Couch in Crisis

The Sandy Hook Promise . . “To do everything in our power to be remembered-—not as the town filled with grief and victims; but as the place where real change began.”

PTSD is a psychiatric illness resulting from a physical or psychological trauma that is sometimes related to warfare, but of course occurs in the case of civilian trauma as well. However, wars have been a propitious time for studying PTSD.

The news media has always been in the business of searching for "the right sort of madness" to capture the public's imagination.

While it is true that the intense grief of bereavement and major depressive disorder often share some features—for example, tearfulness, insomnia, low mood, and decreased appetite—there are many substantive differences.

The ethical aim of psychiatry is the relief of suffering and incapacity.

When critics of psychiatric diagnosis insist that terms like “schizophrenia” or “bipolar disorder” are inherently stigmatizing, they are unwittingly perpetuating the very prejudice they wish to end. It is time to shine a bright light on this self-fulfilling prophecy.

As most mental health professionals know by now, psychiatry's D-Day is rapidly approaching. DSM-5 is scheduled to be officially released at the American Psychiatric Association meeting. However, there has never been an official treatment manual to complement the diagnostic one.

In our time, it seems that the number of psychiatrists who believe in a God are increasing, parallel with the decreasing influence of Freud’s ideas.

It is yet unclear whether the overwhelming shock of Newtown will galvanize action not only to prevent future mass murderers, but also to finally reduce the public health and mental health risks of more chronic, common, and routine gun violence in America.