Alison Yung

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Patrick McGorry’s ‘Ultra High Risk of Psychosis’ training DVD fails the common sense test

September 5, 2012 in News by martin | 23 comments


Part One – Is Nick Sick?   (11 minutes)
Part Two – Is Nick Sick?   (9 minutes)

Response to the ‘Is Nick Sick?’ video blog

by Professor Jon Jureidini

“Patrick McGorry’s Orygen Youth Health, CAARMS training video[1] on how to diagnose ‘Attenuated Psychosis’ demonstrates how not to carry out a psychiatric interview and interact with young people.”

As identified by Martin Whitely in his commentary about the CAARMS training DVD, describing Nick as being at ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR) fails the common-sense test. Even more concerning is that Nick is labelled as having Attenuated Psychosis – in ordinary language, he is already mildly mad.

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Is Patrick McGorry’s and the Independent Mental Health Reform Group’s $3.5b blueprint for Australian mental health the way forward, or a prescription for more ‘psychiatric disorders’, ‘off label’ prescribing and youth suicide?

May 4, 2011 in News by | 14 comments

Former Australian of the Year, Professor Patrick McGorry, and to a lesser extent his close colleague Professor Ian Hickie, have dominated the long overdue debate about the future of mental health service delivery in Australia. Their claims of massive unmet need and proven 21st century solutions are being accepted almost without question by the Gillard Government, the Abbott Opposition, the independents, the media and the public.

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It’s time to ask former Australian of the Year, Professor Patrick McGorry, a few difficult questions about his Blueprint for Australian Mental Health

April 28, 2011 in News by | 1 comment

Preview to next week’s Blog (Wednesday 4 May 2011)

Next week’s blog details how 2010 Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry and his close colleagues have dominated the long overdue debate about the future of mental health services in Australia. It outlines how their claims of massive unmet need and proven 21st century solutions have been accepted almost without question by the Gillard Government, the Abbott Opposition, the independents, the media and therefore the public.

In March Professor McGorry and fellow members of the Independent Mental Health Reform Group released their blueprint for the future of Australian mental health. The blueprint, Including, Connecting, Contributing: A Blueprint to Transform Mental Health and Social Participation in Australia, outlines $3.5b expenditure over 5 years on ‘transformational’ programs that are identified as mental health ‘best buys’.[1] However, serious questions remain unasked, including:

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Right of Reply – Patrick McGorry on Early Intervention for Psychosis

December 11, 2010 in News by | 1 comment

In the interests of balance I have posted below a blog prepared by Professor Patrick McGorry.

Professor McGorry prepared his blog entry in response to criticism by me (Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry’s call for early intervention to prevent Psychosis: A Stitch in Time or a Step too Far?) and others of his past advocacy of antipsychotics as a measure to prevent psychosis and his support for the inclusion of a Psychosis Risk Syndrome in the next edition of the handbook of psychiatry, DSMV.

Following Professor McGorry’s blog is my response which details his past advocacy of the pre-psychosis use of antipsychotics, welcomes his recent change of heart but challenges him to join with his long term research partner, Dr Alison Yung, and oppose the inclusion of a Psychosis Risk Disorder in DSMV.

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Patrick McGorry stops advocating ‘pre-psychosis drugging’ and should now abandon his support for the inclusion of ‘Psychosis Risk Syndrome’ in DSMV

November 28, 2010 in News by | 1 comment

For over a decade Patrick McGorry has expirimented with or advocated the prescription of antipsychotics to adolescents on the hunch that they may later become psychotic. However, in response to last week’s blog a spokesperson for Professor McGorry told the West Australian he does “not recommend this (pre-psychosis drugging) as a standard treatment for clinical care because there are other treatments that are safer, like cognitive behavioural therapy and fish oil….there has been a substantial amount of research and we do change according to the research.” [1] (The full article can be read here: Mental health guru stumbles into public policy minefield.)

To the best of my knowledge this is the first time Professor McGorry has publicly declared that he has abandoned his support for the use of antipsychotics to prevent psychosis. His change of position is welcome. However, history tells it will not be enough to prevent a tide of pre-emptive drugging if Psychosis Risk Syndrome is included in DSMV, the next edition of the American Psychiatric Associations handbook of psychiatry.[2]

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Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry’s call for early intervention to prevent Psychosis: A Stitch in Time or a Step too Far?

November 21, 2010 in News by | 3 comments

No sensible person would argue against Australian of the Year, psychiatrist Patrick McGorry’s call for early intervention to prevent psychosis; unless of course you know the detail of what Professor McGorry has advocated as early intervention. Put bluntly, Professor McGorry has advocated the use of antipsychotics, with a host of serious potential adverse side effects, on the hunch that adolescents may later become psychotic.

Specifically Professor McGorry is a leading international advocate for the inclusion of Psychosis Risk Syndrome, otherwise known as Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms Syndrome, in the next edition of the clinically dominant Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) due for publication in 2013. He acknowledges that ‘the false positive rate may exceed 50-60%’ nonetheless has justified the use of pre-psychosis drugs by arguing ‘all those identified are by definition seeking help and need some form of care’.[1]

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