113142 - EMDR therapy: a comprehensive introduction for medical practitioners.

To provide medical practitioners with a comprehensive introduction to Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR therapy) as an integrative approach to psychotherapy.

Over 30 randomised controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of EMDR therapy in treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidence is accumulating for its efficacy across a wide spectrum of psychopathology (Shapiro, 2012).

Relevance to General Practice

GPs are at the forefront of mental health services worldwide, yet often have little training in this area and rely heavily on the prescription of psychotropic medication.

A majority of Australian GPs (63%) identify mental health problems as the most common type of problem presenting to them (RACGP, 2017). Data from 22 comparable countries show that a majority of people choose GPs (55-92%) ahead of psychologists (7-38%), or psychiatrists (5-24%) to deal with their mental health problems (OECD, 2010).

Australian data show that 12.4% of all GP consultations are explicitly mental health related and another 20% may have a significant mental health component. GPs prescribe or recommend psychotropic medication at 62% of mental health related consultations (BEACH, 2016).

Prescription of anti-depressants in Australia have risen 10-fold since 1990 and anti-psychotics 2.5 fold. 87.6% of these prescriptions are written by GPs. 1:8 people now take these drugs daily (Roughead, 2017).

Learning outcomes

1. Evaluate the importance of a developmental approach to the assessment and treatment of mental illness and the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

2. Identify and manage patients who are at greater risk of depression and suicide, as suggested by their ACE score and other developmental assessments.

3. Assess the risks and benefits of psychotropic medication, alongside a selection of Focussed Psychological Strategies, for specific patient presentations.

4. Describe our emergent understanding of the unconscious physiological processes associated with normal learning and with particular stress responses.

5. Integrate a range of approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness using the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model of EMDR therapy.

113142 - EMDR therapy: a comprehensive introduction for medical practitioners.

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