“Always leave them wanting more.” On this episode of Quick Takes, Dr. David Gratzer enjoys a conversation with retiring psychiatrist, Dr. David Goldbloom. They discuss research, stigma, Dr. Goldbloom’s optimism for the future of psychiatry, and, yes, his retirement plans (spoiler alert: he’s thinking about writing a book and no mention of golf). As he heads into retirement Dr. Goldbloom shares his thoughts  on: • Therapeutics: He is frustrated with the slow progress on their development. •The state of psychiatry today: He is excited by the shift among younger psychiatrists towards the car ..read more

“We can create an environment that’s safe, predictable, consistent, standardized and reproducible.” To discuss how simulation is changing the world of med-ed, Dr. David Gratzer hosted Dr. Petal Abdool, Medical Director of the CAMH Simulation Centre, and Stephanie Sliekers, Manager of Simulation and Digital Innovation at CAMH. You’ll hear all about: • the new Simulation Centre at CAMH • VR courses already developed for suicide assessment • another VR project in the works for opioid overdose treatment • and the aspirations of the Centre to implement AI in future training. Follow us on Twitter ..read more

“It’s highly prevalent, highly available, highly pure and highly destructive.” In this episode of Quick Takes, Dr. David Gratzer speaks with Dr. David Castle, Director of the CAMH Centre for Complex Interventions, about the upwards trend in crystal methamphetamine use, its impact on health care visits and the risk of violence, the medication and psychological interventions available, and, yes, the Australian experience (no mention of digeridoos, however). You’ll learn a lot in this 28-minute episode, including: • why there's been that sharp rise in use here in Canada • its impact on emergency ..read more

“It’s an extraordinary program that literally helps hundreds of thousands of people a year.” During this discussion you will learn: • the incredible recovery rate of IAPT patients • the trackable outcomes are nearly 100% • how the program has become more equitable • and just they do with all the data the program collects. Follow us on Twitter ..read more

“We need to think about more than just the classic medical model borrowed from infectious disease: simple bug, simple drug.” Today’s conversation on Quick Takes between Dr. David Gratzer and former National Institute of Mental Health Director, Dr. Thomas Insel, delves into what’s right and what’s wrong with the current state of mental health care.   Some highlights of this conversation include: • acknowledgement that existing treatments work, but the system is not delivering care well. • treatment tends to focus on drug therapies for symptom reduction rather than on plans for long-term re ..read more

“I think most physicians should be aware that there is some evidence.” Cannabis continues to be a topic of interest to clinicians and in this episode of Quick Takes Dr. David Gratzer sits down with Dr. Kevin Hill of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School to discuss where we are at with using cannabinoids in treatment. In this discussion we learn: • there is a link between patients with AUD and OUD and long-term cannabis use • some “droplets” of data that cannabis is effective as an adjunct pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia do exist • the science isn’t keeping up with p ..read more

“There's this unanimous sense that how could something like this not exist? It seems so logical and beneficial.” This episode of Quick Takes kicks off a new series on mental health care innovations. These are short and focused episodes we hope you will enjoy. In this episode Dr. Gratzer speaks with Dr. Ainslie Heasman, about her about her program aimed at preventing  sexual abuse, Talking for Change. In this discussion we learn: • How important this program is to intervene with the individuals who may engage in abuse, as opposed to offering services to children to prevent their own abuse ..read more

“I would get home at the end of my long shifts on the wards, and I would have nothing left. Nothing left for myself, nothing left for my spouse, nothing left for my children.” After another year of pandemic, the topic of physician burnout is more relevant than ever. On this episode of Quick Takes Dr. Gratzer speaks with award-winning medical educator and bestselling author Dr. Jillian Horton(of the University of Manitoba) about identifying signs of burnout and strategies to deal with it. The conversation is very personal – Dr. Horton, a practicing internist, talks about her own experiences. In ..read more

Can the wearable on your patient’s wrist help prevent their next manic episode? On this episode of Quick Takes Dr. Gratzer hosts Dr. John Torous, digital psychiatry expert and the first guest to appear on 3 podcast episodes. They always have plenty to talk about as the field of digital mental health care continues to expand. This time, the primary focus is on wearables and data collection. They discuss how data captured on devices (especially related to sleep and exercise) can potentially improve care – and overall health; the types of “passive data” that can be collected; and the pros (behavi ..read more

Patients wait for care; quality is often uneven. Can we do better? In this episode, Dr. David Gratzer speaks with Dr. David Goldbloom, Senior Medical Advisor at CAMH and a professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Goldbloom (a returning guest) has just written We Can Do Better: Urgent Innovations to Improve Mental Health Access and Care. They speak about the book – and Dr. Goldbloom’s optimism. Dr. Goldbloom discusses real-world examples of innovation: a publicly-funded psychotherapy program in the UK that treats 600,000 people a year; a Nova Scotia program that helps families of children wi ..read more