants and professionals face.

June 2010: How mothers with BPD relate to their year-old infants

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The condition of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most distinctive psychiatric syndromes of adulthood. Environmental factors such as child sexual abuse, and other family influences such as maternal over involvement and inconsistency may have a role in its pathogenesis. Indeed, various forms of maternal psychopathology may be associated with patterns of mother–infant interaction that have an impact on infant development. In this podcast, Dr Margaret Murphy speaks with Professor Peter Hobson about his study (Hobson et al, 2009) which aimed to assess how women with BPD engage with their 12–18 month-old infants in separation-reunion episodes.

May 2010: Autism, ethnicity and maternal immigration

Sun, 30 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Autism has been the subject of intense public and professional attention in recent years. One of the biggest questions is what causes it. Like the discoveries made about schizophrenia in the late 20th century, we are learning that autism too has genetic and environmental determinants. Here Dr Daphne Keen discusses her paper (Keen et al, 2010) which attempts to answer the question of whether maternal immigration and ethnicity, together or in tandem, are implicated as being risk factors in young children who develop autism.

April 2010: Pharmacotherapy for borderline personality disorder

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast, Dr Kamran Ahmed talks to Professor Klaus Lieb about the Cochrane review conducted by his team on trials of pharmacological treatments for borderline personality disorder (Lieb et al, 2010). The findings of the review and their implications are discussed.

March 2010: School performance and bipolar disorder

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The notion that genius and madness are closely related can be found in the writings of Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. There is some modest, mostly historically collected scientific evidence for this. See, for example Post, 1996. In this podcast, Dr Ovais Badat speaks to Dr James MacCabe about his latest article in the British Journal of Psychiatry (MacCabe et al, 2010), where he explored the link between school performance and bipolar disorder in later life. This is a retrospective cohort study of nearly one million people in Sweden, with some very striking results.

January 2010: Confectionary consumption in childhood and aggression in later life

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

There is increasing interest and public concern about the relationship between diet and physical health. There has been less focus on the relationship between diet and behaviour and mental health. Despite this, there is some evidence of a relationship between breast feeding and cognitive development, which may be genetically mediated (Caspi et al 2007) and between hyperactivity and diet (Schab and Trin, 2004). In this podcast, Dr Margaret Murphy talks to Dr Simon Moore about the present study (Moore et al, 2009) which uses a longitudinal design to explore the relationship between confectionary consumption in childhood and adult aggression.

September 2009: Psychological treatments for children and adolescents with eating disorders

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast, Professor Simon Gowers gives an overview of the different psychological therapies available for children and adolescents with eating disorders, discussing in some detail family therapy, interpersonal therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.

August 2009: Prodromal psychosis

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Shôn Lewis discusses the latest on prodromal psychosis.

June 2009: Self-harm: Non-suicidal self-injury

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this telephone interview, Dr David Klonsky discusses self-harm; non-suicidal self-injury, outlining what we mean by self-harm, its prevalence and discussing ways of making an assessment and assessing severity.

May 2009: Predicting and preventing common mental illness

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast, Professor Michael King describes the first risk algorithm for major depression that he and colleagues have recently developed, modelled along the lines of risk algorithms for cardiac disease and other illnesses.

April 2009: Developing communication in the therapeutic setting

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this telephone interview, Dr Rose McCabe discusses the importance of communication for the therapeutic relationship, the role of communication among non-specific effects and she describes how we can go about improving communication in the therapeutic setting as a means to improving patient outcome.

March 2009: Mentoring

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Amy Iversen talks on the topical subject of mentoring, highlighting the value it can bring to both mentee and mentor. Speaking from personal experience, she advises on the issues to bear in mind when setting up a mentoring programme; highlights qualities which make for a good mentor; and describes typical problems to occur. Discussing evidence to support mentoring she also emphasises the need for further research if we are to take mentoring forward in medicine.

February 2009: CBT approaches to the treatment of paranoid thoughts

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast, Dr Daniel Freeman gives an introduction to the cognitive behavioural approach for dealing with paranoid thoughts.

January 2009: Assessment of suicide ideation, risk of suicide and self harm

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this telephone interview, Dr Matthew Nock discusses the clinical assessment of suicide ideation and behaviour, and raises some of the problems faced by clinicians in this challenging field. He discusses in detail the development of a test known as the implicit association test which may be used in the future to help measure suicide risk without the need to rely on a patient’s self report. Talking about the common mistakes made by clinicians during clinical interview he also flags the importance of understanding a patient’s motivation and the need for clinicians to continue to develop predictive skills in assessing what is otherwise considered relatively unpredictable behaviour.

December 2008: Borderline Personality Disorder

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast Martin Bohus gives an overview of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), explaining the condition in terms of its features and symptoms, and describing a number of psychological treatments available including that of his own specialty, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. He also addresses the limited evidence for medical treatments. He discusses theories of aetiology including links with genetics and childhood physical traumatisation.

November 2008: Providing mental health care in low resource environments

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Vikram Patel gives an illuminating account of the practice of psychiatry in extreme low resource environments. He talks about the steps necessary to establish effective mental health care, describing first the assessment of needs, the importance of measuring the types of illness, prevalence and impact on daily life and the importance of efficient resourcing when planning. Whilst talking about the problems associated with institutions that still exist in some parts, he also talks about the beneficial work being carried out by other mental health care organisations. He is encouraging of the contribution that psychiatrists from more developed areas can make by working in these low resource environments.

October 2008: Malingering

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast, Dr Gerald Rosen talks about malingering and the motivations that can lead to simulated psychiatric disorder. He explains how to deal with a suspected case and how to achieve the best outcome whilst maintaining the therapeutic relationship, providing case examples and advice from his own wealth of clinical experience.

September 2008: Schizophrenia - the glutamatergic hypothesis

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Jean Théberge talks about the glutamatergic hypothesis of schizophrenia and discusses in some detail his study on Longitudinal grey-matter and glutamatergic losses in first-episode schizophrenia (Théberge et al, 2007).

August 2008: Neurobiology of ADHD

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Approximately 2-5% of children suffer from ADHD and in this podcast, Dr Katia Rubia begins by answering the question What is ADHD?, addressing the triad of symptoms - age inappropriate inattention, hyperactivity, impulsiveness - and raising some diagnostic and cultural issues. She then goes on to discuss in detail brain development and the neurobiological implications.

July 2008: The neuropsychology of schizophrenia

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Schug, based at the University of Southern California, talks about the neuropsychology of schizophrenia. In particular he discusses the approach in relation to those schizophrenics who go on to develop personality disorder problems of the antisocial type.

June 2008: Phenomenology

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast Dr Gareth Owen gives an overview of phenomenology in psychiatry, discussing some of the historical background to the development of the discipline, some of the problems and how it relates in comparison with other disciplines such as a biological or psychological approach to a psychiatric disorder. He also touches on how we can bring a phenomenological undestanding into our daily practice.

May 2008: Anxiety disorders in children

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Approximately one in ten children suffer from anxiety disorders, and in this podcast Professor Ronald Rapee gives a broad overview of the different kinds of anxiety disorders common in children. He also discusses how anxiety disorders in children compare with those in adults, and highlights the nature of findings from epidemiological studies. He talks about some of the steps in diagnosis, and the aetiology behind anxiety disorders, including genetic and behavioural factors. Treatment is also touched on as well as some of the pitfalls to beware of when diagnosing and treating anxiety in children.

May 2008: Gene-environment interactions

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast, Professor Jim van Os discusses the importance of gene-environment interactions in the understanding of the aetiology of psychiatric disorders. He talks about the influence of environmental factors as the causes of psychiatric disorders as well as the genetic basis for psychiatric disorder, and discusses significant laboratory research findings as evidence for their interactions.

April 2008: The management of eating disorders

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Gerald Russell explores the issues surrounding the diagnosis and management of Eating Disorders. Outlining the different kinds of eating disorders that occur he also highlights the limitations of current classifications. He explores how psychiatrists make diagnoses and the factors that may make a diagnosis difficult. He goes on to discuss the important steps to take when planning the treatment and effective management of Eating Disorders.

March 2008: Self-harm

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Mr Robert Young explores the issue of deliberate self-harm including suicide and attempted suicide. He discusses the epidemiology and risk factors involved and some of the psychiatric theories behind self-harm. He also talks about the kind of evidence base and psychiatric research available and identifies the reseach needs that would benefit the field, particularly with respect to psychiatric treatments, interventions and towards tackling the causes of self-harm.

March 2008: Amphetamine-type stimulant drugs – a dangerous trend?

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Hamid Ghodse discusses the history of legally available amphetamine-type drugs and the staggering rise in their use, showing how mental health professionals need to be aware of the societal trends and professional attitudes that can lead to over-prescription and its damaging effects.

January 2008: Seclusion

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this telephone interview, Dr Stephen Elsom talks from Australia on the topical issue of seclusion as an intervention for containing uncontrolled, disturbed behaviour of psychiatric patients. He discusses the research evidence regarding the use of seclusion and current thinking surrounding this practice. He also talks about methods that can be helpful to reduce the rate of seclusion used as an intervention.

December 2007: The clergy and psychiatry - an impossible mix?

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Gerard Leavey explores some of the myths and truths surrounding the relationship between psychiatry and the clergy, looking at ways in which they can work together more effectively.

