Psychiatric advance directives

Advance directives were developed in the context of end of life care and are generally associated with medical and surgical decision-making for permanently incapacitated patients. Within psychiatry, interest in advance directives has been expressed as a means of facilitating the treatment of individuals afflicted with serious mental illnesses (Appelbaum, 1979). These disorders are typified by recurrent episodes of severe, cognition-impairing symptomatology that often result in decisional i

Physician Health Programs in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Physicians

In 1974, the American Medical Association (AMA) acknowledged physician impairment from alcoholism and drug dependence occurs, and recognized alcoholism and addiction as illnesses. Physician illness and impairment exist on a continuum with illness typically predating impairment, often by many years. This is a critically important distinction. Illness is the existence of a disease. Impairment is a functional classification and implies the inability of the person affected by disease to perform spec

Cannabidiols

The purpose of this resource document is to help educate psychiatrists, physicians, other providers and the community about the current literature of CBD and how to approach psychoeducation in a tactful and nonjudgmental manner.

Syringe Exchange Programs

According to the office of the United States Surgeon General, syringe exchange programs are an effective public health intervention strategy that reduces the transmission of HIV and hepatitis. Syringe exchange programs do not encourage the use of illegal drugs, but seek to prevent the harm caused by unsafe drug use.

Suicide in Communications and Media

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Research demonstrates that how media reports on suicide and suicide attempts may either increase contagion risk or decrease the risk of future suicide attempts, rendering the issue a matter of public health and safety.

Implementation of Measurement-Based Care

A guide to develop resources to help solo as well as small-group psychiatrist practices and health systems including psychiatric care implement measurement-based care into routine practice.

Harm Reduction

Harm reduction is an evidence-based, standard-of-care approach that aims to reduce the harm that patients experience while using substances. It recognizes that the use of substances is an inherent component of substance use disorder and that some ways of using illicit substances are less harmful to patient medical, social, and psychological health than others.

Ethics at the Interface of Religion, Spirituality, and Psychiatric Practice

Historically, psychiatry has had a fraught relationship with religion. One example can be found in the writings of Sigmund Freud, who was dismissive of religion and viewed it as a form of mental illness, drawing parallels between the rituals of obsessional patients and those of very religious people (Breakey 2001). However, there are also works throughout history demonstrating the harmonious relationship between psychiatry and religion, suggesting that the notion of an adversarial relationship b

The Interface of Religion, Spirituality, and Psychiatric Practice

Psychiatry has historically been known to have an adversarial relationship with religion. One example can be found in the writings of Sigmund Freud, who was dismissive of religion and viewed it as a form of mental illness. Freud drew parallels between the rituals of obsessional patients and those of very religious people and concluded that religion was a universal obsessional neurosis (Breakey 2001). However, there are also works throughout history demonstrating the harmonious relationship betwe

Involuntary Outpatient Commitment

Involuntary outpatient commitment is a form of court-ordered outpatient treatment for patients who suffer from severe mental illness and who are unlikely to adhere to treatment without such a program. It can be used as a transition from involuntary hospitalization, an alternative to involuntary hospitalization or as a preventive treatment for those who do not currently meet criteria for involuntary hospitalization. It should be used in each of these instances for patients who need treatment to p

Gender identity disorder, Report of the APA Task Force on treatment of

After the announcement of the DSM-5 Work Group membership in May 2008, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) received many inquiries regarding the workgroup named to address the entities included under Gender Identity Disorder (GID) in versions III through IVTR of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders™ (DSM). These inquiries most often dealt with treatment controversies regarding GID, especially in children, rather than issues related specifically to the DSM text and dia

Brain imaging and child and adolescent psychiatry with special emphasis on SPECT

Although knowledge is increasing regarding specific pathways and specific brain areas involved in mental disease states, at present the use of brain imaging to study psychiatric disorders is still considered a research tool. Continued study of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders using a variety of brain imaging methods, as well as refinements in imaging techniques, may result in evidence supporting the utility of these tools for clinical work in the future. Imaging research cannot yet be