At St Patrick's Mental Health Services (SPMHS), we've developed a dedicated online portal to provide GPs with up-to-date and relevant mental health information. This aims to help GPs in their practice with patients who present with mental health difficulties.
The GP Portal hosts mental health information films, produced specifically for GPs by our team of mental health experts here at SPMHS. The films are approved for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points by the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP).
We recently updated the sign-up process for the GP Portal to make it easier for GPs to receive access to the full suite of films.
Click here to register for the portal. Once you have created your account, you will receive a confirmation email. Simply click the link in the email and you will then have instant access to the portal.
Supporting GP practice
Sharing mental health information
Find out more about the mental health information films currently available to view online through our GP Portal below.
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Adolescent Mental Health and Service Delivery during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health restrictions have had significant impacts on mental health. One cohort where the mental health implications are particularly evident is in adolescents. Due to the closures of schools, uncertainty around exams and social isolation, many young people are experiencing mental health difficulties for the first time, and pre-existing mental health difficulties have been exacerbated.
In this one-hour recording of a live webinar, Dr Aileen Murtagh, Assistant Medical Director with Special Responsibility for Adolescent Mental Health Services, and Dr Una Dennison, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at SPMHS, explore the impact of the pandemic on adolescent mental health.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Anxiety: Question and Answer Workshop
Dr Michael McDonough, Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of our Anxiety Disorders Programme team, and Dr Ann Rakpraja, Psychiatry Registrar here at SPMHS, explore assessments and referrals for anxiety presentations; the impact of COVID-19 on anxiety presentations; managing complex presentations of anxiety in the GP surgery; and therapy for anxiety disorders.
Established in 2005, our Anxiety Disorders Programme is the only specialised anxiety service in Ireland and caters for a wide range of anxiety disorders. It is delivered by a multidisciplinary team and offers service users a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychiatry and occupational therapy to assist them in the management of their anxiety.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Bipolar Affective Disorder in Primary Care
Sean Lonergan, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist on the Bipolar Affective Disorder programme here in SPMHS, explores how GPs can treat and support their patients living with bipolar affective disorder.
This one-hour module explores:
- how to increase recognition and awareness of how patients may present with symptoms of bipolar affective disorder in primary care
- how to differentiate bipolar affective disorder from unipolar depression
- bipolar affective disorder diagnoses types
- risk factors and stressors for people living with bipolar affective disorder
- supporting patients when they are well, becoming unwell or when a severe mood episode occurs
- when to refer to specialist care.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Compassion-Focused Therapy: An Introduction
Dr Marion Mernagh and Dr Sinéad Ní Chaoláin PHD, Clinical Psychologists here at SPMHS, explore what compassion-focused therapy is and who it is aimed at, as well as discussing its core therapeutic elements.
This film looks at some of the key concepts and principles within compassion-focused therapy, and why compassion is important from a mental health perspective. Dr Mernagh and Dr Ní Chaoláin also discuss the "Three Systems" model of emotion regulation, and how GPs might apply this model to both their own work as practitioners, as well as to the needs of their patients.
GPs are invited to consider how concepts of compassion apply to themselves, and to engage in a compassion-focused therapy practice.
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Compassion Focused Therapy for Eating Disorders (CFT-E)
Dr Clodagh Dowling, Principal Clinical Psychologist here in SPMHS, talks through CFT-E, a compassion-focused therapy for people with eating disorders. GPs can refer patients to the programme.
Dr Dowling gives an understanding of what CFT-E is, how to develop a compassionate understanding of eating disorders and how CFT-E can help patients through the recovery process.
This film is recognised for one CPD point
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Medical emergencies in eating disorders
Eleanor Sutton, Eating Disorder Specialist Dietitian and Dietitian Manager; Michelle Ward, Registered Nurse Prescriber, Specialist Supportive Clinical Management in Eating Disorders Therapist and Team Liaison Nurse; and Dr Ann O’Donoghue, Senior Registrar, here at SPMHS, discuss how GPs can treat and support their patients experiencing eating disorders in line with the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Guidelines on Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders (MEED): Guidance on Recognition and Management (May 2022).
This one hour and 15 minute module focuses on MEED guidelines in clinical practice for:
- assessing, monitoring, and managing risk and comorbid factors
- refeeding syndrome and the role of the dietitian
- the roles of, and supports for, parents, relatives, and carers
- accessing specialist care.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Memory Clinic: Supporting people experiencing memory difficulties
The Memory Clinic at SPMHS offers a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment of service users who present with a range of memory and cognitive difficulties. The purpose is to accurately define, describe and diagnose any underlying clinical conditions, as well as to compile a detailed plan of management to remit the difficulties.
In this one hour film, presenters Dr Karen Looney, Principal Clinical Neuropsychologist and Dr Sarah O’Dwyer, Consultant Psychiatrist, describe the work of the Memory Clinic and discuss a variety of related topics such as cognitive screening tools and normal versus cognitive changes more likely to reflect an underlying clinical condition.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Mental Health Difficulties During and After COVID-19
With COVID-19 restricting our normal ways of living, working and socialising, many people have felt mental health effects due to social isolation, anxiety over the public health crisis, changes to daily routines and more. In this film, Professor Paul Fearon, our Medical Director, explores mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future post-pandemic. He discusses some of the common mental health issues to arise as a result of the pandemic and the supports available.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Pharmacology and medication management
Ciara Ní Dhubhlaing, Chief Pharmacist, and Dr Sarah Casey, Senior Registrar and Clinical Lecturer, here at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, discuss pharmacological options for patients experiencing mental ill health and mental health difficulties. Short talks on specific treatments such as anxiolytics, antidepressants, anti-psychotics and mood stabilisers are interspersed with a Q&A session.
This webinar focuses on evidence-based options, dosing regimens, side effect profiles, monitoring and emergency presentations.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Psychological Formulation and Addiction
Dr Violet Johnstone, Senior Counselling Psychologist, and Dr Aideen O’Neill, Clinical Psychologist here at SPMHS, explore how addiction and substance use disorders fit into a psychological formulation.
As well as discussing our Temple Formulation Group psychology programme, this module also explores how the history of addiction has been understood and treated to date, as well as discussing addiction from a psychological perspective, and emerging psychological theories related to addiction.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Psychosis
Dr Seamus O'Ceallaigh, consultant psychiatrist here at SPMHS, explores the topic of psychosis and how GPs can treat and support their patients living with psychosis.
This one-hour module discusses:
- engagement in psychosis
- early intervention and improved outcomes
- assessing and managing risk and comorbid factors
- improving whole health outcomes in psychosis
- pharmacological strategies for psychosis management
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for psychosis
- accessing specialist care.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Self-harm: Psychoeducation and Intervention
In this one-hour recording of a live webinar, Dr Kevin O’Hanrahan, Senior Clinical Psychologist, and Dr Ruth Groarke, Clinical Psychologist, both working here at SPMHS, deliver a practical self-harm psychoeducation presentation for GPs, as well as exploring self-harm interventions and how to respond to self-harming behaviours in the GP surgery.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Understanding personality in clinical practice
Dr Conal Twomey, Senior Clinical Psychologist, St Patrick's Mental Health Services & Adjunct Associate Professor (UCD), explores the topic of personalities in clinical practice.
This hour-long webinar focuses on understanding the personalities of service users from diagnostic, contextual and dimensional approaches. Diagnostic approaches focus on the presence or absence of symptoms clusters that represent so-called personality disorders. Contextual approaches often focus on attachment, relationship and life event factors that shape personality. Dimensional approaches focus on “personality on a continuum” and the universality of personality traits.
Increasing GPs’ knowledge about each of these approaches to personality—and their associated pros and cons—will help to inform care planning and promote open discussion of clinical issues relating to personality.
The webinar also promotes flexibility in relation to the understanding of personality (beyond diagnosis) and the normalisation of personality.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
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Understanding, recognising and responding to over-control
There is growing interest and research into what might underlie certain mental health disorders that are associated with too much control (over-control). People who are over-controlled keep distant from others, are rigid in their patterns and are emotionally inhibited. They often receive a diagnosis of refractory depression, anorexia nervosa, obsessive compulsive personality disorder or avoidant personality disorder, and tend not to respond well to traditional treatments.
In this one-hour film, Dr Violet Johnstone and Dr Cian McDonough, Senior Clinical Psychologists here at SPMHS, explore how to understand and recognise over-control, what a GRO programme involves, research into radical openness, and referral pathways.
This film is recognised for one CPD point.
