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These podcasts are similar to those on the RCPsych website, but have been recorded specifically for CPD Online. Access to the recordings is free, but you need to be a CPD Online subscriber in order to take the test at the end and gain CPD certification. Please note that the views of the interviewees are not necessarily those of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
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For generations, scientists have struggled to make sense of the fundamental question: ‘what is life?’ Even a humble bacterium accomplishes things so dazzling that no human engineer can match it, and huge advances in molecular biology over the past few decades have served only to deepen the mystery. So, can life be explained by known physics and chemistry, or do we need something fundamentally new? In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud discusses these thought-provoking questions with renowned physicist Professor Paul Davies – author of the 2019 book ‘The Demon in the Machine’. More...
11/5/2020 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 60 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Academic
In this podcast, Professor Renata Salecl discusses her new book, 'A Passion for Ignorance: What We Choose Not to Know and Why', with Dr Raj Persaud, examining the human tendency to ignore what is inconvenient or traumatic. They also consider the relationship between ignorance and psychotherapy, and question whether ignorance is in fact the central problem at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. More...
10/23/2020 | Download
What does it really mean to be an intellectual? Does it have anything to do with academia, or can anyone become an intellectual through inquisition and deep thinking? In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Dr Zena Hitz about her 2020 book ‘Lost in Thought’, in which she argues that ‘learning for its own sake’ is a key ingredient of human happiness, vital for the circumstances we currently live in. More...
9/30/2020 | Download
As learning amidst the pandemic turns increasingly to online formats, many may be considering exactly what it is that makes education successful. In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud speaks to Professor Scott Newstok about his 2020 book, How to Think like Shakespeare – an enlightening guide to the craft of thought which demonstrates what’s been lost in education today and how we might begin to recover it. Drawing from the works of Shakespeare and other writers past and present, Professor Newstok examines the educational philosophies that shaped these great minds, and how we could benefit from applying these to our own modern-day learning. More...
9/23/2020 | Download
Our understanding of and reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic has been largely driven by the modelling developed by infectious disease experts. While this is largely referred to as ‘science’, both mathematical and sociological considerations are crucial to this modelling process. Here, Dr Raj Persaud speaks to Professor Chris Bauch, whose work is centred on applying mathematics to real-world problems in infectious diseases, about how this modelling system works and how effective our response has been. More...
7/16/2020 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Academic,Clinical
With the current COVID-19 pandemic appearing to inflict suffering indiscriminately, age-old questions have come to the fore, like “why do we suffer?, why do people die young?, is there any point to our physical and emotional pain?”. In his 2018 book, ‘Seven Ways of Looking at Pointless Suffering’, Professor Scott Samuelson examines the various philosophies of suffering and attempts to tackle these hardest questions of all. Here he talks to Dr Raj Persaud about the conclusions he has drawn from these theories, and how this may help us to cope with suffering at this challenging time. More...
6/5/2020 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Professor Stephen Reicher about Milgram’s famous ‘obedience study’ (Milgram, 1963) and the various conclusions that can be drawn from the findings. What does this, together with more recent research into obedience, imply about our willingness to conform to authority, and what does it tell us about our likelihood to comply with instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic? More...
5/20/2020 | Download
During this period of social distancing it is more important than ever for mental health clinicians to engage with their patients. Many are feeling anxious, stressed and lonely, while those with existing mental ill-health may be even more vulnerable. So now that we cannot, in most cases, hold face-to-face consultations, how can we continue to treat patients remotely? Here, Dr Isobel Heyman talks to Dr Raj Persaud about the current evidence base for remote working, and provides some practical advice on the ways in which clinicians can stay ‘remote, but not distant’. More...
5/7/2020 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Clinical
Isolation and loneliness are part of the mental health fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine – but what are the most effective responses to this? Is there a 'social cure'? In this podcast, Professor Catherine Haslam discusses her research into the many health benefits of social integration, as detailed in her latest book 'The New Psychology of Health', and outlines how clinicians can support their patients in this important area. More...
5/1/2020 | Download
In this podcast, CPD Online Deputy Editor Dr Howard Ryland talks to Dr Peter Hughes about his experience of working in West Africa during the Ebola outbreak. They discuss what comparisons can be drawn between Ebola and COVID-19 and examine the lessons we can learn from the psychosocial response seen in West Africa – from the perspective of patients, healthcare workers and wider society. More...
