Psych Matters

This conversation discusses the development of the Certificate of Postgraduate Training in Clinical Psychiatry (the Certificate), funded by the Australian Government. The Certificate is designed for medical practitioners in Australia (PGY5+) who want to learn foundational concepts in psychiatry and develop practical clinical skills to assess and support patients who present with mental health cond...

In this episode, Dr Lauren Schild and Dr Rory Grinsill discuss their trainee experiences of their rotations in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). They talk about the value of these placements, the challenges they faced, and the benefits of group therapy for veterans. The conversation, facilitated by Dr Jonathan Lane, highlights the importance of understanding the unique experiences and nee...

Sleep disorders are often misunderstood and underdiagnosed. Understanding sleep physiology is key to diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. Sleep disorders can be categorized into disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep, disorders of excessive sleep, parasomnias, and disturbances of the sleep cycle. Dr Robert Kaplan takes us through diagnoses, approach and treatment methods for the various...

In 2008, Australia and New Zealand ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD challenges traditional mental health legislation by emphasising the respect for inherent dignity, legal capacity, liberty and physical and mental integrity of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. The application of CRPD in mental health care requ...

Developed by the RANZCP Section of Leadership and Management (SLAM), the following discussion is hosted by the former Chair, Associate Professor Robert Parker. This conversation exploring the topics of leadership and management in psychiatry, with a focus on the future of these fields and the challenges faced by early career psychiatrists. The panellists, Dr Graham Dickson, Dr Diane Meschino and D...

This episode explores the work of psychiatrists in government, private practice and research for the population of military and veteran personnel in Australia. The conversation covers various specialist fields in psychiatry, including trauma-related disorders, substance abuse and forensic work. A/Prof Jon Lane, Leonie Nowland, Dr Alex Lim and Prof Jenny Firman discuss their experiences in private...

In this episode Dr Warren Kealy-Bateman FRANZCP speaks with transgender youth about what it’s like being a young transgender person in Australia. Often absent in discussions around transgender youth healthcare are the voices of transgender youth themselves. This podcast explores four individual experiences with transgender healthcare across Australia and considers how psychiatrists and other healt...

In this episode, Dr Linda Kader interviews Ginny Whitelaw, a former NASA scientist and leadership expert. They discuss topics such as finding purpose as a leader, authenticity and inquiry in leadership, aligning body, energy, and mind, and the vision for leaders in the world. Ginny shares insights from her own journey and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, psychological safety, and align...

In this episode Prof Brett McDermott is in conversation with A/Prof Yoram Barak about the Kioku project. This study is looking to test new ways to reduce loneliness. Loneliness has an incredibly negative impact on health, especially so for older adults. Rates of loneliness are creeping up in most high income and middle income countries, especially for women and men over the age of 70. Based on som...

This episode of Psych Matters recorded at the 2023 RANZCP Congress in Perth is about remote supervision for psychiatry trainees. Inequitable access to psychiatric care has been highlighted as a significant shortcoming for both the Australian and New Zealand mental health care system for some time. The college developed a rural psychiatry roadmap 2021 to 2031, a pathway to equitable and sustainable...

In this episode the speakers discuss their personal backgrounds and experiences with diagnosing and treating ADHD. They emphasize the need for ADHD training and education in the field of psychiatry and the push for ADHD to become mainstream in mental health services. Collaboration and peer review in ADHD treatment are also discussed, along with medico-legal considerations including the Senate inqu...

This episode revolves around the importance of youth mental health and the need for specialized care for young people. Dr Astha Tomar facilitates this discussion with distinguished panel members Prof Patrick McGorry, Dr Iain Macmillan, Dr Daniel Pellen, Dr Leonardo Sauaia,  and Dr Ian Soosay. They cover the deterioration of youth mental health in high-income countries, the impact of the pandemic,...

In this episode, experts in transgender health from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Victoria and Western Australia come together to discuss why they love working with transgender youth, what this entails, and the regional differences across the two countries. Acknowledging the lack of clinical education many psychiatrists (and doctors in general) will have received about transgender health, the podcast open...

