Medcast news and blog

Here’s something worth reading by Scarlett Winter, a 30 something woman in my practice. It’s her story of recovery from severe and longstanding anorexia nervosa and, although hers is a very specific diagnosis, there is much in it for us all to learn about recovery from mental illness generally.

The next Black Dog Institute / eMHPrac live webinar will be held on 15th November. It’s an auspicious date. It’s the date the results of the national plebiscite on marriage equality will be announced.

Many people who suffer from depression spend a great deal of time looking inward. Even when not depressed, they often have a contemplative or even ruminative style.

Psychiatry is ideally suited to videoconferencing but there are perils and pitfalls that become apparent once you engage with it that can be quite discouraging. Our guest blogger is Dr Zelko Mustac, a Sydney psychiatrist who has worked for many years in Western Australia and is very conscious of the difficulty of delivering psychiatric care to rural and remote areas. Here is his story:

Humans of New York is an amazing blog. There is always something worth thinking about in its stories of ordinary people struggling with life. The stories are short and easy to read but each one contains an interesting message.

I bought an alarm clock recently. For some years I have used my smart phone as an alarm clock but I’ve noticed that at times of stress when I wake at night I’ve been reaching for my phone and checking my emails. That’s just crazy! There is no expectation on the part of my employer or my patients that I will work in the middle of the night but it has become reflexive and obsessive.

Trying to decide what online mental health treatment programs to use can be difficult. There seem to be so many of them! Which one will be easiest to use? What style is best? Should I choose something specific for the problem or something more general?

Questions exist in the minds of most parents and carers about their teenagers’ use of digital technology. How much is too much?

I think I’ve finally found a cognitive reframe that works for me – and it’s all about terminology.