4/28/2020 | Download
Surviving the trauma of COVID-19: what does the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its treatment tell us about how to cope with the current pandemic? In this podcast, Professor Jonathan Bisson talks to Dr Raj Persaud about PTSD and the notion of ‘trauma’ in the context of COVID-19, including the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and evidence-based effective pharmacological and psychological approaches for its treatment and management. More...
4/16/2020 | Download
In daily practice psychiatrists prescribe drugs that can encourage weight gain, but physical activity is often not widely promoted. A widening robust evidence base is proving the benefits of exercise in mental health, so how can we increase mental health professionals’ active involvement in this area? Dr Amit Mistry and Dr Lynne Drummond talk to CPD Online Trainee Editor Dr Jennifer Powell about physical activity guidelines, research, risks and guidance in promoting physical activity in severe mental illness. More...
3/17/2020 | Download
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 states that specified authorities, including healthcare bodies, must ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.’ In this podcast Dr Jonathan Hurlow identifies how psychiatrists and other mental health professionals can carry out this duty, and how they can work within the Government’s wider framework in cases where potential risks are identified. More...
12/10/2019 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Professional
Psychological science has made extraordinary discoveries about the human mind, but can we trust everything its practitioners are telling us? In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that a lot of research in psychology is based on weak evidence, questionable practices and sometimes even fraud. Here Dr Raj Persaud talks to Professor Chris Chambers about his recently published book ‘The Seven Deadly Sins of Psychology: A Manifesto for Reforming the Culture of Scientific Practice’, in which he diagnoses the ills besetting the discipline today and proposes sensible, practical solutions for change. More...
10/23/2019 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Academic
Dr Raj Persaud talks to Professor Eileen Joyce prior to her talk entitled ‘All you need to know about Tourette syndrome’ at the 2019 RCPsych Congress. In this interview Professor Joyce defines the various forms of tics and Tourette syndrome, discusses the work being carried out in specialist clinics, and outlines some of the most effective treatments being used for both children and adults who present with these disorders. More...
7/26/2019 | Download
Prior to the Second World War mental illness was largely untreatable, but all that changed when an Australian doctor and recently returned prisoner of war, John Cade, made the monumental discovery that lithium could serve as an effective treatment for manic depression, now bipolar disorder. In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud interviews Professor Greg de Moore about the life and work of John Cade, discussing his remarkable – but often overlooked – contribution to the history of mental health treatment. More...
7/1/2019 | Download
Aphorisms – or philosophical short sayings – appear everywhere, from Confucius to Twitter, the Buddha to the Bible, Heraclitus to Nietzsche. Yet despite this ubiquity, the aphorism is the least studied literary form. In this podcast Professor Andrew Hui talks to Raj Persaud about his work on aphorisms, and explores how their use could be applied in a meaningful and helpful way when working with patients. More...
6/21/2019 | Download
Our everyday lives are shaped by geological processes that vastly predate us, and our habits will in turn have consequences that will outlast us by generations. So could a greater awareness of this ‘timefulness’ give us the perspective we need for a more sustainable future? In this compelling podcast, Raj Persaud talks to Professor Marcia Bjornerud about the concept of timefulness, arguing that opening our minds to geology could benefit us all psychologically. More...
6/4/2019 | Download
In 1969, psychiatrist Anthony Storr published an essay that established very firmly in the public imagination that Sir Winston Churchill suffered from recurrent attacks of severe depression, which he termed the ‘black dog’. But how much evidence is there to support this diagnosis? In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud interviews Dr Anthony Daniels about his recent paper which calls into question this supposed diagnosis, and considers the extent to which Churchill’s low moods could be accounted for by circumstance and simple human nature. More...
4/17/2019 | Download
In his essay “On Anger” (De Ira), the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca argues that anger is the most destructive passion, and offers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing this dangerous emotion. In this podcast, Raj Persaud talks to the editor and translator of Seneca’s work, James Romm, about the relevance of this philosophy, which has arguably never been more relevant than it is today. More...
