Thursday, Oct. 19
09:00 – 10:30 (1.5 hrs)
Meeting Room: Grand Ballroom (Grand Ballroom Level – North Tower)
Nickie Mathew*, MD, FRCPC, DABPN, DABPM; Leslie Buckley, MD, FRCPC; Alexander Caudarella, MDCM, CCFP, AM ABAM(d)

CanMEDS Roles:

1. Medical Expert
2. Health Advocate
3. Collaborator

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:  1) Appreciate the psychiatric sequelae of high-potency synthetic substance use as well as the vulnerability of patients with psychiatric disorders to high-potency substances; 2) Outline treatment options for concurrent disorders; and 3) Describe common factors that may affect access to mental health services for people who use high-potency synthetic substances.

There has been a rise in highly potent, synthetic substances in Canada and those struggling with psychiatric illness are especially vulnerable. We will discuss the origins of these substances and how their use became common amongst those with psychiatric illness. Many of these substances have psychiatric sequelae that should be understood so that the correct treatments can be applied.

Treatment of psychiatric and substance use disorders can be complex. We hope to offer insights into the treatment of concurrent disorders and the challenges that these substances pose to the Canadian mental health care system.

Finally, in our panel, we will discuss the role of psychiatry in the process of developing policy around decriminalization in the context of these potent substances.

References:

1. n/a
2. n/a