October 2000
Bulletin Issue 8
(for internal circulation to members only)
World Psychiatric
Association Consensus Statement on the use and usefulness
of Second Generation Antipsychotic Medications
The consensus statement (second
draft) by WPA on the above issue is available at the SPA
website. WPA will fund a local meeting in Singapore to
discuss the above issue. The meeting will be held on 21.10.00
at the Four Seasons Hotel. Buffet lunch will commence
at 12.30 pm while the meeting proper will be from 2-5
pm with a short tea break in between. Invitation letters
have been sent to all ordinary members and some relevant
doctors. Please RSVP by 14.10.00 for catering purpose.
RSVP :
3892050 (answering machine)
E-mail : Francis_NGUI@MOH.GOV.SG
Psychiatry @ New
Frontier
8th CONGRESS of the ASEAN Federation for Psychiatry &
Mental Health
12th ASEAN Forum
on Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
The congress will be held in Singapore in 2001.
16.3.01 - WH/TTSH
17-18.3.01 - The Grand Hyatt
Fees :
register before 15 Dec 00 -$350
register on/after 15 Dec 00- $400
Fees includes: All conference sessions unless otherwise
indicated, tea breaks, lunch, opening ceremony, welcome
reception and dinner on 16.3.00, conference kit
Keynote Speaker : Peter McGuffin
Other distinguished speakers include
• Edmund Chiu
• Constance Dennehy
• Patrick McGorry
• Alexander McFarlane
• Norman Sartorius
• Derrick Silove
• N Shinfuku
• Peter Weiden
• Elspeth Guthrie
For registration, contact
Ms Boo Hui Ling at 226 3069 or email : huiling@inmeet.com
Public Seminar
SPA will be organising a public seminar on sleep problem
entitled : Sleep- too little, too late or too much?
Date :
5 11.00, Sun
Time :
2-5 pm
Venue :
Marriott Hotel
Speakers :
A/Prof Rathi M
Dr J Abisheganaden
Dr Chua Hoon Choon
Ms Clare Yeo
Cost :
$5 - 10
Sponsored by Sanofi-Synthelabo
LOOKING BACK
- SPA organised a talk on treating
the impaired doctor by Prof Geoff Riley on 15.8.00.
Prof Riley shared about the Australian experience
while the participants raised various issues pertaining
to the current local scene.
- Two public seminars in English and
Mandarin were organised by SPA on 1.10.00 on "Mental
Health Awareness". The seminars were well attended
and the 11 speakers were well received by the participative
audience. SPA would like to thank all the speakers
for their time and contribution and also thank Eli
Lily, Janssen and Servier for their sponsorship.
Malaysia Psychiatric
Association
Dr Rajinder Singh, Secretary of MPA has requested for
the directory of SPA members so as to enhance the relationship
and communication among the members of the two associations.
Please let me know if you have any objection.
You can email to me at Joshua_KUA@MOH.GOV.SG
Email Directory
We hope to compile a directory
of the email addresses of the members for more rapid and
effective dissemination of information. Please send me
your email address ASAP.
SPA Website
The SPA website at http://www.psychiatry-singapore.org
has now been linked to the SMA website at http://www.sma.org.sg
Dear members, please update
your particulars with us at Joshua_KUA@MOH.GOV.SG
Book Review
Title : A History of Psychiatry - from the Era of the
Asylum to the age of Prozac
Author : Edward Shorter
Publisher : Wiley
An easy reading book, peppered with interesting pictures,
the author paints vividly portraits of psychiatry's leading
historical figures. He also identifies the scientific
and cultural factors that shaped the development of psychiatry.
The psychotherapists may squawk by his partisan account
of not doing enough justice to the contribution of psychotherapy
movement. Notwithstanding this deficit, I concurs with
the review by the Journal of the American Medical Association
: "a splendid book…engaging and exceedingly
well written, it both presents and compellingly documents
a revision of history." And may I add, history is
too serious (and important) to be left to the historian.
Joshua Kua
PS : You are most welcome to share your reading pleasure
with us.
"Health and life
are not what we die out of , but what we die into. "
- JI Packer