4/2/2019 | Download
Is there a connection in Western society between rates of immigration and rates of crime? How much of our understanding in this area is based on fact, and how much are we influenced by the media? In this podcast, Raj Persaud talks to Professor Charis Kubrin about her wide-ranging research on immigration, crime, gated communities and rap music, and discusses her fascinating findings in these areas. More...
2/12/2019 | Download
In a society where so many organisations measure performance and success numerically, have we become fixated on metrics and blind to the facts? In this podcast, Professor Jerry Muller talks to Dr Raj Persaud about how our zeal to instil the evaluation process with scientific rigor could potentially threaten our quality of life and our most important institutions. More...
1/30/2019 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 45 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Academic
In the early 1800s, physicians in asylums began to keep records of their patients, and pointed to heredity as the most important cause of ‘madness’. This led to doctors and state officials attempting to curb the reproduction of the insane amid high levels of anxiety in society. In this podcast, Theodore Porter talks to Raj Persaud about his book ‘Genetics in the Madhouse’, discussing the history of data collection and its important links with eugenics and studies of genetics. More...
9/25/2018 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Charles Fernyhough about his 2016 book looking into the history and science behind hearing voices. He argues that we should avoid the pejorative term ‘hallucinations’ by using the more neutral term ‘voice hearing’, and puts forward the idea that inner speech is a highly varied phenomenon that can also serve a beneficial purpose. More...
8/22/2018 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Ethiopia-based Dr Charlotte Hanlon about how low-income countries cope with delivering mental health services. She discusses how primary healthcare workers are trained to deliver treatment, and considers the links between mental illness and poverty. More...
6/8/2018 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Peter McKenna provides an in-depth and critical review of delusions and the various approaches taken to understanding them, discussing Karl Jasper’s concept of ‘un-understandability’, overvalued ideas, and the considerable diagnostic nuances involved. More...
5/22/2018 | Download
Maurice Pappworth’s 1967 book ‘Human Guinea Pigs’ famously uncovered shockingly unethical practices within the medical establishment, including experimentation on humans. In this podcast, Pappworth’s son-in-law, Sir Anthony Seldon, discusses the life and work of Pappworth and reveals how his late wife Joanna was inspired to write a biography of her father, reassessing the importance of Pappworth’s contribution to today’s medical ethics. More...
5/3/2018 | Download
In this podcast, Professor Sean Young talks to Dr Raj Persaud about his bestselling book Stick With It, in which he analyses the science behind not just achieving our goals, but making lasting behaviour change. He argues that it is the process rather than the person that needs to change, and offers practical advice to help anyone successfully alter their actions and improve their lives. More...
4/20/2018 | Download
In this podcast, existential psychotherapist Antonia Macaro talks to Dr Raj Persaud about Buddhist and Stoic philosophies, focusing on the elements that can have the biggest impact on modern life. Discussing the value we place on worldly possessions and the degree to which we concentrate on emotions, she argues that there is a great deal we can learn from these two philosophies, and much that may be better left behind. More...
4/5/2018 | Download
To what extent are the judgements we make about people formed specifically from their facial appearance? How did this process evolve in human beings, what purpose does it serve, and what dangers could it pose? In this podcast, one of the world’s leading researchers on this subject, Professor Alexander Todorov, talks to Dr Raj Persaud about the science behind first impressions. More...
3/20/2018 | Download
In this podcast, author of the 2017 book ‘Stranger in the Mirror’, Professor Robert Levine, talks to Dr Raj Persaud about a range of case studies and scientific experiments that challenge the ideas we hold about ‘the self’, and questions whether we as human beings are more malleable and capable of change than we realise. More...
3/6/2018 | Download
Disenchantment is commonplace in the workplace, but how can it be tackled? In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Professor Adrian Furnham about his recently released book with Luke Treglown, Disenchantment: Managing Motivation and Demotivation at Work, to explore the theories behind job satisfaction and enchantment, and how organisations and individuals can work to improve engagement and motivation. More...
2/21/2018 | Download
Increasing secularism during the 18th century Enlightenment period led to the emergence of a natural concept of ‘the mind’ as a separate from the previously accepted body-soul duality. Here Dr Raj Persaud talks to award-winning historian and author of the book Soul Machine, Dr George Makari, about some of the key historical cases that contributed to this new idea, and paved the way for the cognitive-style therapies used today. More...
