PANIC DISORDER: PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOP

October 5th ADAVIC will present a professional development workshop "Panic Disorder: Diagnosis and treatment" hosted by Dr Scott Blair-West, Consultant Psychiatrist, Friday October 5th.


The workshop will aim to provide an understanding of the nature of panic attacks; a developed ability to take an appropriate history of the condition and complications; how to use specific strategies, including ability to demonstrate each to patients and develop the capacity to assess progress and make changes in treatment resistant patients. 

Also, the workshop will address diagnosis, assessment, preparation for treatment and specific treatment strategies in the management of panic, as well as addressing specific case material and encouraging attendees to discuss their own patients' symptoms and issues. Discussion of the overlap between panic and GAD, health anxiety, OCD and social anxiety and issues related to treatment resistance will also be included. 


Panic attacks are a common symptom of Panic Disorder, but also complicate a range of anxiety disorders, depression and even psychotic conditions. 

Current models of panic emphasize the catastrophic misinterpretation of physical sensations as the crucial aspect leading to the development of recurrent panic attacks and associated agoraphobia. 
 
The workshop is mainly targeted to psychologists and allied health staff in clinical practice, psychiatrists, trainee psychiatrists, general practitioners and others with an interest in panic and related disorders and the cognitive-behavioural treatment of these conditions. Some knowledge of panic and CBT would be helpful but not essential. 


Workshop Outline:
 

8:30am	Registration
9:00am – 10:45am	Introduction Assessment including behavioural analysis Treatment options Psycho-education
10:45am –11:00am	Morning tea
11:00am – 12:45pm	Anxiety management strategies Cognitive therapy approaches
12:45pm – 1:15pm	Lunch
1:15pm – 2:45pm	Interoceptive exposure Graded exposure
2:45pm – 3:00pm	Afternoon Tea
3:00pm – 5:30pm	Medication treatment Treatment resistance Relapse prevention
5.30pm	End of workshop

About Dr Scott Blair-West

Dr Blair-West trained at the Austin Hospital completing his specialist qualifications in Psychiatry in 1993. He subsequently worked as lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry in the consultation liaison department for 5 years, whilst starting a private practice specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for anxiety disorders especially OCD. He has been in full time private practice since 1998 and has been the Medical Director of the Anxiety and Depression Program (ADP) at The Melbourne Clinic since 2002. Scott now specialises in comprehensive management of anxiety disorders, developing new and intensive inpatient programs for OCD, novel treatment approaches for OCD, and CBT supervision for psychiatrists and trainees. He regularly teaches CBT to trainees and talks to community and self-help groups on anxiety related issues. 

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