Medcast news and blog
A story about a Psychiatrist’s clever daughter and how she saved his life
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:
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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.
Many of my consultations these days include some discussion of the distress my patients are feeling about something they have seen or something that has been said or done to them on social media. Often it’s just a misunderstanding by a sensitive and vulnerable person. But it is sometimes due to deliberate attempts by others to upset and disturb them.
Managing bipolar disorder is challenging for patients and practitioners alike. Making the diagnosis in the first place is often a challenge, but once it’s made many patients and their health care practitioners are unaware that there’s more to managing bipolar disorder than juggling the medications and doing the blood tests. Listen to the podcast and read the blog.
Is that a typo in the title? Should it say hugs? Well, “hugs” is getting close but not really quite there.
Do you feel comfortable about using computers to help people with their mental health? If not you are not alone and this might give you some insight into why you feel that way. Earlier this year I read a book called The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North, a pseudonym belonging to British author Catherine Webb. The story revolves around two interesting ideas.