2/6/2018 | Download
Viktor Frankl’s 1946 memoir Man’s Search for Meaning, which documented its author’s philosophical journey in the wake of the Holocaust, remains one of the most influential books of the last century. In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Professor Timothy Pytell about Frankl’s experiences before, during and after World War 2, and the development of the ‘third Viennese school’ of psychotherapy that Frankl developed, logotherapy. More...
1/23/2018 | Download
Why do people choose psychiatry as a career? Why do others avoid it? Professor Anthony David explores these questions using writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks’ life story. In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Professor David following his keynote lecture at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ International Congress 2017 on The strange case of Dr Oliver Sacks. More...
7/21/2017 | Download
Ahead of his presentation at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ International Congress 2017, Professor Allan Young spoke with Dr Raj Persaud to record this podcast on the treatment and management of complex affective disorders, considering the difficulties and common errors made in diagnosis and the differences in treatments for mixed affective states. More...
7/11/2017 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Ardesheer Talati talks to Dr Raj Persaud about his latest research into the association between exposure to smoking during pregnancy and the risk for bipolar disorder. In addition, he discusses the link between brain imaging and depression, following on from his involvement in a three-generational study into the transmission of depression among offspring, as explored in a recent podcast with Professor Myrna Weissman. More...
4/28/2017 | Download
Support for violent extremism, and participation in such activity, is believed to be associated with radicalisation among some individuals, yet little empirical research has been conducted into its relationship with mental illness. In this podcast, Professor Kamaldeep S Bhui talks to Dr Raj Persaud about his latest research on the links between psychological problems and sympathies for violent protest and terrorism (SVPT) in a community-based sample. More...
3/21/2017 | Download
The increased risk of psychological problems in the children of depressed parents has been widely studied, but less is known about their long-term outcomes. In this podcast, Professor Myrna Weissman talks to Raj Persaud about the results of a 30-year follow-up study into the biological offspring of depressed parents. More...
1/26/2017 | Download
What sociological factors can lead people to adopt extremist views or commit terrorist activities? What is the relationship between extremism, religion and depression? In this podcast Professor Jeremy Coid discusses these questions and talks to Raj Persaud about the findings of his study into extremist views among young British men. More...
11/8/2016 | Download
In recent years, concerns about crystalline methamphetamine use have increased in multiple countries. Taking the drug regularly can lead to dependence, anxiety, depression, psychosis and, in some cases, overdose deaths. In this podcast, Raj Persaud talks to Professor Michael Farrell about these associated harms, and the possible preventative strategies that can be adopted. More...
7/28/2016 | Download
Walk into any health food shop and you might think that omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids are a cure for all ills. The hype for these dietary supplements arose from research that appeared to find various benefits, including many trials that reported beneficial effects in depressive disorders. However, other trials have reported essentially no effect. In this podcast Dr Brian Hallahan discusses the key findings of his meta-analysis, which pools together all the data accumulated on the subject in an attempt to cut through to the truth about omega-3s and depression. More...
7/1/2016 | Download
Refugees are subject to a wide range of day-to-day stressors, and many will have been exposed to potentially traumatic events. In this podcast Ruth Wells talks to Raj Persaud about her experiences working with Syrian refugees in Jordan, and discusses how mental health professionals can best address their psychosocial needs. More...
6/16/2016 | Download
A major challenge regarding delusions is understanding them in terms of changes in brain function. Dr Corlett is attempting to meet this challenge by investigating the neural basis of human associative learning and belief formation, and relating these processes to the formation of delusional beliefs. His findings have shaped the development of a novel mechanistic model of delusion formation, which he discusses with Dr Raj Persaud in this podcast. More...
8/17/2015 | Download
The current view of delusions is that they are the result of biology gone awry; in contrast, New York psychiatrist Joel Gold argues that delusions are the result of the interaction between the brain and the social world. In this podcast Raj Persaud talks to Dr Gold about his theory and explores the role of the social world in the development of psychosis. More...
