CPD Portal
Destigmatising schizophrenia
Whether or not we like to admit it, our view of schizophrenia – as with many other psychiatric disorders – is largely influenced by the media and movies.
Long-acting injectable antipsychotics: Physician and patient perspectives
Schizophrenia can be thought of as a group of chronic disorders that are often neuro-developmentally based and marked by progressive brain changes, tissue loss (both grey and white matter), and increases in ventricular volume that have been associated with functional impairment.
The link between suicide and insomnia
Psychiatric patients are thought to be at high risk of suicidal behaviours. However, clinicians face challenges of identifying patients at risk.
What predicts the improvement of psychiatric patients in the real world?
Clinicians are often asked to assess functional impairment in psychiatric patients for vocational, academic, or benefits-related purposes, but this is often no simple task.
The stepped care model
The new National Institute of Health Care Excellence guideline proposes a stepped care model for the management of patients with chronic depression.
NICE bipolar guideline
Specialist Forum December 2018 CPD 2 of 3: NICE has warned against the use of valproate during pregnancy in its updated guideline on the management of bipolar disorder.
What is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder?
SPECIALIST FORUM NOVEMBER CPD 1 of 2: This article is based on a presentation about circadian rhythm sleep disorders by Dr Alison Bentley at the SASOP congress held in Tshwane from 21-24 September.
Psychotropics in the elderly
Psychotropic drugs are commonly administered to elderly clients to manage behaviour and psychiatric symptoms. However, dosages need to be adapted to suit the patient’s profile.
The acute treatment of major depression
The prevalence of major depression (MD) between 2002 and 2004, according to the South African General Household Survey, is 9.7%.
Psychology of the obese patient
Most treatment strategies for obesity are based on an exclusively biological view of the condition, but a recent theory shows how obesity appears to be a consequence of homeostatic imbalance in the psychological sphere.
Easing depression with folate, vitamin D & B12
MEDICAL CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER CPD 4 of 5: Although antidepressant medication is most often prescribed for cases of depression, simple supplementation with folate or vitamins D and B12 has been shown to ease the effects of the disorder.
Mind over sphincter: brain-training GORD away
PPIs are not the only way to address reflux, as multiple studies into the gastrointestinal effects of relaxation training and CBT prove.
What is the link between ADHD and emotional dysregulation?
A population study found mood lability in 38% of children with ADHD.
Trazodone: a multifunctional drug
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) defines depression as a heterogeneous disorder characterised by sadness, loss of interest or irritability. Depression ranges from mild to severe. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the more severe form.
Treating depression: the drugs that work
A team of researchers, who collected data of 116 477 men and women, found that every type of antidepressant they studied was more effective at lessening symptoms of depression over time than placebo. They considered a drug ‘effective’ if it reduced depression symptoms by 50% or more.
SA’s first Methylphenidate ER generic
Mylan South Africa has launched Contramyl XR, SA’s first Methylphenidate ER generic
Surviving the rollercoaster: adult ADHD
Guidelines outlining the requirements for adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that covers comprehensive diagnostic assessement and treatment, have been published for the first time in the South African Journal of Psychiatry.
Weight gain studied for second-generation antipsychotics
The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center study found that patients treated with Zyprexa (olanzapine) have the highest risk of weight gain, while Geodon (ziprasidone) and Seroquel (quetiapine) were not associated with an increase in body mass index.
Enhancement of fluoxetine by folic acid
The World Health Organization ranks unipolar major depression as the fourth most important cause of premature mortality and disability (Murray and Lopez, 1997).
