Medical and behavioural economics specialist with expertise and experience in identifying and solving complex behavioural problems.
It's time that serious consideration be given to the market for prescribed substances that are addictive and have the capacity for recreational abuse. How has the demand for these substances impacted the psychiatric workforce? How has the prescription of cannabis to a million Australians impacted productivity? Has there been any reduction (or increase) in the incidence of mental health conditions that must be diagnosed in order to access otherwise illicit substances? What are the overall impacts of our prescribing patterns for cannabis, ketamine, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, Ecstasy, psilocybin etc...? We cannot make meaningful progress on addressing the supply of psychiatric services until we address pharma-driven changes to the diagnosis and management of mental health care. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) ought not be focussed on the supply of Vyvanse and instead turn its attention as to why it is in such high demand.
RANZCP President-elect Dr Astha Tomar, was interviewed on 7NEWS Australia last night to discuss the potential dangers of the Vyvanse shortage and its impact on communities. “We also suggested to the government that we could look at alternatives, and the way the prescriptions are made.” The Therapeutic Goods Administration has announced that some supply will return to normal by the end of the current month. However, there are still concerns about whether this will be sufficient to address the issue. #RANZCPmedia
