The brutal killing of Drummer Lee Rigby on the streets of Woolwich has raised serious questions about the safety of our soldiers at home, and how such violence could affect their recovery from the psychological…
Telling people there’s no “cure” for depression or bipolar can leave them feeling like a victim.
PA/Paul Faith
An increasing number of people are trying to cope with depression and bipolar in the UK. But we also have an over-reliance on drugs and waiting lists can be a year long for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy…
The majority of diagnoses for depression, anxiety and PTSD are made by GPs who don’t use the DSM criteria.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has copped the predicted criticisms since its release on the weekend. Most centre on the idea that more of us will…
Sufferers of internet disorder might find it starts to impose on real life, such as causing difficulties in socialising.
Flickr/Fle
Since it was first published in 1952, the DSM has been the has been the diagnostic bible for many psychiatrists. Each time the manual is updated, new conditions are introduced, often amid much controversy…
DSM-5 has been described as the bible of psychiatry but the assumption that professionals use it for their own gain is far fetched.
PA
DSM-5, the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, was published in the US at the weekend.
Given that not even its most passionate supporters would…
Psychiatric diagnosis relies on identifying a patient’s signs and symptoms rather than clinical tests.
PA/Ben Birchall
Traditional psychiatry uses the approaches of medicine to try to understand mental health problems and guide treatment. This means relying on diagnosis – identifying what are believed to be mental illnesses…
Medication misuse is out of control in the US and more psychiatric labelling in DSM-5 will not help.
Whale05/Flikr
“We are all mad here” explains the Cat to Alice when she wonders about the strangeness of Wonderland. Well, life is starting to follow art. If people make the mistake of following DSM-5, the new diagnostic…
The UK has a strict policy of gender segregation on psychiatric wards, and so should Australia.
Image from shutterstock.com
Women admitted to psychiatry wards experience high levels of violence and sexual assaults, according to a report released this week by the Victorian Mental Illness Alliance Council.
Across the nine different…
The DSM-5 doesn’t attempt to define what is “normal”; and having a DSM diagnosis is not the same as being “insane”.
Image from shutterstock.com
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is due to hit psychiatrists' and psychologists' shelves next month. Produced by the American Psychiatric…
Children who go through puberty early have poorer mental health than their peers. But it’s not a simple case of cause and effect.
Image from shutterstock.com
By Fiona Mensah, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and George Patton, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Puberty has long been recognised as a transition point in which many emotional and behavioural problems emerge. These include depression and anxiety, substance use and abuse, self-harm and eating disorders…
Barriers can reduce the number of suicides at a particular location but broader means restriction measures are more complex.
AAP/Dan Peled
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk’s recent announcement that barriers are to be erected on the Story Bridge in an effort to reduce suicides is very welcome. Studies consistently show that barriers have…
Gender and sexual minorities are known to be at high risk of suicide.
Guillaume Paumier
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and intersex (LGBTI) people were recognised as being specific high-risk groups for suicide in a 2010 senate committee report. While every suicide may not be preventable…
Without treatment, half of PTSD sufferers experience chronic problems that can last for decades.
marcusjroberts
People have probably always known about the psychological effects of experiencing life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, or violent assault. Literature through the ages – some…
Depression is more than the experience of sadness or stress.
Sander van der Wel
Many people know what it’s like to feel sad or down from time to time. We can experience negative emotions due to many things – a bad day at work, a relationship break-up, a sad film, or just getting out…
Governments, industry and communities must work together to address suicide risk factors for FIFO/DIDO workers.
AAP/Bagus Indahono
Barely a week passes without media coverage of some aspect of the real or perceived impacts of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in drive-out (DIDO) work, especially in the mining sector. We hear about the…
The risk of PTSD is determined by the frequency and severity of the potentially traumatic events.
AAP
Serving on operational deployments in conflict zones carries not only the obvious physical threats, it also poses significant mental health risks. While depression and anxiety disorders are common among…
Bushfire affected property at Sommers Bay in Tasmania, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. Residents of the worst-hit town Dunalley in the Tasmanian bushfires returned on Friday to see the full extent of the devastation.
AAP/David Beniuk
Radical circumstances (bushfires and natural disasters) flush out the mental illness in society. Whenever there’s a disaster, there’s a rush on hospital admissions for psychiatric problems. But on the…
Some of life’s problems are just not solvable.
Sean Dreilinger
We all do it from time to time – replay scenarios over and over in our minds. Problem is, these repetitive and, at times, uncontrollable thoughts inevitably leave us feeling worse and make us more prone…
Trials show ketamine acts more quickly than other antidepressants because it affects different parts of the brain.
