The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is a comprehensive guide used by mental health professionals to diagnose and classify mental disorders, including depression. This manual provides an in-depth understanding of the symptoms, criteria, and diagnostic process for depression, enabling healthcare providers to accurately identify and assess individuals experiencing depressive symptoms. It offers valuable insights into the various subtypes of depression, associated features, and differential diagnoses. Additionally, the...

Psychedelics are known as illicit substances used as recreational drugs. Nevertheless, there have been new studies examining their efficacy for management of major depressive disorder, treatment resistant depression (TRD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse/addiction. Currently, the main psychedelics that have been investigated include 3,4 Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), Psilocybin, Ketamine, Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)....

As of 1 March 2023, new changes have been implemented in the Medicare Benefits Schedule for complex neurodevelopmental disorders (which includes autism) and eligible disabilities. The age of eligibility to receive medicare rebates has been raised from under 13 to under 25. The number of assessment services has also stepped up from 4 to 8....

From birth to young adulthood, society places a premium on nurturing development to promote health, wellbeing and productivity. While this has produced gains in terms of physical health outcomes (e.g. lower child mortality rates), the mental health and wellbeing of young people, now the number 1 health threat to their lives and futures, has been largely neglected....

The past few years has been an interesting journey for humanity. The restrictions and rapid adaptation to new rules, regulations, and routines gave us a taste of life which most of us had never experienced before. One of the challenges or opportunities that this situation created, was working from home....

Before 2013, Asperger’s syndrome and autism were considered separate neurodevelopmental conditions. Today, they form part of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the latest diagnostic manual, known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5)....

One in five Australian citizens experiences a mental or behavioral condition every year. According to findings from a recent national survey of mental health from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 20% of Australians in the younger age groups (between the age of 16-34) experienced varying high levels of mental distress, almost doubling that of elderly people aged 65-85. The findings also demonstrated that over most age groups, more women experience high...

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder where an individual finds it challenging to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or may wake up too early and not have the ability to go back to sleep. Our understanding of insomnia is that worry and stress disrupts sleep, creating acute episodes of insomnia particularly difficulty in initiating, and returning to sleep after waking. The individual may develop increased concern around sleep itself...

Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts. You may suffer from sleep apnoea if you snore loudly and feel tired when you wake up after a full night’s sleep. Constantly waking up tired starts to add the strain on our mood, and changes our ability to tolerate daily stresses. Sleep apnoea is linked with trouble concentrating, memory problems, poor decision making, depression and stress....

Determining the percentage of people with depression in Australia is a difficult task. Experiencing a certain level of sadness is considered normal, although some casually call this depression. Even professionals may have different thresholds for discriminating between normal sadness and depression. Most diagnostic guidelines have set criteria for clarification. However, given there is no biomarker or other hard evidence for making a diagnosis, it can depend on the view of...

Sleep is an accepted part of life - we do not put much thought into why we should be sleeping, however, while we sleep both our brains and bodies are recovering while processing and filtering information....

ADHD, a cognitive disorder that is present at birth, cannot be effectively assessed until the young person gets to school age. What could be seen as ADHD symptoms in a young person can change or improve with age because the brain develops at a fast pace in the first few years of life. As such, most guidelines do not recommend assessment of ADHD before the age of 5. Symptoms of...

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