Exploring Anxiety: an Educational, Psychological and Psychiatric Perspective
Richmond Foundation
Commemorating World Mental Health Day 2015
Exploring Anxiety: An Educational, Psychological and Psychiatric Perspective
Speakers :
Prof. Joseph Zohar, Dr. Adrian Galea,
Dott.ssa Veronica Ellul Federici and Dr. Charlie Azzopardi
22nd October 2015
8.30 - 16.00
Dolmen Resort Hotel
Qawra, St. Paul’s Bay
Conference Programme
Time
08.00 - 08.30Registration
08.30 - 08.40Welcome to the Conference
Mr. Anthony E. Guillaumier
Chairman, Richmond Foundation
08.40 - 09.00Opening Speeches
Hon. Evarist Bartolo (TBC)
Minister for Education & Employment
And
Hon. Chris Fearne(TBC)
Parliamentary Secretary for Health
09.00 - 09.45The New Face of Anxiety – Moving From DSM IV to DSM 5
Prof. Joseph Zohar
09.45 - 09.55Questions from the Floor
09.55 - 10.40Anxiety and the Acute Psychiatric Services: Experienceof aCrisis Team Model of Care
Dr. Adrian Galea
10.40 - 10.50Questions from the Floor
10.50 - 11.35“When You Leave Me, I Feel So Scared”
Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children and the Impact on School
Dott.ssa Veronica Ellul Federici
11.35 - 11.45Questions from the Floor
11.45- 12.30Re-Conceptualising Separation Anxiety
Dr. Charlie Azzopardi
12.30 - 12.40Questions from the Floor
12.40 - 13.00Introduction to Actograph.Dep
The information already stored in your smartphone could be useful for you. Actograph.Dep is an innovative app that aims to use that information towards early detection of depression.
Prof. Joseph Zohar
13.00 - 14.30Lunch & Networking
14.30 - 15.30Workshops
15.30 - 16.00Reporting from Workshops and Closure
Workshops
Workshop 1Anxiety and The Family
Workshop 2Anxiety and Adults
Workshop 3 Anxiety and Children
Speakers’ Biographical Notes
Prof. Joseph Zohar
Dr. Zohar is a professor of Psychiatry at the Sacker Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. Dr. Zohar is the immediate past-President of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), Currently the Chair of the Expert Platform, Chair of the Israeli consortium on PTSD, and Chair of the Israeli Brain Council. Dr. Zohar is a board member for the International Master in Affective Neuroscience, a visiting Professor at the University of Maastricht (The Nederland's), and an immediate past-Chair of the International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS).
Dr. Zohar has been honored with several awards, including the Fogarty International Research Fellowship Award (1984), the A.E. Bennet Award for Clinical Research (1986 and 2002), ECNP Neuroscience Award for Clinical Research (1998), and the WFSBP Award for Excellence in Education (2001).
Dr. Zohar has authored more than 300 papers, has written or edited 16 books focusing on refractory depression, OCD, post-traumatic stress disorder and Psychotropics, and was the founding associate editor of CNS Spectrums and of the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry.
Dr. Zohar is considered a world expert on OCD and posttraumatic stress disorder, and has recently received funding from the American National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to explore secondary prevention of PTSD.
Dr. Zohar was advisor to DSM – IV and 5 in OCD and co-chair of Sub-Workgroup preparing the research agenda on OCD for DSM-5.
Currently Dr. Zohar Chairs an international collaboration (joint venture of ECNP, ACNP, CINP and AsCINP) on developing new nomenclature for CNS drugs, Chairs the Expert Platform on Mental Health focus on Depression along with being a Director at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Israel.
Dr. Adrian Galea
Dr Adrian Galea is a Consultant Psychiatrist employed by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust working in a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team in East Sussex, UK. He is a Senior Honorary Clinical Lecturer at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Clinical Tutor within the Trust for medical students and postgraduate doctors in training in psychiatry across various schemes. He graduated from the University of Malta (1995), commenced his specialty training at Mount Carmel Hospital (1998), graduated in MSc Neuroscience with Distinction from Kings College London (2000), became a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatry (2004) and completed his training within the Maudsley scheme in 2007.
Dott.ssa Veronica Ellul Federici
Dott.ssa Veronica Ellul Federici is a registered Clinical Psychologist. She obtained her B.Psy(Hons) degree in Psychology at the University of Malta and completed her Masters degree in Clinical and Community Psychology at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’. Veronica’s studies were followed by her clinical practice at the Casa di Cura San Valentino in Rome and she then sat for her state exam to attain her warrant in Italy. She also received specialised training in Juridical Psychology and Play and Filial Therapy in Rome. Veronica worked for 6 years at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, specifically with children who presented with attachment difficulties, behavioural, emotional and mental health difficulties. Presently, Veronica works in private practice and co-directs Maia Psychology Centre. She is the resident psychologist at K.I.Ds Pogramme run by Richmond Foundation. Veronica works primarily with children and their parents or caregivers but also with adults, offering psychological assessments and psychological interventions. Veronica has been Treasurer of the Maltese Psychological Association for 4 years.
