Page 72 - 2017-2018 Department of Psychiatry Annual Report

disorders and suicide, and brain welcomed Dr. Alex Nelson after
imaging studies. Members of the completion of his sleep medicine
program are involved in teaching fellowship.
and supervision of medical and
nursing students, graduate students, The clinic continues to expand
psychology students and interns services with increasing use of
as well as psychiatry residents and telehealth. This allows for effectively
fellows. working with patients in remote
areas and saves them the long trip to
Reproductive Mental Health Halifax.
Services The service continues to provide
The Reproductive Mental teaching to many core and elective
Health Service is a subspecialty learners. In 2017 they introduced a
multidisciplinary mental health team half-day clinic for senior psychiatry
located at the IWK Health Centre, residents to become familiar with
with funding shared by the NSHA sleep disorders presentations and to
Mental Health Program. The service learn cognitive behavioural therapy
provides consultation to physicians for insomnia.
and midwives caring for women
during the pregnancy and postpartum The team also provides education
period. The scope of services and support for patients with chronic
includes preconception medication sleep disorders. There is a monthly
consultation, comprehensive narcolepsy patient support group, a
assessment, treatment initiation, valuable resource for patients with
Consultation-Liaison service to the this rare disorder and their families.
IWK Women's and Newborn Service,
shared care with family physicians The clinic continues to
and other mental health services,
and specialized individual and group
psychotherapies for women living expand the services with
with moderate to severe mental
illness in the peripartum period. increasing use of telehealth.

Sleep Disorders
The Sleep Disorders Program is a
tertiary referral centre, providing care This allows for effectively
to adults with sleep disorders in Nova
Scotia and the Maritime Provinces. working with patients in
The program consists of an outpatient
clinic, as well as a five-bed sleep
by a physician to be seen in the sleep remote areas and saves them
laboratory. Patients must be referred
disorders laboratory.

The clinical team consists of the long trip to Halifax.
physicians with a variety of specialty
background (psychiatry, respirology,
neurology and family medicine)
and registered polysomnographic
technologists. In July the team

72 DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY