How Psychiatrists Can Talk to Patients and Families About Race and Racism

This document supports the APA’s goal of addressing structural racism in clinical practice by linking existing literature on the impact of race on patients’ lives with race as experienced in the clinical encounter. It provides psychiatrists with the necessary tools to speak with patients about race in a sensitive and professional manner using clinical vignettes. Incorporating these tools should increase understanding of how race and racism impact patients’ lives, decrease bias and enhance the th

Psychotherapy as an Essential Skill of Psychiatrists

Resource Document on Psychotherapy as an Essential Skill of Psychiatrists

Position Statement on the Use of Antipsychotic Medication in Patients with Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Position Statement on the Use of Antipsychotic Medication in Patients with Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Ethical and Practical Implications of Psychedelics in Psychiatry

This resource document focuses on several of the ethical and practical issues surrounding psychedelics in their current investigational stage, and also discusses issues for psychiatrists to consider if psychedelics one day become available for broad clinical use.

Position Statement on Need to Train Psychiatrists in Provision of Care and Support to Individuals with Disorders of Sex Development and Their Families

Position Statement on Need to Train Psychiatrists in Provision of Care and Support to Individuals with Disorders of Sex Development and Their Families

Religious/spiritual commitments and psychiatric practice

Psychiatrists should maintain respect for their patients' commitments (values, beliefs and worldviews). a. It is useful for clinicians to obtain information on the religious/spiritual commitments of their patients so that they may properly attend to them in the course of assessment, formulation, and treatment. b. Empathy for the patient's sensibilities and particular commitments is essential. Conflicts, either within the patient or within the clinician-patient relationship should be handled with

Position Statement on the Role of Psychiatrists in Reducing Physical Health Disparities in Patients with Mental Illness

Position Statement on the Role of Psychiatrists in Reducing Physical Health Disparities in Patients with Mental Illness

Risk-Based Gun Removal Laws

In 2014, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published a “Resource Document on Access to Firearms by People with Mental Disorders,”1 which addressed the complex relationship between firearms, mental illness, suicide, and violence. The document highlighted the limitations of existing legislative strategies, such as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), in combating the problems of gun-related suicide and violence in the United States. It noted that registries like N

Preparing in Advance: What Every Psychiatrist and Their Family Should Know About Planning for Unexpected Practice Closures

This guide, initially developed in 2006 by the APA’s Council on Psychiatry and Law and updated for contemporary psychiatric practice by the APA Ethics Committee in 2025, offers APA members, their families, and colleagues a resource to help navigate the logistical, ethical, and financial complexities of closing a practice on short notice.

Across State Line Psychiatric Consultation Considerations Addendum to Risk

In 2013, an APA Resource Document on “Risk Management and Liability Issues in Integrated Care Models” was developed.1 This document outlined liability issues in a new and emerging area of collaborative /integrated care. In this model psychiatrists’ expertise is leveraged through curbside consultations and caseload reviews to provide more effective care for mild to moderate behavioral health conditions in the primary care setting. With the advent of CPT codes for the Collaborative Care Model, the

Position Statement on Codification of Medical Evaluation and Management Services in Psychotherapy

Position Statement on Codification of Medical Evaluation and Management Services in Psychotherapy

Psychiatric Aspects of Infertility

The psychological impact of being unable to conceive despite trying is a profound loss and a significant life crisis (Kohan et al. 2015). Many individuals suffer in isolation, unaware that infertility is highly prevalent afflicting approximately one in eight couples worldwide. The feelings and reactions to infertility are complex, ranging from anger with self for the failure of one’s body to procreate (Kohan et al. 2015), an associated decrease in sexual desire, an impaired orgasmic function and