JLM Photography
The drug ketamine has been used for medical purposes since it was developed in the 1960s, but it is perhaps more widely known for its illicit use as a hallucinogenic tranquiliser. Now we’re beginning to…
Asylum seekers are at high risk of mental disorder.
Timo Kirkkala
Watching the second version of “offshore processing” on Nauru and Manus Island has been frustrating and painful – not least for those of us involved in immigration detention issues for the past decade…
The roadmap was released after the COAG meeting on Friday December 7, 2012.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Patrick McGorry, Professor of Psychiatry at University of Melbourne
Last year at COAG, Mental Health Council of Australia CEO Frank Quinlan, social inclusion advocate David Cappo and I discussed a blueprint…
Over seven million Australian adults have experienced a mental illness.
Image from shutterstock.com
By Allan Fels, Australia New Zealand School of Government
The National Mental Health Commission (NMHC) today released its first annual report card on the state of mental health and suicide prevention services in Australia. Called A Contributing Life, the report…
Current immigration policies promote uncertainty, fear and disempowerment, which contribute to mental illness.
AAP
The recent overhaul of Australia’s immigration policies aims to protect the lives of asylum seekers by removing any advantage of arriving by boat. Whether this goal will be achieved remains unclear. But…
Those who know the identity of their donor from a young age are less likely to experience psychological problems.
Ron Wiecki
University of Tasmania academic Meredith Nash recently argued on The Conversation that women who donate their eggs for fertility treatments should be financially compensated. It’s a risky and time-consuming…
People who were abused as children are more likely to suffer mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Dawn Ashley
There is great support within the community for the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse. Many people have high hopes it will right the wrongs of the past and help us, as a nation, to eliminate future…
Whatever the specific cause of ADHD-like behaviours for a particular child, it’s the people and institutions around them that define it as problematic.
Katy Stoddard
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most diagnosed childhood disorder in Australia. Most of us now know someone, or someone’s child, who has been diagnosed with ADHD.
Reports on television…
Many of us feel that our internet use verges on problematic but this is different to addiction.
justingaynor
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
The term “addiction” is conspicuously…
The cosy relationship between the psychiatry and Big Pharma has come under increasing scrutiny.
Hannah Nicole Aspire
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
In Australia, antidepressant…
As an adolescent and child psychiatrist, I dispense all sorts of labels – but what do they mean?
emildom
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
As a child and adolescent…
Overall, there will be fewer symptoms and disorders listed in the new psychiatry manual.
Axel Buhrmann
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
For autistic people and their…
Trichotillomania, where individuals pull out their hair, has long been considered a mental disorder, but where does it fit in the DSM-5?
Tigresblanco
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
Trichotillomania is a psychological…
The inclusion of hoarding on the DSM-5 will drive an integrated response to this complex problem.
Hoarding Grap Wikimedia Commons
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
We’ve all got boxes of old…
Many non-western cultures recognise states of mind that look like mental illness but don’t fit DSM categories.
Todd Huffman
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
There’s an old saying that…
Criteria for mental health disorders have been formulated by expert committees. But are they right?
Psychiatry image from shutterstock
Welcome to Matters of the Mind, a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
The Diagnostic and…
The symptom-based approach of the current DSM does not take life events into account.
Woman image from shutterstock.com
Welcome to Matters of the Mind, a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
You’re feeling down…
Sadness is a natural human emotion.
D Sharon Pruitt/Flickr.
Western culture places an extraordinary emphasis on happiness – and continuous happiness – as the goal each of us should strive for in our lives. But we’re increasingly realising this goal may actually…
We need to keep questioning the justifications for depriving those with severe mental health problems of their liberty.
Shanon Wise
Each Australian state and territory has a Mental Health Act that enables those with severe mental health problems to be detained and treated without their consent. While the criteria differ, generally…
New and emerging technologies may deliver effective, equitable, and cost-effective mental health services.
Alec Couros
On R U OK? Day this year, this website turned the spotlight on services that help and support people who are not okay – in particular on challenges that organisations such as Lifeline experience in meeting…
There’s little proof that the transition to retirement has a significant impact on mental health.
petruzzophoto
Welcome to Shades of Grey, a series from The Conversation that examines the challenges posed by Australia’s ageing workforce. Today, Australian National University’s Sarah Olesen and Peter Butterworth…
Around 40% of farmers who died by suicide had accessed some type of professional mental health service.
AAP
They toiled and they fought through the shame of it – Through wilderness, flood, and drought… …The miseries suffered, unvoiced, unknown – And that’s how the land was won.