6/5/2015 | Download
Dr Penny Campling is co-author of the bestselling RCPsych publication 'Intelligent Kindness' and author of the Psychiatric Bulletin paper 'Reforming the culture of healthcare: the case for intelligent kindness'. In this podcast Dr Campling talks to Ali Ajaz about the culture of healthcare and her powerful approach to healthcare reform. More...
11/4/2014 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Clinical,Professional
Raj Persaud talks to Professor Allan Horwitz, author of the 2013 book 'Anxiety: A Short History', about our cultural understanding of anxiety and how this has changed through the centuries. More...
10/28/2014 | Download
Medically unexplained symptoms can be extremely distressing and debilitating for patients, but they are often difficult to treat. In this podcast Dr Raj Persaud talks to Dr Richard Brown about his 'integrative cognitive' model of medically unexplained symptoms, and discusses the practical implications regarding treatment. More...
9/29/2014 | Download
In this podcast Raj Persaud is in conversation with Vicky Pryce, author of Prisonomics. More...
1/6/2014 | Download
Dr Chris Cantor - author of 'Evolution and Posttraumatic Stress: Disorders of Vigilance and Defence' in conversation with Raj Persaud. More...
12/19/2013 | Download
In this podcast the College Public Health Lead, Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, discusses public health medicine with Dr Ali Ajaz, providing an overview of the relationship between public health and psychiatry and examining the importance of well-being to public health outcome measures. More...
7/31/2013 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Gwen Adshead discusses the concept of mentalisation and the role of psychological therapies in changing the mind. She argues that mentalisation-based therapies can be applied to even the most complex psychological disorders as they work to alter the underlying neuronal structures in the brain. More...
2/26/2013 | Download
The high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in people with psychosis has often been attributed solely to the side-effects of antipsychotic medication, and less is known about the rates of sexual dysfunction in prodromal and first-episode psychosis. In this podcast, Dr Oliver Howes and Dr Tiago Reis Marques discuss the findings of their recent study into this area, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. More...
11/20/2012 | Download
Professor Georg Kuhn talks to Dr Steven Moylan about his recently published study into cardiovascular fitness and its link with the development of depression. More...
9/7/2012 | Download
Dr Andreas Schröder talks to Dr Steven Moylan about the prevalence of functional somatic syndromes and the issues that currently exist with their diagnosis and treatment. He discusses the results of his recently published study, which indicate that a cognitive-behavioural group treatment is effective in the management of such syndromes. More...
7/4/2012 | Download
Here, Dr Vikram Patel talks to Dr Ovais Badat about his recently published study into lay health worker intervention in common mental health disorders in India. More...
2/14/2012 | Download
In this series of podcasts, two giants of their field, Professor Robin Murray and Professor Tim Crow (left), discuss their experiences of psychosis research since the 1960s, reflecting upon the ideas, evidence and arguments that have taken place over the years, and where they have led. More...
1/19/2012 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 90 minutes | Credits: 1 | CPD Domains: Academic,Clinical
Here, Dr Ovais Badat talks to Professor Val Curran about a recently published study which aimed to investigate how varying levels of cannabidiol and THC have an impact on the acute effects of the drug in naturalistic settings. More...
11/26/2010 | Download
The mental health needs of people require input at different levels: biological, psychological and social. Whilst a lot of attention is being paid to biological and psychological interventions, social interventions at a community level is still in its infancy. Dr Nusrat Husain and his colleagues have conducted a randomised control trial looking at social interventions for British Pakistani women with depression. In this podcast he talks about the study design, the findings and the way forward for social intervention. More...
11/11/2010 | Download
In this podcast we are discussing internet addiction, which has become a growing global phenomenon reported by professional anecdote and by mainstream media. Although internet addiction is not formally recognised by the ICD or DSM as yet, there is much research afoot to attempt to define it, and by so doing, develop specific and evidence-based ways to treat it. We discuss a two-wave prevalence study looking at how big the problem of internet addiction is, what it is comorbid with, and whether it can be seen to exist on its own as a diagnostic entity. More...
7/22/2010 | Download
This podcast is about the concept and practice of supported employment programmes. We all have concerns about helping patients maximise their potential, and of course, meaningful work is one of the prime ways in which this is achieved. In an uncommon trial for the UK, Dr Louise Howard and colleagues conducted a randomised controlled trial of an American system called IPS or Individual Placement Support, to see if this evidence based programme would be as effective over here in the UK. Their paper helps shed a lot of light on the challenges that supported employment programme participants and professionals face. More...
