Wednesday 17 August 2011

Expert Forum Wrap


I would just like to thank everybody involved in ACPMH’s Many Paths, One Purpose Expert Forum which was held on 12 August at the State Library of Victoria. The feedback that I received throughout the day, and afterwards, was extremely positive. While the event provided the opportunity for so many of us to formally farewell Mark Creamer from ACPMH (at least as Director – for he will not disappear altogether), the forum also proved to be an extraordinary opportunity for knowledge transfer, updating skills and networking. How often do so many professionals in the field of posttraumatic mental health get together in the same place and get to swap experiences (and business cards)?

There are too many people to thank here but I do wish to mention the contributions from our expert keynote presenters, Professor Beverley Raphael, Professor Alexander McFarlane, Professor Derrick Silove, Professor Richard Bryant, Professor Jonathan Bisson, and, of course, Professor Mark Creamer. Not only were their presentations illuminating and well structured, but the panel discussion in which they kindly participated at the end of the day was thought-provoking and challenging.

While it was gratifying to see a packed house for the presentations, equally satisfying from my perspective was the atmosphere in which the symposia were delivered and received. Many thanks to all the ACPMH staff who participated in these, but particular thanks to our colleagues-in-collaboration, Associate Professor Brett McDermott and Dr Vanessa Cobham.

So to all those who presented, attended, and organised – many thanks.

David Forbes, Interim Director, Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health

Wednesday 10 August 2011

See you at the Expert Forum


As we wrap-up our final preparations for the Many Paths, One Purpose Expert Forum we’d like to thank all those who have registered: we are now at full capacity!

Our list of attendees features people from a variety of professions and backgrounds, which should produce some interesting discussion on the day.

Although Melbourne’s weather seems determined to keep us indoors of late, what better way to spend Friday than the distinguished setting of Victoria’s State Library, hearing from some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers in the field of posttraumatic mental health.

We look forward to meeting you all on Friday August 12.

David Forbes, Interim Director, Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Introducing Professor Alexander McFarlane


Professor Alexander McFarlane is the Head of the University of Adelaide Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies and senior adviser in Psychiatry to the Australian Defence Force.

Professor McFarlane has a long history of advising the Australian Defence Force and holds the rank of Group Captain in the RAAF specialist reserve. He is interested in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in relation to disaster victims, military personnel and civilian accidents. His research focuses on the epidemiology and longitudinal course of PTSD as well as the neuro-imaging of the cognitive deficits in this disorder.

In his keynote address to the Many Paths, One Purpose Expert Forum hosted by the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health on 12 August 2011, Professor Alexander McFarlane will overview the history of traumatic stress in the defence forces and how research in this area can be applied to other professions. He will trace changes in our understanding and lessons learnt since PTSD was first recognised as part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980. Recently he said:
“In every major conflict we take significant steps forward in our knowledge, but this knowledge can get lost between conflicts. A whole body of academic work has blossomed as a result of having a standard definition of PTSD. The lessons are being learned – and held on to.”

Professor McFarlane also contends that the healthy levels of public scrutiny of measures taken to protect military servants should be applied to other organisations that protect the community such as Police, Fire and Ambulance officers.

His presentation will also tackle the notion of individual accountability in people suffering from PTSD, arguing that a focus on individual levels of vulnerability to conditions associated with the disorder can be a distraction from more important issues:
“The evidence from epidemiology is that accumulated trauma is very bad for our mental health, and that the more trauma people are exposed to, the greater the possibility that they will become symptomatic. Even the healthiest individuals will become unwell when exposed to enough trauma.”

Professor McFarlane will cite military research that highlights the need for a broader interpretation of trauma:
“For military populations, the lexicon of PTSD can be limiting. For example, major depressive disorders were far more common than PTSD in veterans of the first Gulf War. There’s also the profound underlying neurobiology of these different disorders and their links to physical conditions. The story of what happens to people who experience trauma often goes beyond what we understand as PTSD.”

For further information on the ACPMH Expert Forum, Many Paths One Purpose, click here.