Primary Care: Mental Health Issues with a Focus on Drugs and Behavior

Course review:

The conference will examine complex factors related to the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. One of the main themes will relate to why some people lose their ability to socially and physiologically regulate their drug intake. Drug effects are seldom black and white; they are the result of complex interactions between individual, substance and contextual factors. The material will focus on the concepts prevailing in the addiction and mental health field as well as assessment and intervention tools useful for intervention. This presentation can be broken down into three complimentary sections. The first covers drugs in society and in our lives, such as definition and effects, including the latest research on Dual Diagnosis (mental health and addiction) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

The second section will present assessment tools for primary care clinicians that are easy and rapid to administer, reliable and valid. The third section will focus on individual and family intervention methods, using role-play techniques. The presenter will use an interactional (hands-on) approach, along with video presentations and group activities. A brief outline of the topics to be covered is provided below.

PRELIMINARY TOPICS
- DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR TODAY: PERSONAL & SOCIAL ASPECTS
- HOW DRUGS WORK: IN THE BODY AND IN THE MIND
- DUAL DIAGNOSIS ( SUBSTANCE ABUSE + MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES )
- FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS
- ADDICTION and MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN PRIMARY CARE
-TREATMENT & MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING: THE STAGES OF CHANGE MODEL
- FAMILY INTERVENTION - ROLE PLAY

Conference Sessions generally take place during the days at sea (as cruise itinerary allows) to avoid conflicts with Ports of Call or evening entertainment.