Can you come up with a treatment plan? What would you do if the patient refused treatment?
"Aggressive and Delusional About His Alien Origins, But Refusing Treatment" by John Lyskowski & Victoria Jenne (Current Psychiatry)
Put your knowledge and skills to the test with the case of a 23 year old male with persistent hallucinations and delusions, including thinking that he is an alien, as well as unmanageable aggression despite different trials of antipsychotic medications. Can you come up with a treatment plan? What would you do if the patient refused treatment? "Aggressive and Delusional About His Alien Origins, But Refusing Treatment" by John Lyskowski & Victoria Jenne (Current Psychiatry)
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Put your knowledge and skills to the test with the case of a 30 year old graduate student with schizophrenia, who is treated for psychosis, but then subsequently her menses stop. Can you determine the cause of her menstrual abnormalities or come up with a treatment plan? "Psychosis resolves, but menses stop" by Nicole Renee Graham, Mustafa Pirzada, Almari Ginory, Laura Mayol-Sabatier, and Mathew Nguyen (Current Psychiatry). "What Michael Did" is a powerful and moving story about Michael Stewart, a Canadian man with schizophrenia, who back in 2002 when he was just 23 killed his mother during a psychotic episode. In the article, readers are given an intimate look into one family's experience with schizophrenia, as well as the confusing and scary time in which they witnessed the smart and witty Michael they used to know transform into someone else almost entirely ... someone who was paranoid, agitated, lost, and suffering from delusions and hallucinations, including believing that others could read his mind. Though a heartbreaking tragedy, the story manages to also be inspiring by demonstrating the immense resilience of the Stewart family, and shedding light into how they coped with the loss of one family member and forgiving another who had committed the act. A must read! Mental illness is not restricted to North America. While prevalence of and perspectives on psychiatric disorders may vary from place to place, it is something that can and does affect people around the world. In India for example, there are estimated to be around 4 million people with schizophrenia (Centre for Global Mental Health). As a result, there has been increasing focus and research on those with schizophrenia in India to better understand the experience of having a mental health condition like schizophrenia in a country outside North America and Europe, to identify the nation-specific barriers to care, and see what programs or services this region needs and how effective new implemented programs are at reducing stigma and treating or supporting these patients. To give you an idea of how schizophrenia affects those in India and their families, check out some of these resources and documentaries below. They not only describe how features of schizophrenia such as the content of one's hallucinations varies between two regions like India and the US, but also highlight current issues limiting diagnosis and treatment such as too few psychiatrists, lack of community support services, medications that are either too expensive or not available, and a lack of awareness or education about mental health among the general population. More so, the resources and documentaries also highlight some of the current work being done in India to improve the diagnosis and care of those with schizophrenia, in addition to helping family members and those in the community better understand this condition.
A few weeks ago Vince Li, the man who beheaded a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba back in 2008, was granted unsupervised outings from the psychiatric hospitalization where he's been living and receiving treatment for the last 6 years. Since the news report broke, there's been an eruption of comments displaying anger and resistance over Li's release. Recently, VICE interviewed Anne Marie Hagan, who was just 19 when she found her father who had been axed to death by their neighbour who had schizophrenia. In the interview Hagan describes her devastating loss and personal experience with someone who had committed a crime yet also had a mental illness. Though controversial, Hagan's statements are thought-provoking and provide a different perspective on the news about Li, one that focuses more on mental illness, and challenges the way many of us view those who have a psychiatric disorder. Regardless of your own feelings and opinions on this issue, this is definitely worth a read (link can be found below) "Mental illness takes us out of our comfort zone and causes fear because the only requirement to become mentally ill is to have a brain. If you suddenly become mentally sick, unless I blame it on you, unless it’s a character flaw—that means suddenly I could become mentally sick, too." "Why Canada Should Consider Forgiving Vince Li" by Kristy Hoffman (VICE) Catch up on all the news related to mental health and psychiatry from this past week! An interesting article about a young boy who has been struggling with mental health concerns, and the need for more resources for and research on children and mental illness. Check out the CNN article and video Suicidal at 4: Young and Mentally Ill now! |
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Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry
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