Psychiatry Congress

Psychiatry Congress

The Royal Australian and New Zealand Collage of Psychiatrists' Congress runs until 6 May 2010 at SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland. The Congress brings together mental health experts in a diverse range of areas; from children and adolescents to old age, mental health across the lifespan will be discussed. Here are some highlights from today's program, the full program is available at http://www.ranzcp2010.co.nz/program/.

Childhood trauma found to cause mental illness, drug and alcohol use

A longitudinal study of people who experienced childhood trauma has found that they are more likely to use alcohol, marijuana and illicit drugs, and to experience lifetime incidence of depression and anxiety than those who had not experienced childhood trauma. Childhood traumas included sexual, physical and psychological abuse, family violence and dysfunction due to substance abuse. The study found that while men were more likely to have a behavioural effect from the trauma such as an alcohol problem or drug or marijuana use, women would have a psychological effect through the development of depression or anxiety. "Classic life events literature generally examines impact of life events within a window of six months duration. For this study a group of primary school children living in a small country region in South Australia in 1983 were assessed 20 years later," said study author Peter Athanasos. (2.30pm)

Are love and sex addiction real diagnoses?

Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-step disease model is highly influential in the addiction field, particularly in the United States. But is it valid to apply a disease model developed to understand substance addictions to other problematic behaviours? Gambling addiction is now recognised as a serious addiction, but what about compulsive sex and love problems?

To better understand this question, this presentation will explore the historical background of how love addiction and sex addiction emerged in the addiction treatment community in the United States in the second half of the 20th century and achieved some prominence through popular psychology books. "Research into contemporary academic sources, however, indicates that love addiction remains confined to the 12-step addiction field, but sex addiction has achieved some minor recognition in the broader psychiatric world," said presenter Dr John Berks. (4pm)

Today’s keynote speakers:

Professor Paul Appelbaum, the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Law, Director Division of Law, Ethics, and Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, and an expert on law and ethics in clinical practice and research.
From Institutional Coercion to Community Leverage: Psychiatry in the 21st Century (9am)

Professor Dinesh Bhugra, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Professor of Mental Health and Cultural Diversity at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, and Honorary Consultant at the South London and Maudsley Trust.
Bollywood to Hollywood, (9.45am)

For further information:
Kirrily Johns
+61(0)438 063 618

About The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is the principal organisation representing the medical specialty of psychiatry in Australia and New Zealand and has responsibility for training, examining and awarding the qualification of Fellowship of the College to medical practitioners. www.ranzcp.org.

SOURCE: The Royal Australian and New Zealand Collage of Psychiatrists

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