Presenters
Giselle Bahr has long been interested in understanding distress in context. She works as a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Te Whanganui-ā-tara Wellington. Before that, she worked in CAMHS, in NGOs, and at a university training clinical psychologists. She provides therapy, supervision, training and courses. She is part of Excellence in Mind.
Jeltsje Keizer is a social worker who is passionate about understanding and mitigating the environmental causes of mental distress. Her areas of interest include working with people who struggle with intense emotions, self-harm, suicidal behaviours and trauma responses. She provides therapy, supervision, consultations and teaching to clinicians. She is currently the team leader of Ngā Tai Oranga, a small team in CCDHB Mental Health Service.
Details
The unmet needs of people with attention difficulties are increasingly highlighted across all media. Clinicians are seeking guidance about how to respond to such people looking for help and support.
Politician Chloë Swarbrick has promoted the adoption of the recent AADPA Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD. The guideline has been endorsed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the NZ College of General Practitioners and the advocacy group ADHD NZ. It has not yet been formally considered by the New Zealand Psychological Society or the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists.
These clinical organisations, along with individual psychologists who are thinking of using the guideline in their practice, should first be familiar with its limits and weaknesses. In a recent publication, we evaluated the guideline against what should be expected of guidelines used by clinicians in Aotearoa. That is, that they reflect Te Tiriti principles and processes; are neutral and independent; prevent under- and over-diagnosis; and are based on relevant available evidence.
This webinar will focus on the significant problems in the guideline: its weak evidence base, conflicts of interest, and the omission of important ADHD research.
We will look in detail at published research about the significance of relative age effects, the risks of diagnosis, the negative outcomes of stimulant medications, limitations of some assessment methods, and important emerging alternative treatments.
Webinar attendees will leave knowledgeable about a broad body of ADHD research. They will be better informed about the issues behind current debates about how to best respond to people who may have ADHD, and take away practical ideas about what to consider when assessing people for attention difficulties.
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