Category: Of interest from media
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The Times: Eating disorder patients left without specialist care as pandemic exacerbates funding shortfall
Dr Michelle Clifford, Chair of the College Eating Disorders special interest group and national clinical lead for the HSE programme for eating disorders, speaks with The Times about the lack of specialist support for people suffering from eating disorders, the “postcode lottery” involved in accessing care, and what proper funding for the service would mean…
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The BMJ Opinion: Violence risk assessment in psychiatry: no one can predict the future
Violence risk assessments are sometimes used to inform decisions around the involuntary admission of people to hospital. Yet the evidence for their use is at best unclear, say Gautam Gulati, Chair of the CPsychI Faculty of Forensic Psychiatry, Colum P Dunne, and Brendan D Kelly. This blog post originally appeared in The BMJ Opinion. The…
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Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1: Mental wellbeing during the pandemic
RTÉ’s Drivetime speaks to psychiatrists and patient advocates about mental wellbeing during the pandemic. The interviews coincide with a conference on the topic as part of a series of online seminars hosted by St John of God Research Foundations. Listen back to the full piece on RTÉ Radio 1 here. The theme of this year’s…
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RTÉ: COVID-19 ‘increases risk of psychiatric disorders’ – study
New research suggests that people who have survived COVID-19 are at increased risk of psychiatric disorders than people who have had other illnesses. Read the full article in the RTÉ here. You can also read the original research here. New research suggests people who have survived Covid-19 are at greater risk of psychiatric disorders than…
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Irish Times: Dr Muiris Houston: ‘For me, the most shocking Covid-19 statistic of all is this…’
Dr Muiris Houston writes for the Irish Times about how patients with a recent diagnosis of a mental illness have a seven-fold increased risk of COVID-19 infection. This makes a recent mental health diagnosis one of the strongest risk factors for the novel disease. Women with mental illness are also more at risk of COVID-19…
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Irish Times: Death threats from patients under-reported by doctors, highlights psychiatrist
“Psychiatrists are especially vulnerable as are emergency medicine physicians and family doctors.” George Winter writes for the Irish Times about an article in the British Medical Journal Opinion about underreporting of death threats by patients against doctors. He spoke with Consultant Psychiatrist and lead author of the piece, Professor Gautam Gulati of the Graduate Entry…
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No More “Business as Usual” in Mental Health Services for our Treasured Population in Later Life
On United Nations Day for Older People, Consultant Psychiatrist for Later Life and Chair for the Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry Dr Tom Reynolds writes on the urgent need to prioritise care and safeguarding for older people with mental illness. ‘2020 has seen the emergence of COVID-19, which has caused upheaval across the world. Considering…
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RSCI Researchers show blood test can predict who is likely to develop psychotic disorders
Researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have discovered that testing the levels of certain proteins in blood samples can predict whether a person at risk of psychosis is likely to develop a psychotic disorder years later. The study can be read in full in the current edition of JAMA Psychiatry. The research…
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RTÉ Radio 1: Interview with Professor Harry Kennedy, Executive Clinical Director of the Central Mental Hospital
Professor Harry Kennedy, Executive Clinical Director of the Central Mental Hospital speaks with Sarah McInerney about Ireland’s attitude to mental illness, policy and the future of the Central Mental Hospital. You can listen to the full interview on the RTÉ website here. Professor Kennedy discusses how the Central Mental Hospital will improve on the limited…
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Irish Independent: Study finds almost one in five children ‘hears voices’ before teen years
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine editorial board member Dr Ian Kelleher discusses his new research for the Health Research Board, which finds that nearly 1 in 5 children between the ages of 9 and 12 hear voices that others cannot, before growing out of it. This is compared to 5…