Henry Lawson’s characterisations…
Certain types of media reporting may trigger further suicidal behaviours among vulnerable people.
garryknight
The issue of media reporting of suicide was once again thrust into the spotlight this week, with mental health researcher, clinician and former Australian of the year Pat McGorry renewing his calls for…
Better efforts are needed to address avoidable risk factors for suicide, such as alcohol and drug abuse.
yaruman
We’ve long known that rates of suicide in Indigenous communities are higher than the wider Australian population. But we’re much less clear about why this is the case. Each life lost to suicide reminds…
Anders Breivik was sane when he murdered dozens of people in Norway last year according to a jury.
EPA/Heiko Junge/Pool Norway
One of the most high profile court decisions on “madness” and crime has concluded. In a unanimous decision, the Oslo District Court in Norway has convicted Anders Behring Breivik of the murder of 77 people…
We need to learn from lessons of the past when it comes to veterans' mental health.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Physical injury and death in war is expected. But we also now know the stories of large numbers of veterans suffering major psychological trauma.
These involve Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety…
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder which affects between 1% and 6% of the population.
thewoodenshoes/Flickr
By Greg Murray, Swinburne University of Technology
During a manic episode, the main character of popular television series Homeland, CIA agent Carrie Mathison (played by Claire Danes) colour codes the evidence in a terrorism case, making vital links that…
Young men with mental health problems take an average of 9.5 extra days off work each year.
PixieClipx
Mental illness in young men costs the Australian economy $3.27bn a year in lost productivity, according to a report released today by the Inspire Foundation and Ernst & Young.
The report, titled Counting…
Two teams of psychiatric assessors have come to different conclusions about Breivik’s mental state.
AAP
On July 22, 2011, Norwegian Anders Breivik killed 75 people, as a statement against Norway’s liberal immigration policies. He was a member of an extreme right wing group and a product of a dysfunctional…
Children of fathers who show signs of depression in the year after birth have more than three times the rate of behavioural problems by the time they reach school.
Mark Menzies
The idea that mental illness can harm family relationships is not new. But it’s usually the mother’s parenting that has been the centre of attention.
So an article I co-wrote in today’s issue of the Medical…
Using lab rats allows us to experiment in ways that would not be acceptable in humans.
ressaure
Many forms of mental illness can affect our moods. But that isn’t all they do: they can also damage our willpower. Problems such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity…
Suicide barriers can save lives and are worth the investment.
Ground Zero
There has been widespread media coverage over over the past ten days about the tragic deaths of a man and his son at the Story Bridge in Brisbane. The Brisbane Council was quick to announce it would fund…
Genetic variants that contribute to the risk of schizophrenia are present in everyone.
Flickr/Akelei van Dam
A quarter of the risk for developing schizophrenia can be traced to genetic variations that are common in the general population, a study by Queensland researchers has found.
A new method of genetic analysis…
For long term refom, education and child development sectors must be involved.
wakingphotolife
As the Commonwealth Government’s community consultation period for mental health reform comes to an end this week, health bureaucrats will begin finalising Australia’s Ten year roadmap for national mental…
Long-term meditators have larger sections of the brain responsible for regulating emotion.
Tezatrataz/Phra Ajan Jerapunyo Abbot of Watkungtaphao
Meditation has traditionally been associated with Eastern mysticism but science is beginning to show that cultivating a “heightened” state of consciousness can have a major impact on our brain, the way…
Police and other community members need mental health training to respond to individuals in crisis.
AAP
The Coronial Inquest into the police shooting of Melbourne teenager Tyler Cassidy concluded this week, with Coroner Jennifer Coate ruling there was “an urgent need for training to focus on how to deal…
New guidelines for ADHD emphasise comprehensive assessments before a diagnosis is made.
Flickr/Woodlywonderworks
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is seeking feedback on new clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and…
ECT is the most rapid and effective treatment for depression but it’s still plagued with stigma.
Irina Souiki
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has come a long way since earlier, darker days when it was known as electric shock therapy and conjured images from One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest.
But just when it seems…
Antidepressants lift the mood but we don’t know exactly how they work.
obumu.com
Voltaire was right when he said “doctors prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less". Almost 300 years later, this still rings true for depression.
Antidepressants…
Grape growers are already suffering emotional stress because of climate change.
ryanovineyards/Flickr
Mental health has been an issue in rural areas for the past few decades. Climate change will only add more stress to the lives of rural people.
While a report by the Climate Institute shows broad scale…
Emotional disorders are often relegated to second place in considerations of mental health.
Lauren Garza
A few weeks ago, my children came home from school to announce they were raising money for World Vision’s 40-hour famine.
Naturally, I applauded them and we hopped on the internet to learn about the tragedy…
Oxytocin can actually decrease trust and enhance negative emotions.
