Mental Health

 

The following is a selection of academic readings for mental health professionals in New Zealand. 

 

New Clinician's Guide to diagnosing FASD

An American book by Mansfield Mela published in early 2021 will be essential reading for those in the mental health sector: 

“The book provides clinically relevant information for mental health experts, but it goes beyond that to provide sufficient content to improve clinician’s level of comfort with information to which they have hitherto been exposed.  Clinicians in this context include professionals in the medical, mental [health], educational, vocational, legal and correctional, child welfare, and others in the health and social services sectors who encounter individuals with a hidden disability… It covers information missing from curricula about the long-term effects of … [FASD] …and includes clinical information on the mental disorders relevant to FASD.”

Click here for more info and ordering. 

 

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Neurocognitive Function and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Offenders with Mental Disorders

Mansfield Mela, Katherine Flannigan, Tara Anderson, Monty Nelson, 
Sudheej Krishnan, Chibuike Chizea, Sarah Takahashi, Rohan Sanjanwala

Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 
Feb 2020, JAAPL.003886-20; DOI: 10.29158/JAAPL.003886-20

 

Individuals with a history of offending behaviour show high rates of mental disorder as well as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Neurocognitive impairments are common in both mental disorders and FASD and may interface with offending behaviour. Understanding these impairments could effectively inform clinical considerations among this population.

The purpose of this study was to characterise the life experiences and examine the neurocognitive profile of a group of adult forensic psychiatric outpatients. We also investigated potential differences between offenders with FASD and the rest of the sample... The rates of mental disorders within offending populations are high, and current evidence shows that they are increasing..."

Click here for a link to this paper.

 

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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Review for Mental Health Professionals

by Jerrod Brown, Adam L. Piccolino, Anthony Wartnik, Anne Russell & Tina Andrews, Minnesota Psychological Association, website: https://www.mnpsych.org/, 5 October 2021

 

"Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) affects the lives of millions of individuals ... and is associated with a vast array of physiological, psychiatric, and neurological consequences that can significantly impair behavioural, emotional, developmental, and social functioning. Our experience tells us that individuals with suspected or confirmed FASD are likely to come in contact with mental health inpatient and outpatient providers on a regular basis. As such, mental health professionals are strongly recommended to participate in continuing education on FASD.

A more comprehensive understanding of FASD among mental health professionals should lead to improvements in identification, intervention, and treatment strategies, as well as an informed perspective when making recommendations on child welfare, custody assessments, competency to stand trial evaluations, and diagnostic and treatment planning. The overall goal of this article is to provide a review of FASD for mental health professionals... The following information is offered to assist in the assessment and development of individualised rehabilitation/treatment plans for individuals with FASD ..."

Click here for a link to this article.  

 

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