Position Statement on Assuring the Appropriate Care of Pregnant and Newly Delivered Women with Substance Use Disorders

Position Statement on Assuring the Appropriate Care of Pregnant and Newly Delivered Women with Substance Use Disorders

Psychiatry and Military Service

The APA Resource Document on Psychiatry and Military Services was prepared as part of an APA Action Paper to improve the awareness of all APA members regarding military implications of psychiatric diagnoses and treatments. This resource document outlines the key considerations for civilian psychiatrists treating active-duty military personnel.

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

Integrated care of older adults with mental disorders

Elderly persons often have complex medical and psychiatric needs for which the input of different medical specialties and clinical disciplines is required. The involvement of multiple specialists gives patients access to greater expertise than any single clinician could provide; however, it presents significant challenges of coordination and integration of health care. We endorse the ideal of providing wellcoordinated interdiscipli-nary treatment to older Americans with psychiatric and medical p

Consensus statement on "Managing the risks of repetitive transcranial stimulation"

In response to the changing managed care environment, the APA Committee on Managed Care established a subcommittee to document the changes in managed care and to begin the process of thinking about alternative healthcare financing systems. The Committee undertook writing a resource document for APA members to identify and describe the changes that are occurring in the healthcare sector and to prepare them for changes that may occur so that psychiatry can be proactive in meeting these challenges

Stalking Intrusive Behaviors and Related Phenomena by Patients

The doctor-patient relationship should ideally be a collaborative and mutually respectful one. In some instances, however, patients may engage in behaviors that can engender concern and even fear in the psychiatrist involved. When these behaviors are repeated, unwanted, and distressing, we might colloquially refer to them as “stalking.” In the midst of a stalking episode, it may be difficult for the psychiatrist to know how to proceed, what steps to consider to protect oneself and what choices t

Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) white paper

Vagal nerve stimulation for treatment resistant epilepsy has been available in the United States since 1997, and improved mood noted in epilepsy patients led to studies examining the use of VNS for treatment resistant depression. VNS implantation consists of placement of the stimulator in the chest wall that is attached by wires tunneled through the skin to the left vagus nerve in the carotid sheath. Potential side effects include voice alteration, hoarseness, coughing, paresthesia, dyspnea and

Position Statement on Physician Health Programs in the Treatment of Addiction and Substance Use Disorders

Position Statement on Physician Health Programs in the Treatment of Addiction and Substance Use Disorders

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

Xenophobia, immigration and mental health

Prepared by the Committee on Hispanic Psychiatrists While prejudice is defined as an evaluation (usually negative) of a social group or individual that is significantly based on their group membership, xenophobia can be considered a form of negative prejudice directed against a national or ethnic group. Historically, xenophobia has been associated with various large scale destructive acts of violence between peoples or by persons against other persons belonging to the “other” group. These in

Physician Health Programs

This Resource Document aims to highlight some important safeguards and best practices for Physician Health Programs (PHPs) for physicians who seek help voluntarily from PHPs as well as those who are mandated participants. These suggestions are intended to help PHPs and their affiliates to align their practices and procedures with the goals of treatment and to minimize the risk of adverse outcomes, both for the public and for the physicians who participate in PHPs.

Neuroimaging

The application of neuroimaging technology in psychiatric research has revolutionized clinical neuroscience perspectives on the pathophysiology of the major psychiatric disorders. Research using a variety of types of neuroimaging techniques has shown that these conditions are associated with abnormalities of brain function, structure and receptor pharmacology. These data also corroborate the conclusions reached from genetic, endocrine, and clinical pharmacology research involving these disorders