MichaelKuhn
Imagine for a moment that you could gain everyone’s trust in an instant – you could sell more, love more and accomplish more than you ever imagined. Or so says the online marketing spiel for the drug oxytocin…
Children of separated parents have higher rates of emotional problems but it doesn’t mean these families are bad for kids.
By George Patton, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
The mental health and well-being of Australian children is deteriorating and this is caused by a breakdown of two parent families, according to a report released today by University of Sydney Law Professor…
Letting go of prolonged negative feelings is likely to improve happiness and well-being.
Chapendra
Maxims like turn that frown upside down may annoy you when ill-timed but it seems they have some evidence-based science behind them. A growing body of research shows that your state of mind may have a…
A long-term threat of natural disaster is likely to increase rates of anxiety among young people.
AAP
In September 2010, BHP Billiton CEO Marius Kloppers proposed Australia take action on climate change before the rest of the world to maintain its international economic competitiveness.
A report released…
Depression and anxiety are separate disorders despite their frequent co-occurrence.
fancylittleme.com.au
Mental health disorders have a major impact on our ability to function in the home and at work. A third of the population will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, and a fifth will experience…
Facing up to our carbon responsibilities might make Australians happier.
the waving cat/Flickr
Let’s face it; we just don’t like the word “tax”, do we? Such a brouhaha, such a fuss. But let’s just take a break from the group hysteria to look at the carbon tax from a few different points of view…
Better understanding of sibling risk will lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Flickr/kmakice
A study published overnight in the journal Paediatrics shows the siblings of autistic children have a much higher risk of autism than previously thought. Nicole Rinehart, clinical psychologist and Associate…
Since the 1960s, the number of hospital beds for treating people with mental illnesses has declined dramatically in most OECD countries.
Australia has been among the most assiduous in implementing reform…
Mentally ill detainees should be placed in the community for treatment and support.
AAP
The Commonwealth Ombudsman yesterday launched an investigation into rising rates of self-harm among detainees of Australia’s immigration detention centres, after it emerged that 50 instances of cutting…
Trauma and adversity during early development can embed neuro-vulnerability in children.
apdk/Flickr
The last Federal Government budget announcement revealed funds dedicated to “early intervention” mental health services for youth. But whether this intervention takes place in a timely manner for optimal…
Convicted killer Arthur Freeman is led away from the Supreme Court in Melbourne.
AAP
Arthur Freeman’s involvement in an altercation in Victoria’s Barwon prison this week has again highlighted the fraught issue of how we deal with offenders who commit crimes that many of us assume could…
Almost a third of professional musicians regularly take medication to manage their performance anxiety.
Flickr/kronik
“One of the most exhilarating experiences I know of is performing in public, especially when there is a magnificent piano under my fingers, great music in my head, and the feeling that there are no technical…
Sadly, there’s no magic button to stop excessive gambling.
Mick Tsikas/AAPimage
GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – Why do some people develop gambling addictions while others can dabble for years at the pokies or the track without issue?
The Productivity Commission’s 2010 report on gambling…
Australia needs to reassess where it stands on mental health.
Flickr/knicolai
Even a cursory glance at Australia’s mental health system indicates shortcomings in the provision of a range of services to people with mental impairments.
Since 1993, when the Human Rights and Equal…
Are we treating normal sadness as a clinical disorder?
Gatis Gribusts
It’s normal to feel down in the dumps from time to time, so drawing a line between low moods and mental illness is understandably fraught.
But are health professionals treating normal sadness as a clinical…
US psychiatrist Allen Frances is confusing the issues.
Julie70/Flickr
A controversy is brewing on the website Psychology Today and subsequently in The Australian newspaper. At the heart of the issue is US psychiatrist Dr Allen Frances' comments on the Australian Federal…
Mentally ill Australians have a life expectancy 25 years lower than the rest of the population.
AAP
Almost half of all cigarettes smoked in Australia, the US and the UK are smoked by people with a mental illness. It’s a startling statistic and it paints a grim picture for the physical health of the one…
People with depression are less able to cope with stress.
OliviaGR
Having a “broken” or a “heavy” heart is a description often used by people who are feeling down or depressed. It turns out they’re not that far off the mark.
People with depression are three to four times…
Keeping a journal or confiding in a friend can help overcome emotional issues.
“When people get sick or injured or want advice about their health, they want to see a doctor” Dr Andrew Pesce, AMA President.
As a child psychiatrist, I work with general practitioners to enhance the…
A DNA test can detect fragile X syndrome with 99% accuracy.
AAP
Most people are not aware of fragile X syndrome but they may well be affected by it or know someone who is. Commonly under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed the condition is often mistaken for Attention Deficit…
