Newsreader feared she would be fired
11.03.10
Tim Webster, who anchored Channel Ten's Perth news bulletin alongside her, told the Coroner's Court in Glebe yesterday she was a ''superb newsreader'' and ''the camera really loved her''.
But Webster said she hated to make mistakes and wanted every bulletin to be perfect - something that was difficult to achieve in live television. If she thought she had delivered ''a bad read'', her mood dropped and it could be hard to snap her out of it, he said.
''When she was up, she was the funniest person in the world, with the most beautiful smile in the world,'' the broadcaster said. ''When Charmaine got down on herself, she would be very down.''
A ''very faraway look'' would come over her face, he said, and it was difficult to engage with her.
That distant look was captured on camera by a friend, Selina Day, whom Dragun visited on October 28, five days before her death. Ms Day told the court her friend was acting out of character. She seemed distracted, staring into space for long periods, and was apparently unaware that her photograph had been taken.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
What Is the New Psychiatry?
11.03.10
I am a practicing psychiatrist and I am proud and committed to my profession. But I think it's time that my colleagues and I smarten up and realize that the field of psychiatry is changing, and that we need to change with it. We have entered an era of the New Psychiatry.
The New Psychiatry means using all tools at our disposal, including medications, therapy , self-help books, yoga, politics, music, and whatever else works. The New Psychiatry is not boxed in by artificial constructs like "professional turf." It is not beholden to any commercial enterprise, such as the pharmaceutical or device industries. It is not hypnotized by the DSM-4 (our diagnostic manual), but sees it for what it is-an elaborate list and a useful field guide, but not a bible.
Maybe you've been lucky enough to see a "New Psychiatrist." These doctors understand how to match psychiatric medications to your symptoms, but also understand their limitations. They are not influenced by pharmaceutical sales reps, and they want to do more than prescribe the hottest new drug on the market. These doctors know the most effective techniques of psychotherapy, and use them when they need to. In short, they customize treatment to match each patient's individual needs.
Source: Psychology Today (blog)
What do I do about treatment-resistant depression?
10.03.10
There exists reluctance on the part of both clinicians and patients to push antidepressant treatment to full remission. Additionally, treatment times longer than those used previously are required to achieve remission. A modest improvement at 6 weeks may require a dose increase or a longer time period (up to 12 weeks) at the same dose for a full response.
BOTTOM LINE
Patients who are resistant to monotherapy for depression should be evaluated carefully for medication compliance, substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and social stressors. The combination of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy is more effective than either treatment alone for patients with severe recurrent depression. Patients who fail to remit after the institution of one SSRI may achieve remission when a second SSRI is substituted. Patients who fail to remit after two trials of SSRIs should be switched to a different class of medication, and dual-action medications may be more effective in patients
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants