Bipolar puts strain on families
May 2010
Professor Gordon Parker speaks about the increase in bipolar disorders amongst schoolchildren in Australia and the difficulty in diagnosing depressive illnesses in adolescents. He stated “Counselors on the North Shore used to see one in 100 in years 10 to 12 but now it’s five to seven in 100”. Professor Parker observed that GPs should be seen as referrers to more sophisticated treatments.
Read the North Shore Times article here
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The use of older stimulants in treating mood disorders
April 2010
It is often challenging to find the appropriate combination of medications for people with melancholic depression or bipolar depressions who are treatment resistant. A new study conducted by researchers at the Black Dog Institute into the use of older stimulants found that there were distinct clinical benefits for a significant percentage of patients in a study of 50 patients of whom 60% were female and with an average age of 59 years. The study has been published in the latest internationally renowned psychiatric journal, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
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Push to have “Melancholia” listed in the DSM
March 2010
Sydney psychiatrists at the Black Dog Institute and The Lawson Clinic are leading a controversial global push to stop doctors over-diagnosing depression, giving patients unnecessary treatments and putting lives at risk. They are seeking to have the 2500 year old condition of melancholia listed in the DSM which is used by mental health practitioners and psychiatrists around the world to diagnose mental illnesses.
Read the Sydney Morning Herald article
Read the article that appeared in the UNSW publication 'Uniken'
Read the article that appeared on the ABC's Unleashed website
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Seminar: GPs, Navigating Teenage Depression
November 2009 & May 2010
First symptoms of depression often occur during teenage years, and it can be a disturbing and confusing time for families as well as the teenager themselves. Experienced clinician and researcher Professor Gordon Parker will outline how to systematically identify different mood disorders and contributing factors in adolescents. Dinner and drinks will be provided. To RSVP please telephone the clinic on (02) 9418 4488.
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Seminar: GP Strategies for Managing Bipolar Disorder
3 September, 2009
Dr Iain Macmillan, Clinical Director, Black Dog Institute will present a seminar for GPs on strategies for managing bipolar disorder. Dr Macmillan is a leading world expert on mood disorders and will provide GPs with practical advice. The seminar will be held at Crows Nest from 6.30 pm. Dinner and drinks will be provided. To RSVP please telephone the clinic on (02) 9418 4488.
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Match the Treatment to the Malady
13 August, 2009
Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, Professor Gordon Parker, talks with Sydney Morning Herald journalist, Miranda Devine, about the system of diagnosing and classifying mood disorders. As Professor Parker explains, depression is not an "It" or "a one size fits all disorder". But for almost 30 years, psychiatry has defined depression vaguely as a single condition which varies only in severity - major or minor depression. Professor Parker said this had led to over-diagnosis to a ridiculous extent.
Read the full article in the Sydney Morning Herald
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A Close Look at Bipolar II
25-26 July, 2009
Journalist, Jill Margo, takes a look at the many questions surrounding bipolar II disorder in an article in this week's Weekend Australian Financial Review. It contains interviews with leading authorities from the Black Dog Institute - Professor Gordon Parker, Executive Director; and Dr Iain Macmillan, Clinical Director. Although studies show bipolar II commonly emerges in adolescence, Professor Parker says the majority of people are never diagnosed and those that are, usually receive the diagnosis some 15 years later.
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Seminar: The ups and downs of Bipolar Disorder – a patient’s perspective
12 March 2009
The presenter will be former Wallaby prop Enrique “Topo” Rodriguez. Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 1996, Topo is rated as one of the best rugby players the game has known. He was born in Argentina and came to Australia in the 80s. He joined the Wallabies at a time when they came to dominate world rugby and Topo's abilities earned him a fan following that was almost cult-like. Topo excelled with a triple International Rugby Union career, playing 15 tests for Argentina, 26 for Australia and one for Tahiti. However amidst all this triumph, Topo was being stalked by undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder.
Topo will present his own personal story about his struggle with Bipolar Disorder and the road that led to recovery.
GPs may RSVP by calling the Clinic on (02) 9418 4488.
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Concerns on Schizophrenia & Bipolar Disorder study
20 January, 2009
Professor Gordon Parker, Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, has expressed concerns with a Swedish study that suggests schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share common genetic causes and the two conditions may simply be the different manifestations of the same disease. The question of whether the two mental illnesses are distinct entities or represent a disease continuum is widely debated in psychiatry and the report, published in The Lancet , calls for a rethink on the way schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are classified. Professor Parker told the Sydney Morning Herald that he would be immensely worried if the two conditions were reappraised into the one all encompassing illness. Speaking with Tim Webster on 2UE, Professor Parker said there was a real risk of over treatment for some patients. He said he believed the group that would be particularly affected by any such change would be those with bipolar disorder who keep their condition under control with minimal medication.
Read the article in The Lancet
Read the Sydney Morning Herald article
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Antidepressants on trial: How valid is the evidence?
19 January 2009
Last year, there was considerable international media focused on a British analytic study which argued that new antidepressants were basically ineffective. Today, Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, Professor Gordon Parker, argues that no clinician or researcher could interpret anything meaningful from the study because the randomised controlled database was so “intrinsically flawed”. The ‘apples’ assessed in such trials do not correspond to the ‘oranges’ in clinical practice, resulting in a real disconnect between clinical practice and randomised trials. Also, trial components contribute to the disconnect, said Professor Parker. The antidepressant drugs referred to are the dual action types such as SNRI’s and SSRI’s. His comments are contained in a paper, titled ‘Antidepressants on trial: how valid is the evidence?’ just published in the British Journal of Psychiatry which critically analyses a paper published last year by Kirsch and colleagues.
Read the news release
Read the abstract
Read the full article |
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Seminar: a logic for interviewing a new patient with a Mood Disorder
16 October 2008
The Lawson Clinic and Black Dog Institute present a talk for GPs (general practitioners) by Professor Gordon Parker. Please RSVP by 13 October 2008 by calling the Clinic on (02) 9418 4488. |
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Bipolar II Seminar for GPs
May 2008
Bipolar II may be described as a silent epidemic in Australian society and findings by the Black Dog Institute indicate that up to 6% of Australians may be impacted. Underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of bipolar II as a unipolar depressive illness are frequently reported. Dr Mark Rowe FRANZCP, Clinical Director, will address the markers of bipolar II and give practical guidance on how to detect this condition. Current management strategies will also be discussed.
See Invitation
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Pioneer Clinic to fight depression & bipolar disorder
March 2008
The first mental health facility in Australia to offer treatment for depression and bipolar disorder, based on a Model developed by the world renowned Black Dog Institute, has opened in Sydney.
The Lawson Clinic at Gordon (named after the Australian bush poet Henry Lawson who suffered from manic-depressive mood swings) is a private outpatient clinic where patients affected by depression or bipolar disorder can receive an expert assessment identifying their type of mood disorder as well as ongoing care.
Read the press release |
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