Recovery
REFOCUS discussed Trainee Induction, Green Ribbon month and stigma of mental illness on families recently at their second meeting of 2018. The College REFOCUS (Recovery Experience Forum of Carers and Users of Services) committee held a meeting on June 8th 2018. Through regular meetings and sub group meetings REFOCUS debates issues, writes papers, presents at […]
For years, I felt like the only boy in the world with an eating disorder. I was wrong. Writer Louis Baragona recounts his own years-long struggle with bulimia, and how he finally forged a path to recovery. This Article, written by Louis Baragona, appeared in Men’sHealth.com on 29.03.18 When I was 7 years old, I turned […]
The College ran the ‘Living Library’ this May for Green Ribbon Month with See Change. By starting the conversation in the outdoors the College aimed to challenge the stigma of speaking about mental health difficulties and to encourage an important mantra ‘Don’t Judge A Book by Its Cover’. When it comes to mental health everyone has […]
A REFOCUS committee member wrote this letter to the Editor of the The Irish Times. It discusses prisoners and mental illness, 28.05.18. Sir, In its submission to an Oireachtas committee, the Irish Penal Reform Trust point to an increase from 3 per cent to close to 8 per cent in the incidence of severe mental illness […]
James Fogarty reports for the Medical Independent from the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland Spring Conference 2018. Physician suicide is catastrophic for not only the individual doctor’s family and friends, but also for their patients, the Spring Meeting of the College of Psychiatrists was told. At the meeting, which was held in Athlone, Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Justin […]
The College is delighted to announce our 4th annual event in partnership with See Change for Green Ribbon Month – A Living Library When it comes to mental health everyone has a story to share and we find comfort, empathy and compassion in shared experiences. Social contact is known to be one of the most effective […]
Connie Keane is a 24-year-old musician who spent six weeks in St Patrick’s Mental Health Services in Dublin last October. This article, written by Geraldine Gittens, appeared on Independent.ie on 06/05/18. “I felt like I was a plague that only caused harm. Something in my brain kind of snapped and I became acutely suicidal.” A […]
Dr Declan Lyons, Dr Roisin McCafferty and Dr Sadaf Khan look at cognitive dysfunction in depression — one of the most common residual symptoms of depression, despite treatment This article appeared on the Irish Medical Times on 04/04/18. Depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than 300 million people at […]
A 23-year-old woman who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been talking about her experience in an effort to break down the stigmas associated with mental health issues. This article by Sasha Brady appeared on Independent.ie on 30/04/18. Dark moods, self-harming and attempts at suicide were a feature of Siobhan Brady’s teenage […]
The issue of suicide will be accorded particular focus at the upcoming Spring Conference of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, which takes place in Athlone on 12-13 April. This article by Catherine Reilly was published on Medical Independent on 26/03/18 A presentation on ‘Suicide in Doctors — What we Should Know’ by Dr Justin […]