Andreas Russ, GP

How did the video presented by Professor McIntyre reflect what you see in daily practice?

In daily practice I’ve seen patients like this. However, in the UK patients don’t have this privileged access to the psychiatrist straight away. They will probably see their general practitioner at first, and they are presenting with symptoms as shown in the video, which are relevant to daily practice.

What issues discussed during the symposium are most relevant to your clinical practice?

Interestingly, in general practice we see patients who have bipolar disorder, who possibly have already experienced a major breakdown in their mental health, having a huge impact of their functioning, working daily lives and relationships, and they have been marginalized due to their illness. We are then confronted with a huge level of anxiety because the patient has already experienced the breakdown of their social functioning in the past. They are desperate to find a solution which actually keeps them functioning in their daily life, without having to see a specialist in this field to maintain their “dignity”.