Addiction issues to be discussed at conference in Melbourne

Prescription drug misuse, addiction psychiatry, acute and chronic pain and medical complications associated with alcohol and drug use will be discussed at the Inaugural Medicine in Addiction Conference this week.

Title: Inaugural Medicine in Addiction Conference
Date: Friday 18 to Sunday 20 March 2011
Venue: The Citiclub Hotel, Melbourne
Presented by: The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

The conference program is available at
www.ranzcp.org/images/stories/ranzcp-attachments/Conference/Inaugural_Medicine_Addiction_Conference_Program.pdf

Leading addiction practitioners speaking at the conference include:

• Dr Jonathan Knott, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Emergency Department management of acute agitation

Highly agitated patients presenting to an emergency department present a significant risk Emergency departments are designed to provide ready access to acutely unwell patients, which becomes challenging when trying to contain a very disturbed individual.

• Prof Shane Thomas, Problem Gambling Research and Treatment Centre, Monash University
Current approaches to problem gambling: A state of the art review of problem gambling screening and treatment

A short review of current epidemiological studies of problem gambling and key comorbidities and trends in the prevalence of problem gambling in Australia and other countries will be followed by current evidence concerning the effectiveness of various therapies for treatment of problem gambling.

• Prof Dan Lubman, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, Eastern Health and Monash University

How affective are you? The importance of affect in addiction

Affective symptoms are commonly reported by a range of addicted populations, but are often poorly addressed. This presentation will discuss the range of affective presentations that are commonly seen within clinical settings, as well as provide recommendations for management.

• Dr Richard Hallinan, The Byrne Surgery, Redfern, NSW, Australia.
Drug Health Services, South Western Sydney Local Health Network, NSW, Australia

Sexual dysfunction associated with alcohol and other drug use

There are high rates of prevalence of sexual dysfunctions, including hypoactive sexual desire, arousal problems and orgasmic dysfunction, in populations with substance use disorders. This presentation will describe a rational approach to identifying and managing sexual dysfunctions in people with substance use disorders, with particular emphasis on people receiving opioid pharmacotherapies.

• A/Prof Kate Conigrave, Drug Health Service, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and University of Sydney

Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals to tackle alcohol or drugs

The considerable challenges facing many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals may place them at risk of alcohol, tobacco or other drug misuse. In this presentation, the state of scientific evidence around treatment of substance misuse among Indigenous Australians and clinical approaches to support Indigenous Australians to tackle substance misuse are discussed.

• A/Prof Nick Lintzeris, Drug and Alcohol Services, SESIAHS & Dept Addiction Medicine, University of Sydney

Identifying and responding to the patient at-risk of pharmaceutical drug misuse

A major dilemma for clinicians and policy makers is the tension between controlling access to a range of medications in order to minimise potential harms, whilst ensuring that the medications are readily available for therapeutic purposes. This talk proposes a consistent framework to be adopted for all psychoactive drugs across medicine regarding the use of such medications, and examines the implications for general medical practice.

ENDS

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