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Articles

Read the latest articles relevant to your clinical practice, including exclusive insights from Healthed surveys and polls.

By reading selected clinical articles, you earn CPD in the Educational Activities (EA) category whenever you click the “Claim CPD” button and follow the prompts. 

The importance of ‘family’ for people with mental illness
Emily Hielscher
  • Clinical Articles

The importance of ‘family’ for people with mental illness

People living with mental illness often require support from carers, such as family and friends, on a long-term and somewhat unpredictable basis. But these support networks are not always in place. Geographical or emotional distance from family members, conflict with friends, and the tendency for people with mental illness to withdraw from others means these individuals are often isolated. In two Australian surveys – a national snapshot survey of Australian adults with psychosis and another looking at adults with long-term mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis – only one-quarter reported receiving regular assistance from family or friends. About three out of every four people living with mental illness reported the absence of a carer or other informal support.

By Emily Hielscher, James Graham Scott, Sandra Diminic
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Kate Lycett
  • Clinical Articles

These 3 factors predict a child’s chance of obesity in adolescence

Three simple factors can predict whether a child is likely to be overweight or obese by the time they reach adolescence: the child’s body mass index (BMI), the mother’s BMI and the mother’s education level, according to our new research. The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, found these three factors predicted whether children of all sizes either developed weight problems or resolved them by age 14-15, with around 70% accuracy. One in four Australian adolescents is overweight or obese. This means they’re likely to be obese in adulthood, placing them at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Combining these three factors may help clinicians target care to those most at risk of becoming obese in adolescence.

By Kate Lycett, Anneke Grobler, Prof Markus Juonala, Melissa Wake
Not so happy meals Fast food lowers testosterone
Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Not so happy meals: Fast food lowers testosterone

Eating a high-fat ‘fast food’ meal can reduce testosterone levels by 25% within an hour of ingestion in overweight and obese men, Australian research shows. And the effect can last for up to four hours, say the South Australian study authors in a recent issue of Andrologia. The new finding goes some way to explain, at least in part, the well-known link between male obesity and androgen deficiency and impaired fertility. If an obese man regularly consumes high fat meals and snacks throughout the day he will be constantly reducing his testosterone level to 75% of normal, and given that he is likely to be low in testosterone already (given his obesity) he can ill afford this further reduction if he wants to father a child.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
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Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Amiodarone in the aged

This week’s valuable resource award is a little different to the usual. Rather than a handy algorithm or useful assessment tool, this is, in fact an article from a recent Australian Prescriber. It’s about all the potential complications and side effects that can potentially occur with amiodarone, that reasonably popular drug that tends to get started in patients with AF and ventricular arrhythmias. In fact, the list of potential side-effects is quite extensive and not all that intuitive, particularly in elderly patients, which is why having this article bookmarked somewhere to be able to access at a moment’s notice is such a good idea.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
How music therapy can help anxious children
Elizabeth Coombes
  • Clinical Articles

How music therapy can help anxious children

According to the NHS, as many as one in eight children aged five to 19 faces a mental health challenge. And a significant number of these cases are related to some form of anxiety. Of course, a degree of anxiety or worry may be a normal state of affairs for young people – particularly when moving schools, or around exam time. But for some, anxiety can affect every aspect of their daily lives. One effective method of providing support for this anxiety is music therapy, where music becomes the main tool the therapist uses to connect and work with the patient. This kind of therapy has been shown to be effective when treating children and young people living with anxiety based disorders.

By Elizabeth Coombes
Better eating improves depression in young people
Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Better eating improves depression in young people

Improving a young person’s diet might be the key to helping them overcome their depressive symptoms, according to new Australian research. In a randomised controlled trial of just over 100 people with elevated levels of depression symptoms and a regular diet that was assessed as poor, researchers found that those allocated to the ‘diet change’ group, on average improved to the point of having no clinically significant symptoms after just three weeks. This was in stark contrast to the ‘habitual diet control group’ who unsurprisingly, showed no improvement in symptoms over the duration of the study.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
Holding on to Hope podcast
Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Holding on to Hope podcast

A patient’s potential to suicide haunts most GPs at some stage in their working life. Many patients will endure incredibly stressful periods in their lives, and while you can offer all the support in the world there will always be the question of whether they need more. In such situations, help offered by a person who can say “I understand – I’ve been there” can be invaluable. That’s where this resource comes into its own.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
Nursing homes need to provide multicultural care
Helen Rawson
  • Clinical Articles

Nursing homes need to provide multicultural care

This week, the aged care royal commission looks at diversity in aged care, an issue becoming increasingly relevant to both residents and the staff who care for them. Diversity includes gender, sexual orientation, religion and social background. The issue is important because if we aim to offer older people and families choice and control in aged care, we must meet the diverse needs of all older people. Australia’s rich diversity is reflected in its older population. In 2016, more than one-third (37%) of Australians aged 65 and over were born overseas and one-fifth (20%) were born in a non-English speaking country. These figures have increased continually since 1981, when one-quarter (25%) of older people were born overseas.

By Helen Rawson
Help for LGBTI patients
Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Help for LGBTI patients

Here is a useful resource for those GPs who have patients who are struggling with issues related to their sexuality and need more specifically tailored support. Even though there is much more awareness and openness about different sexual orientations, it is likely GPs will appreciate the support of this free counselling and referral service developed for people who are LGBTI.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
1 in 3 young adults is lonely – and it affects their mental health
Dr Michelle H Lim
  • Clinical Articles

1 in 3 young adults is lonely – and it affects their mental health

More than one in three young adults aged 18 to 25 reported problematic levels of loneliness, according to a new report from Swinburne University and VicHealth. We surveyed 1,520 Victorians aged 12 to 25, and examined their experience of loneliness. We also asked about their symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Overall, one in four young people (aged 12 to 25) reported feeling lonely for three or more days within the last week. Among 18 to 25 year olds, one in three (35%) reported feeling lonely three or more times a week. We also found that higher levels of loneliness increases a young adult’s risk of developing depression by 12% and social anxiety by 10%. Adolescents aged 12 to 17 reported better outcomes, with one in seven (13%) feeling lonely three or more times a week. Participants in this age group were also less likely to report symptoms of depression and social anxiety than the 18 to 25 year olds.

By Dr Michelle H Lim
Improving male fertility – a missed opportunity
Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Improving male fertility – a missed opportunity

Lack of knowledge and lack of opportunity are two key reasons why Australian GPs aren’t counselling men about how to improve their fertility. According to a survey of over 300 practising GPs, the vast majority (90%) did not feel confident in their knowledge about modifiable risk factors that affect male fertility. And when the researchers got specific, it appeared there was greater awareness of the potential of STIs and smoking to cause fertility problems than a number of other factors such as obesity, undernutrition and poor diet, paternal age and diabetes.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
Managing young people with ADHD – from personal experience
Samantha Kitchen
  • Clinical Articles

Managing young people with ADHD – from personal experience

The usual medical focus in articles about ADHD is on how to support the family that is coping with a child with ADHD. Another common focus is about the misdiagnosis of ADHD, and how medication is overprescribed. This article is different. I want to emphasise, from personal experience, the importance of empowering the child or young adult who has ADHD. I also appreciate the chance to explain to others how it feels to have ADHD so they understand the difficulties people like me have.

By Samantha Kitchen

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