August 1999
Bulletin Issue 1
(for internal circulation to members only)

Election of Office Bearers of 1999/2000

Dear Members,

The 19^th Annual General Meeting was held earlier this year on 9^th April at the College of Medicine. Dr Ng Li Ling, the incumbent President, was re-elected for a second term of office. The rest of the management committee remained largely unchanged. Dr Calvin Fones was elected as co-vice-president, Dr Lee Ee Lian as the new secretary, Drs Chan Keen Loon and Munidasa Winslow as new committee members. The new honourary auditors were Drs Paul Ngui and Tsoi Wing Foo. The new committee thanks the previous departing committee members and auditors for their contribution for the previous year’s work and looks forward to your continuing support for the oncoming activities in the year ahead.

The 1999 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting -

Overcoming Information Overload and Jet Lag

The 152^nd APA Annual Meeting was held in Washington, DC from 15-20 May 99. Singapore psychiatrists in attendence were, from Woodbridge Hospital: Drs Arthur Lee & Francis Ngui; from NUH: A/Prof Lionel Lim, Drs Brian Yeo, Anthony Ang & Clarice Hong; from TTSH: Dr Low Bee Lee; and from the private sector: Drs Linda Semlitz & Peh Lai Huat. Psychologist Vivienne Ng, who is doing her HMDP at Maryland, about a half hour north of DC, was also in attendance for some of the sessions.

Over 14,000 delegates from the Americas and the rest of the world were registered for the meeting which covered numerous topics divided into case conferences, courses, forums, lectures, media sessions, medical updates, reviews, scientific reports and symposia. Spread over six days from 7 am till 10 pm, it was a feat of precision for the organisers to coordinate the logistics involved, ranging from registration, function rooms, meals, shuttle buses, and accommodation. Because of the vast variety of ongoing events, delegates had to be selective in their choices. Strict planning with a personal timetable was essential in order not to be overwhelmed by the immensity of it all. Even being on time for sessions often meant standing-room only, especially for the more popular major topics.

The Singapore delegates met ad hoc to compare notes and debate on the best talks, as well as sights in the city. Famed for its monuments, memorials and museums, Washington DC is a highly cosmopolitan city with internationals from all over the world congregating here to perform their business of politics. Highlights which some of the delegates collectively managed to squeeze in included the White House, the Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam/Korea War Memorials, the Holocaust Museum, the FBI Headquarters, the Capitol and parts of the Smithsonian Institute. The huge shopping mall at Penatgon City, next to the Pentagon, was a recommended visit for shoppers.

An ongoing topic was about the effects of jet lag. Flying almost non-stop for more than 24 hours on a plane over 12 time zones is probably about the quickest recipe for maximum jet lag. Various methods were tried, using melatonin, lormetazepam, zolpidem, zopiclone or nothing at all. It was concluded that a combination of youth and melatonin was the best antidote.

Overall, it was a memorable conference, especially with regard to the professionalism involved in the organisation of such a massive event.