Antenatal depression is a depressive episode that begins in pregnancy and is often a predictor of postnatal depression. The main aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of antenatal depression and other psychiatric conditions in women referred to a consultation liaison psychiatry service because of positive scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The other aim was to review known risk factors in the women and note any significant findings. An audit of all women referred to the psychiatry team because of positive Edinburgh scores during a 2-year period was completed. Information about Edinburgh scores, clinical diagnoses at the time of the psychiatric appointment, and factors such as relationship status, domestic violence, ethnicity, and substance use was noted. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fourth Edition criteria: 36.5% of the women had an adjustment disorder, 13% had a major depression, 10% had dysthymia, 8% had a recurrent depressive disorder, 2% had post-traumatic stress disorder, and 2% had a borderline personality disorder. The findings demonstrated the usefulness of using a screening tool such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in detecting women requiring psychiatric intervention and highlighted the importance of a psychiatric interview assessment to interpret the scores of screened patients in terms of clinically relevant syndromes.

ObjectivesTo provide an outline for the delivery of an educational course or lecture about functional neurological disorders (FND) that is directed towards health professionals with varying clinical knowledge and to highlight the educational efficacy that can be derived from a well-designed educational platform.MethodThrough multidisciplinary collaboration, a course designed to develop the skills for diagnosis and management of FND was created. Elements essential to the delivery of education are: (A) knowledge creation; (B) facilitating multidisciplinary cross-pollination; (C) listening to patients’ experiences; (D) communication skills practice; (E) case studies; (F) discipline specific mentoring; (G) establishing and addressing participant learning goals and (H) developing collegial and referral networks. Changes in participants’ knowledge and clinical practice were assessed via anonymous questionnaires before and after the course.ResultsDramatically improved knowledge and confidence in assessment and management of people with FND has been found both immediately following the course as well as on 6-month follow-up.ConclusionIt is possible to make real change in the understanding and management of medical and allied health clinicians working with people with FND with a low-cost intervention. Also, the development of educational networks and multidisciplinary collaboration can lead to the creation of therapeutic platforms for the diagnosis, management and advocacy of this patient group.

This paper presents a sub-set of findings from the first interview (T1) of an Australian longitudinal study that documents the living donor's experience with renal transplant. There has been limited Australian research on this topic to date. A qualitative methodological approach was used, involving open-ended interviews with prospective living kidney donors (n ¼ 20) from the Renal Transplantation Unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The interviews were analysed using qualitative research methods of coding and thematic analysis. A significant majority of participants reported that the decision to become a living kidney donor was a positive, easy and spontaneous decision. It was driven by their natural instincts and they offered to be a donor at the earlier opportunity, rather than waiting to be asked. The offer was based on their desire to relieve the recipient's suffering and possible death associated with dialysis and kidney failure. While concerns associated with the medical operation for donation (nephrectomy) were a consideration, this was significantly overshadowed by their desire to improve the recipient's quality of life and avoid their possible death. In the face of such suffering and death, the donation of a kidney was considered 'no big deal'. Such findings can be used to inform the assessment process for live donor screening.

Based on the strength of the evidence available, our review identified four risk factors: mood disorders; social supports; substance misuse; and alcohol dependence. These factors could potentially provide a framework to guide the evaluation and prediction of psychological and physical complications post-liver transplantation.

Our understanding about underlying mechanisms leading to Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) has changed in recent years. While in the past these disorders were presumed to be solely due to psychological issues we know now that their development is dependent on complex interactions between biological, psychological and social factors. We present an analysis of clinical presentations and psychological profiles of patients who were seen in our FND outpatient clinic over 3 years. We aim to review the prevalence of common symptoms in the patients seen within our clinic, and to identify any common psychological or psychiatric profiles that differentiated these symptom groups. This may help to elucidate underlying mechanisms leading to the development of functional symptoms and identify the predisposing, triggering and perpetuation factors.