December 2007: Cross-cultural research

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Niall Crumlish talks about his experience of cross-cultural research in Malawi, providing valuable advice to anyone considering how to go about planning and conducting such research. He discusses the implications and practicalities of working in an area where psychiatric health is under-studied, some of the limitations, as well as the many rewards.

December 2007: Employment and schizophrenia

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Steven Marwaha discusses some of the issues surrounding the topic of employment and schizophrenia, including different kinds of employment services and support available to those with schizophrenia, and also rates and correlates of employment for people with the illness.

November 2007: Psychiatry and Public Health: links between the environment and public health

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Lisa Page discusses the provision of Public Health services in the UK and the implications of environmental hazards and incidents on Psychiatry and psychogenic illness.

July 2007: Auditory hallucinations: insights from neuroimaging

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Peter Woodruff discusses the latest research findings and neuroimaging techniques which uncover the underlying neurobiological processes behind auditory hallucinations.

July 2007: Rehabilitation psychiatry: principles and practice

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Frank Holloway discusses his new book “Enabling Recovery: The Principles and Practice of Rehabilitation Psychiatry”, which focuses on the patient-centred approach and emphasises the importance of incorporating the medical model of psychiatry with a more socio-psychological model.

July 2007: Attachment and how it relates to psychiatry

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Helen Minnis discusses the issue of attachment in psychiatry and the importance of attunement in the caregiving relationship, taking a look at the current controversies over child care and giving guidance for psychiatrists on how to work with attachment difficulties.

July 2007: Combating stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Graham Thornicroft discusses the issue of stigma, looking at the current research and asking what can be done at local and national levels as well as by psychiatrists themselves to combat the stigmatisation of people with mental illness.

May 2007: The methodology of case-control studies

Fri, 18 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Matthew Hotopf discusses how to minimise bias in case-control studies and looks at solutions to the problems of recruiting, how many subjects to use and why it is important to report recruitment methods.

April 2007: Insight - how is it related to mental disorder?

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Professor Anthony David talks about the associations between insight and mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia.

February 2007: Professionals sharing service user information with carers (Dr Vanessa Pinfold)

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Vanessa Pinfold discusses the importance of sharing service user information with carers, giving pointers on how to do this without breaking patient confidentiality. She emphasises the importance of professional judgement in decisions over what information to share or withhold and suggests strategies for improving current practices.

February 2007: Auditory verbal hallucinations: are they adequately described by current cognitive models? (Dr Paul Allen)

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Paul Allen challenges current thinking on the aetiology of auditory verbal hallucinations, describing how current cognitive and physiological models may be insufficient to account for these internal experiences.

January 2007: Early onset psychosis - new findings on prevalence, needs and service provision (Dr Leonie Boeing)

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Leonie Boeing talks about her recent study and its findings, discussing some common problems experienced by adolescents with psychosis, management of their needs and current shortcomings in care provision.

January 2007: Violence and schizophrenia: a realistic look at the risks, contributing factors and management (Professor John Gunn)

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Professor John Gunn challenges some common notions of the relationship between mental illness and homicide, taking a detailed look at the possible contributing factors towards violent behaviour in people with schizophrenia. Some questions posed are: Who is most at risk of attack? What happens in court? What should consultants consider in the management of patients with schizophrenia who may become violent?

December 2006: Assessing and communicating violence risk (Dr Mike Doyle)

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Doyle discusses the main approaches to assessing risk for violence and critiques how clinicians communicate risk judgements.

December 2006: Empathy - what does it involve and how does it relate to psychiatry? (Dr Quinton Deeley)

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Quinton Deeley talks about the skills and abilities involved in empathy and which psychiatric disorders are most closely linked to it.

Nov 2006: Two podcast interviews - "Service user involvement in service initiatives – a constructive approach" (Dr Mike Crawford) and "Can crisis teams and assertive outreach teams reduce admissions?" (Prof Gyles Glover)

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast we have combined two recordings: the second recording follows on immediately from the first. When you have finished listening, you can take the module test to gain CPD accreditation.

Nov 2006: Two podcast interviews - "Randomised controlled drug trials - how objective is the evidence?" (Prof Clive Adams) and "A look at the incidence of schizophrenia and how it relates to the aetiology of the illness" (Dr Craig Morgan)

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast, we have combined two recordings: the second recording follows on immediately from the first. When you have finished listening, you can take the module test to gain CPD accreditation.

Oct 2006: Dr Mike Slade

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

This podcast takes a look at the recovery focus system and discusses the role of mental health professionals within the Recovery Model.

Oct 2006: Schizophrenia – genetic and environmental factors

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

In this podcast Professor Ming T. Tsuang talks to Dr Persaud about family constellation patterns for schizophrenia and how we can tease out the differences between environmental and genetic factors.