6/9/2010 | Download
Autism has been the subject of intense public and professional attention in recent years. One of the biggest questions is what causes it. Like the discoveries made about schizophrenia in the late 20th century, we are learning that autism too has genetic and environmental determinants. Here Dr Daphne Keen discusses her paper which attempts to answer the question of whether maternal immigration and ethnicity, together or in tandem, are implicated as being risk factors in young children who develop autism. More...
5/30/2010 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Kamran Ahmed talks to Professor Klaus Lieb about the Cochrane review conducted by his team on trials of pharmacological treatments for borderline personality disorder. The findings of the review and their implications are discussed. More...
3/25/2010 | Download
The notion that genius and madness are closely related can be found in the writings of Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. There is some modest, mostly historically collected scientific evidence for this. In this podcast, Dr Ovais Badat speaks to Dr James MacCabe about his latest article in which he explores the link between school performance and bipolar disorder in later life. More...
3/12/2010 | Download
Professor Shôn Lewis discusses the latest on prodromal psychosis. More...
8/27/2009 | Download
In this telephone interview, Dr David Klonsky discusses self-harm; non-suicidal self-injury, outlining what we mean by self-harm, its prevalence and discussing ways of making an assessment and assessing severity. More...
6/9/2009 | Download
In this podcast, Professor Michael King describes the first risk algorithm for major depression that he and colleagues have recently developed, modelled along the lines of risk algorithms for cardiac disease and other illnesses. More...
5/15/2009 | Download
In this telephone interview, Dr Rose McCabe discusses the importance of communication for the therapeutic relationship, the role of communication among non-specific effects and she describes how we can go about improving communication in the therapeutic setting as a means to improving patient outcome. More...
3/27/2009 | Download
In this telephone interview, Dr Matthew Nock discusses the clinical assessment of suicide ideation and behaviour, and raises some of the problems faced by clinicians in this challenging field. He discusses in detail the development of a test known as the implicit association test which may be used in the future to help measure suicide risk without the need to rely on a patient’s self report. Talking about the common mistakes made by clinicians during clinical interview he also flags the importance of understanding a patient’s motivation and the need for clinicians to continue to develop predictive skills in assessing what is otherwise considered relatively unpredictable behaviour. More...
1/12/2009 | Download
In this podcast Martin Bohus gives an overview of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), explaining the condition in terms of its features and symptoms, and describing a number of psychological treatments available including that of his own specialty, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. He also addresses the limited evidence for medical treatments. He discusses theories of aetiology including links with genetics and childhood physical traumatisation. More...
12/10/2008 | Download
In this podcast, Dr Gerald Rosen talks about malingering and the motivations that can lead to simulated psychiatric disorder. He explains how to deal with a suspected case and how to achieve the best outcome whilst maintaining the therapeutic relationship, providing case examples and advice from his own wealth of clinical experience. More...
9/30/2008 | Download
In this podcast Dr Gareth Owen gives an overview of phenomenology in psychiatry, discussing some of the historical background to the development of the discipline, some of the problems and how it relates in comparison with other disciplines such as a biological or psychological approach to a psychiatric disorder. He also touches on how we can bring a phenomenological understanding into our daily practice. More...
6/4/2008 | Download
In this podcast, Professor Jim van Os discusses the importance of gene-environment interactions in the understanding of the aetiology of psychiatric disorders. He talks about the influence of environmental factors as the causes of psychiatric disorders as well as the genetic basis for psychiatric disorder, and discusses significant laboratory research findings as evidence for their interactions. More...
5/15/2008 | Download
Professor Gerald Russell explores the issues surrounding the diagnosis and management of Eating Disorders. Outlining the different kinds of eating disorders that occur he also highlights the limitations of current classifications. He explores how psychiatrists make diagnoses and the factors that may make a diagnosis difficult. He goes on to discuss the important steps to take when planning the treatment and effective management of Eating Disorders. More...
4/1/2008 | Download
Mr Robert Young explores the issue of deliberate self-harm including suicide and attempted suicide. He discusses the epidemiology and risk factors involved and some of the psychiatric theories behind self-harm. He also talks about the kind of evidence base and psychiatric research available and identifies the reseach needs that would benefit the field, particularly with respect to psychiatric treatments, interventions and towards tackling the causes of self-harm. More...
3/25/2008 | Download
Professor Hamid Ghodse discusses the history of legally available amphetamine-type drugs and the staggering rise in their use, showing how mental health professionals need to be aware of the societal trends and professional attitudes that can lead to over-prescription and its damaging effects. More...
3/1/2008 | Download
In this telephone interview, Dr Stephen Elsom talks from Australia on the topical issue of seclusion as an intervention for containing uncontrolled, disturbed behaviour of psychiatric patients. He discusses the research evidence regarding the use of seclusion and current thinking surrounding this practice. He also talks about methods that can be helpful to reduce the rate of seclusion used as an intervention. More...
1/8/2008 | Download
Dr Gerard Leavey explores some of the myths and truths surrounding the relationship between psychiatry and the clergy, looking at ways in which they can work together more effectively. More...
12/17/2007 | Download
Dr Niall Crumlish talks about his experience of cross-cultural research in Malawi, providing valuable advice to anyone considering how to go about planning and conducting such research. He discusses the implications and practicalities of working in an area where psychiatric health is under-studied, some of the limitations, as well as the many rewards. More...
12/12/2007 | Download
Dr Steven Marwaha discusses some of the issues surrounding the topic of employment and schizophrenia, including different kinds of employment services and support available to those with schizophrenia, and also rates and correlates of employment for people with the illness. More...
12/11/2007 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Academic,Professional
Dr Lisa Page discusses the provision of public health services in the UK and the implications of environmental hazards and incidents on psychiatry and psychogenic illness. More...
11/27/2007 | Download
Dr Frank Holloway discusses his new book 'Enabling Recovery: The Principles and Practice of Rehabilitation Psychiatry', which focuses on the patient-centred approach and emphasises the importance of incorporating the medical model of psychiatry with a more socio-psychological model. More...
7/25/2007 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 45 minutes | Credits: 0.5 | CPD Domains: Clinical,Professional
Dr Helen Minnis discusses the issue of attachment in psychiatry and the importance of attunement in the caregiving relationship, taking a look at the current controversies over child care and giving guidance for psychiatrists on how to work with attachment difficulties. More...
Minimum recommended time: 45 minutes | Credits: 0.75 | CPD Domains: Academic
Professor Graham Thornicroft discusses the issue of stigma, looking at the current research and asking what can be done at local and national levels as well as by psychiatrists themselves to combat the stigmatisation of people with mental illness. More...
7/5/2007 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 45 minutes | Credits: 0.75 | CPD Domains: Clinical,Professional
Professor Matthew Hotopf discusses how to minimise bias in case-control studies and looks at solutions to the problems of recruiting, how many subjects to use and why it is important to report recruitment methods. More...
5/18/2007 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 30 minutes | Credits: .5 | CPD Domains: Academic,Clinical
Professor Anthony David talks about the associations between insight and mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia. More...
4/23/2007 | Download
Vanessa Pinfold discusses the importance of sharing service user information with carers, giving pointers on how to do this without breaking patient confidentiality. She emphasises the importance of professional judgement in decisions over what information to share or withhold and suggests strategies for improving current practices. More...
2/26/2007 | Download
In this podcast we have combined two recordings: the second recording follows on immediately from the first. More...
11/22/2006 | Download
Minimum recommended time: 60 minutes | Credits: 1 | CPD Domains: Clinical
This podcast takes a look at the recovery focus system and discusses the role of mental health professionals within the Recovery Model. More...
10/24/2006 | Download
In this podcast Professor Ming T. Tsuang talks to Dr Persaud about family constellation patterns for schizophrenia and how we can tease out the differences between environmental and genetic factors. More...
Terms of use
What's new?
CPD Online podcasts are now available on iTunes for iOS users
Did you know?
The default CPD credit (hours) for completing our podcasts is 0.5.
However, we realise that sometimes you may spend longer completing a podcast and this can be recognised on your certificate.
You are able to change the credit appearing on your certificate when you generate it.