Kolabo 2019: Day Three Blog
Our partners in Mwanza
Dr. Matiko Mwita is a psychiatrist and the primary lecturer and clinical supervisor for CUHAS medical clerks when they rotate through psychiatry here in Mwanza. Due to the limited number of psychiatrists in Tanzania (approximately 30 per 50 million people), Dr. Mwita can have over 60 medical clerks shadowing him and learning from his clinical expertise. For comparison, in Canada we typically have 1-2 clerks assigned to each psychiatrist on the wards. Thus, psychiatrists, such as Dr. Mwita, are crucial to building capacity in treating mental illnesses in Tanzania.
Mood disorders lecture
Dr. Jacqueline Bobyn presents Mood Disorders to the MD3 students including depression and bipolar disorder. She presented in conjunction with Dr. Paige Durling, who discussed antidepressant medications and mood stabilizers. Dr. Bobyn also utilized role play scenarios to present how she would interview patients with depressive or manic episodes so that the students could understand how this knowledge can be translated to interactions with patients.
Overlap between neurology and psychiatry
In Tanzania, psychiatrists treat some conditions classically treated by neurologists in North America, such as seizures. Today, Dr. Jaylynn Arcand presented on seizures and their neuropsychiatric manifestations to the MD3 students. Again, Dr. Paige Durling utilized her knowledge to present on anti-seizure medications, some of which are actually considered mood stabilizers as well.
