Couch in Crisis

Here's a book that tells of stunning psychiatric islands of therapeutic success amidst continuing limitations and problems in our mental health systems.

The PBS series on the Vietnam war has evoked a flood of memories, and reminds me how far we’ve come in our understanding of PTSD- and how far we still have to go.

No, there is no generalized epidemic of mental illness in the US, nor credible evidence that psychiatric drugs are driving up rates or severity of mental illness. But there is an urgent need for more and better treatment of psychiatric disorders.

How might a better understanding of the mind enhance someone’s life and optimize a clinical encounter?

The Slenderman case revives a long-standing debate: does media exposure influence acts of violence in youth?

Six fundamental assumptions underlie the medical model most psychiatrists use in their clinical work.

Like the cardiac stress test, mental health stress tests might help patients recognize their own psychiatric vulnerabilities. Would you take such a stress test if it were available?

Most of us listen in one way or another. But listening can be taken for granted, even in psychiatry.

What is integrated care anyway?

In psychiatry, things happen slowly-but if you’re not in a hurry yourself, the patient opens a window and shows you the world.

Brian Miller joins the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

COUTERPOINT: A small number of psychiatrists have been critical of our profession’s restraint regarding public comments by psychiatrists about the mental health of the 45th President.

POINT: After 41 years of membership, a psychiatrist resigns from the APA after it holds its ground on the Goldwater Rule.

Up until her last year of training, this psychiatrist was convinced she only wanted to consult in the hospital-that is, until she met a 31-year-old expectant mother.

The authors discuss some potential complications arising from a constitutional ban on executing persons with mental illness.

We have criminalized mental health problems-a barbaric throwback to the dismal conditions before the Enlightenment.

In the midst of 6 presentations this year, the author notices the elephant in the room.

The work of these military psychiatrists who passed away in recent years still has relevance for us.

The human-animal relationship can provide insight into the patient’s ability to connect, to interact, and to show care and empathy. Plus, companion animals tend not to breach confidentiality.

Making a beginning on a work memoir is one way to enhance your mental health.

Overbooking airline seats and bumping travelers is legal but the practice backfired on a recent United flight. Is civility dead?

These 2 psychiatrists who recently passed away left the world a better place.

Marijuana-related problems fall well within the scope of psychiatric practice: many patients use marijuana, which is likely to affect their psychiatric symptoms and response to treatment.

Creativity should not be seen as “optional” in psychiatry. Rather, it helps us to approach clinical problems in new ways.

There are no simple solutions to the plight of the terminally ill patient. With commentary by Cynthia Geppert, MD.