In this episode Dr Jamie Speeden (Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist/Paediatrician) discusses the care of transgender people with leading clinical experts in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The discussion covers what gender affirming care is (as well as what it isn’t!) and the primary-care-lead model through which it is delivered and provided across Aotearoa/New Zealand. The panel discusses their experiences...

In this episode, facilitated by Professor Bruce Singh AM, The Anna Freud Centre in the UK outline the work they are undertaking on behalf of the College to conduct an independent external review of the evidence for long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for the treatment of mood disorders. The key components of the review are discussed, including systematic reviews of both quantitative and qualitat...

This episode gives you a brief overview of the vision and goals for the Australasian Psychiatry journal in discussion with its new editorial team, hosted by Jeffrey Looi, Samantha Loi, Sharon Reutens and Tarun Bastiampillai.  They discuss the importance of promoting academia and scholarly projects, encouraging debate, and exploring policy and international perspectives. They also highlight the sig...

"Sheroes in Psychiatry" is an initiative of the Women in Psychiatry (WIP group). Sairee Chahal coined SHEROES in 1999 to denote "woman entrepreneur." WIP group selected the term "Sheroes" as a fitting term for every FRANZCP woman psychiatrist. By doing this podcast series, WIP aims to support and celebrate the work of Women psychiatrists. Their mission is to share the...

"Sheroes in Psychiatry" is an initiative of the Women in Psychiatry (WIP group). Sairee Chahal coined SHEROES in 1999 to denote "woman entrepreneur." WIP group selected the term "Sheroes" as a fitting term for every FRANZCP woman psychiatrist. By doing this podcast series, WIP aims to support and celebrate the work of Women psychiatrists. Their mission is to share the...

"Sheroes in Psychiatry" is an initiative of the Women in Psychiatry (WIP group). Sairee Chahal coined SHEROES in 1999 to denote "woman entrepreneur." WIP group selected the term "Sheroes" as a fitting term for every FRANZCP woman psychiatrist. By doing this podcast series, WIP aims to support and celebrate the work of Women psychiatrists. Their mission is to share the...

"Sheroes in Psychiatry" is an initiative of the Women in Psychiatry (WIP group). Sairee Chahal coined SHEROES in 1999 to denote "woman entrepreneur." WIP group selected the term "Sheroes" as a fitting term for every FRANZCP woman psychiatrist. By doing this podcast series, WIP aims to support and celebrate the work of Women psychiatrists. Their mission is to share the...

"Sheroes in Psychiatry" is an initiative of the Women in Psychiatry (WIP group). Sairee Chahal coined SHEROES in 1999 to denote "woman entrepreneur." WIP group selected the term "Sheroes" as a fitting term for every FRANZCP woman psychiatrist. By doing this podcast series, WIP aims to support and celebrate the work of Women psychiatrists. Their mission is to share the...

This is a 2 part episode of podcasts  with leading Australian and New Zealand psychiatrists developed by the RANZCP Section of Leadership and Management. The following discussions hosted by Associate Professor Robert Parker (Chair of SLAM)  aims to encourage and inform Early Career and other psychiatrists in pursuit of a career in Leadership and Management.   Dr. Peggy Brown AO is currently one of...

Life throws up a lot of options, challenges and choices and death comes to us all.  Voluntary assisted dying is an end of life option for  a small number of people in Australia but has brought about a lot of conversation and debate.  In this podcast Associate Professor Melanie Turner who is a psychiatrist and also the presiding in member of the Voluntary assisted dying Review Board of South Austra...

In this episode, a group of women psychiatrists working across rural and remote Australia and New Zealand talk about their experiences.  The main points covered were: what attracted them to the work, the benefits and what have they gained from their experience, how their careers have developed, their family’s experience, the motivations to continue working rurally or moving back to urban settings,...

This Podcast recorded live at the Perth RANZCP Congress discusses research in Old Age Psychiatry presented in a free paper session. A/Prof Gary Cheung (Dementia prevalence and treatment in Maori and non-Maori), Dr Alok Rana and Dr Sandeep Reelh (Assessing dementia underdiagnosis: screening, diagnosis, and management of cognitive impairment/dementia at the Mackay Base Hospital) discuss their respec...