Medical Women’s Federation Spring Meeting Friday 14th
May 2010
The Spring Meeting of MWF was held in Nottingham
and took as its theme “Women and Mental Health”. The first keynote
speaker was Helen Baxter, Consultant Psychiatrist Cygnet Ealing Eating Disorders
Service, who spoke about the challenges of caring for patients with anorexia
nervosa. She recommended that the most severely ill patients be cared for
in specialist units.
Professor Sue Bailey, Registrar of the Royal College of Psychiatrists spoke
about the care of young women offenders and the effects of incarceration on
their mental health and the well-being of their families. Many of these women
were victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, and were very vulnerable
again after they were released from prison. Child protection issues were also
an important factor, and Professor Bailey spoke of the devastating impact
on a woman of the removal of her child by Social Services.
Dr Loreto Jackson, Director Student-Athlete Performance, Clemson University,
South Carolina spoke about the Psychological Cost of Terrorism, based on her
own experiences in Northern Ireland. She highlighted that the victims of terrorism
are not only those directly involved in an incident but that others may be
severely affected by the fear of future terrorist events.
The Dame Hilda Rose Lecture was given by Dr Margaret Oates OBE, Consultant
Perinatal Psychiatrist, who spoke about “Psychiatric Causes of Maternal
Death”. As Psychiatric Assessor for CEMACH she has enormous experience
of the factors leading to maternal suicide. She highlighted how rapidly psychiatric
disease can progress in the post natal period and the adverse effects on maternal
mental health if social services and issues of child protection are involved.
The theme of the meeting had been suggested by the local connections with
Lord Byron who had been described as “Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know”
so abstract presentations on Frankenstein’s Monster and 19th century
attitudes to women with psychiatric illness were most welcome.
The workshops proved popular particularly a session on CV and Portfolio writing
aimed at medical students and junior doctors.
A full
report will appear in our bulletin Medical Woman.