Dr. Charlie Azzopardi
Dr Charlie Azzopardi is a Systemic Family Therapist. He has worked in the addictions field since the mid 1980’s when he was involved in the setup of various addictions services including San Blas, Programme Spark, and the Sedqa Family Services. Dr Azzopardi underwent extensive training in the addictions, in Psychodrama, and in Transactional Analysis in Rome. He obtained his Master’s degree in Family Therapy from the Institute of Psychiatry in London, and his Doctorate in Systemic Psychotherapy from the University of East London in conjunction with the Tavistock Clinic. Dr Azzopardi has had training in various other psychotherapeutic techniques including Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Strategic Therapy of which he is a practitioner.
For the last 30 years Dr. Azzopardi was involved clinically within various local agencies including Sedqa, Cana Movement, Richmond Foundation, Appogg, Eden Foundation, Caritas and other private organisations. He also taught at the University of Malta for several years and taught in the UK’s National Health Services and was Senior Tutor with the Association for Psychological Therapies in the UK. Dr Azzopardi worked in the UK within eating disorders services. He is the founding chair of and senior trainer at the Institute of Family Therapy Malta and works privately meeting families, couples and individuals with various presenting difficulties.
Dr Azzopardi has presented papers in various conferences and also published articles on family life in local newspapers and magazines, and books about separation for adults teens and children. His main interest remains the wide spectrum of family problems including marital problems, addictions, adolescent problems, and parenting. Of special interest is the development of new therapeutic techniques that make working with families and individuals easier and more accessible.
Synopsis of Presentation
Dr. Joseph Zohar
The New Face of Anxiety – Moving From DSM IV to DSM 5
The focus of the psychiatric classification in the past 30 years has been refinements of symptom-based classification. The initial expectations for DSM 5 were to incorporate biomarkers and developmental findings to the classification: i.e. to integrate validators derived from neuroscience advances such as neuroimaging, cognition, genetic risk-factors and familiarity to clinical decision making.
However, as the available data fell short from bridging between neuroscience and clinical application, the DSM 5 still relies heavily in many disorders on symptoms rather than bio signatures. The expectation that data from genetic, brain circuitry and neuroscience studies will yield a bio signature which will add validity to the diagnostic work was not realized in many disorders.
On the other hand, using some of these tools, including brain circuits and clinical neuroscience, DSM 5 revolutionized the field of Anxiety Disorders. The major change is the split of what was classified in DSM-IV under ‘Anxiety Disorders’ into three disorders in DSM 5: the classical anxiety disorders such as Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobia etc. remained classified under ‘Anxiety Disorders’; OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) was removed from this title and placed under ‘Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders’, a classification which now includes in addition to OCD also Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Hair-Pulling Disorder (Trichotillomania), Skin-Picking Disorder and Hoarding; PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) was also removed from ‘Anxiety Disorders’ and was placed under ‘Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders’ classification, which includes also Reactive Attachment Disorder, Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorders.
The implication of these changes regarding the diagnosis and treatment will be presented and discussed in the session.
Dr. Adrian Galea
Anxiety and the Acute Psychiatric Services: Experienceof aCrisis Team Model of Care
Anxiety is a significant primary and comorbid mental health problem in adults with consequences to the individual as well as society in general. Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (CRHT) are acute psychiatric teams in the community focused on gatekeeping inpatient beds and treating patients in their own home. Anxiety is a major presenting feature of many patients referred to CRHT, frequently as a consequence of social problems and very commonly with predisposing childhood factors contributing to their presentation. Patients and carers prefer to be home treated rather than be admitted to a psychiatric inpatient ward, reducing institutionalisation, dependency and stigma and enabling recovery, independent living and continuing employment. Case studies will be presented illustrating our experience of managing such presentations within a CRHT environment.
Dott.sa Veronica Ellul Federici
“When you Leave me, I feel so scared”
Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children and the Impact on School
Throughout this presentation Dott.ssa Ellul Federici will make developmental considerations about what “normal” anxiety in children is and what is pathological. The presentation will focus mainly on Separation Anxiety and when this develops into Separation Anxiety Disorder, since it is the most prevalent anxiety disorder in children younger than 12 years. Even though Separation Anxiety Disorder may emerge during adolescence and adulthood the typical age of onset is during childhood. If left untreated or mismanaged, difficulties in adulthood will develop. Moreover, it may lead to school refusal which will therefore effect a child’s academic achievement. This presentation will outline how separation anxiety disorder may effect a child’s learning, social and peer relations and future emotional health. Interventions that can be used to help children cope with separation anxiety disorder will also be discussed, so as to help children increase their potential at school and also improve their emotional health. Case examples will be presented.
Dr. Charlie Azzopardi
Re-Conceptualising Separation Anxiety
Marital separation is bringing on a new type of anxiety manifested by children and young people alike.
Because marital separation is now common, children often hear about it in many contexts including family, school, extracurricular, and Church. Children are often exposed to separation through their peers' experiences. Such exposure is over-sensitizing children about the possible separation of their parents. This over-sensitisation is experienced through the subtleties of everyday life and expressed in different ways, especially through anxiety; moods, school performance, relationships, extracurricular performance and at times even developing into ADHD, and tics. It also effects children’s physical health and wellbeing and can lead to depression.