Cannabis is now the leading cause of new presentations to Ireland’s adolescent addiction services. The trends in cannabis use and cannabis related harms which are evident in the past decade are very concerning and need action at policy and service level.

The College is very disappointed to see the data published today on levels of restrictive practices in hospitals. This is another manifestation of the under-resourcing of services for people with serious psychiatric illness.

The Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine is proud to announce its recent successful application for indexing on Medline, the largest and most prestigious internet search engine for medical research.

While it is encouraging to see progress on Sláintecare implementation it is very disappointing that psychiatry has not been asked for representation given that many consultant psychiatrists have experience in implementing change in mental healthcare, as per the terms of reference of appointing members to this advisory council.

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine* (IJPM) is delighted to launch a dedicated edition to ADHD, Special Issue: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Volume 35 Issue 3), compiled by guest editors and Consultant child & adolescent psychiatrists, Dr Blánaid Gavin and Prof Fiona McNicholas.

Organised by the Trainee Committee of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland* for the eighth consecutive year, the Psychiatry Summer School for medical students and interns gave students the opportunity to gain insight into the career opportunities within the psychiatric specialties, subspecialties and other areas of interest which are often not covered in undergraduate studies.

The College hosted its first week long Foundation Year Induction Programme 2018 for incoming psychiatry trainees which, in addition to welcoming them, aimed to orient them to skills and knowledge required at this early stage in and throughout their training. Their communication style, awareness and skills; confidence and psychological well-being; as well as issues of patient safety they face were areas of focus for the programme which was delivered through a blend of presentations and workshops. It also provided an opportunity for networking and encouraged trainees to build support networks amongst themselves as doctors.

The conference is being hosted by Minister Jim Daly. The main aim of the conference is to explore the potential utilisation of digital technologies in Irish Mental Health Services.

The President of the College of Psychiatrists, Dr John Hillery has questioned the priority of the Minister for Finance in funding a train to the airport where services for carers are shambolic and mental health professionals are working in clinics with snails climbing up the walls.

The College is hosting a ‘living library’, a library come to life in the outdoors, where members of the public and medical profession can ‘read’ human books featuring real experiences related to mental illness and recovery.

The College is hosting a ‘living library’, a library come to life in the outdoors, where members of the public and medical profession can ‘read’ human books featuring real experiences related to mental illness and recovery.

President of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, Dr John Hillery, today addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Future of Mental care on the issue of recruitment and retention of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists to Mental Health Services.

The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland welcomes the launch by the HSE yesterday of the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorder Services developed in collaboration between the College, HSE and Bodywhys. Eating disorders affect up to 5% of the population but people can, and do, recover from eating disorders more quickly with early, specialised treatment.

The recent annual College NCHD Conference was a great success with a high turnout of over 100 Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors.