Quantitative Medicine Forum: Why It's Not All In Your Head - Screening For Panic Disorder In Emergency Medicine Patients

Speaker:
Dr. Sharon Sung
Assistant Professor, Office of Clinical Sciences,  Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore 
Senior Clinical Psychologist, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health 

Host:
Dr.  Benjamin Haaland 
Assistant Professor, Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Office of Clinical Sciences
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore

Date:
Thursday, May 17, 2012

Time:
12.30pm to 1.30pm 
(Lunch will be served at 12.00pm)

Venue:
Amphitheatre, Level 2
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
8 College Road, Singapore 169857
(opposite Singapore General Hospital, Block 6/7)

Contact Person:
Ms Megan Pooh,  Office of Clinical Sciences 
Tel: 6601 1719 or Email: megan.pooh@duke-nus.edu.sg

Synopsis:
Panic disorder (PD) is a common and disabling mental health condition that affects approximately 2% of adolescents and adults in Singapore. The symptoms of PD mimic those of common medical problems such as heart attack, leading many patients to seek care in the emergency department (ED). Meta-analysis suggests that approximately 20-35% of North American ED patients with chest pain meet criteria for PD, but only 2% of these cases are diagnosed due to limited time. Unrecognized PD has a chronic course and is associated with high rates of repeat ED visits and unnecessary hospital admissions. Early detection is essential to improve clinical management and reduce medical costs, but the optimal method for identifying PD patients in Asian ED settings is unknown. This presentation will introduce a collaborative project aimed at developing a screening protocol for PD in the SGH Department of Emergency Medicine. Preliminary data, future directions, and clinical implications will be discussed. 

Biography:

Sharon Sung is an Assistant Professor in the Office of Clinical Sciences at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and a Senior Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health. She earned her MS and PhD degrees from the San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Sung received specialty training in cognitive behavioral therapy at Columbia University Medical Center and the American Institute of Cognitive Therapy in New York City. Prior to moving to Singapore, she held faculty positions at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. 

Dr. Sung’s research is focused on improving the identification and treatment of mood, anxiety, and traumatic stress disorders. She has published over 20 peer reviewed articles, editorials, and book chapters, as well as a practitioner guide entitled 10-Minute CBT: Integrating Cognitive Behavioral Strategies Into Your Practice. Her research has earned awards from the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Asian Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Conference, and the Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress.