The topics selected for this special issue highlight the broad relevance of this symptom domain to clinical practice in psychiatry and beyond.

Introduction: Impulsivity-A Transdiagnostic Trait

The authors explore ways to address aggression in clinical practice and examine the potentially dangerous impulsivity-violence link across a broad range of conditions. 

Impulse Control, Impulsivity, and Violence: Clinical Implications

Suicide and self-harm are often linked to impulsivity, but what do empirical evaluations of this link actually show? This association is discussed and challenged in this article.

Impulsivity and Suicide Risk:  Review and Clinical Implications

The challenges of recognizing behaviors such as hypersexuality, gambling, and excessive buying in Parkinson disease are discussed, as are ways to address them while still managing the underlying condition. 

Implications of Impulse Control Disorder in Parkinson Disease

Now placed “substance-related and addictive disorders” in DSM-5, gambling disorder has similiarities to other behavioral addictions, such as “food addiction” and “Internet gaming disorder.” 

From Impulsivity to Addiction: Gambling Disorder and Beyond

The authors summarize findings from the first study to compare suicide risk for veterans who do and those who do not use VA services.

Improving Understanding of Veteran Suicide Relative to VHA Service Use

Simply telling patients “we don’t know how ECT works” neglects our abundant knowledge of what this treatment does. The authors review biological actions of ECT and discuss future directions for research.

Contemporary ECT, Part 2: Mechanism of Action and Future Research Directions

Internet-based CBT has shown promise to improve access to therapy for patients with OCD, which is associated with a profoundly diminished quality of life and social isolation.

Using the Internet to Increase Access to Evidence-Based Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Telehealth is at a tipping point and is gaining momentum. Although there are some technological and logistical hurdles, most clinicians would likely find these to be minor and outweighed by the benefits of expanding access to mental health care to those in need.

Telepsychiatry: Watching Your Back While Staying in the Black

Recent studies find powerful biological changes associated with mind-body interventions comparable to those associated with conventional antidepressants or psychotherapies.

Tai Chi Is a Biological Treatment for Depression

Although the pharmacological treatment of impulsivity represents an exciting and possibly more effective means of relieving the burden of mental health illness, precisely what is meant by impulsivity and its neurobiological substrates?

Psychopharmacological Options for Treating Impulsivity

Whether marijuana use should be legalized is a subject worthy for debate. It is unfair, however, for patients who have real health problems to be misled into believing that there is a magical cure.

Medical Marijuana for Pain: What the Evidence Shows

Over the past 10 years, a growing literature has documented the significantly increased rates of stress, burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation in medical students.

Wellness and Medical School: Aspiration-or Pipe Dream?

To some external observers, it may seem like psychiatrists just go through the complicated mechanics of making a diagnosis, developing a treatment plan, and prescribing needed interventions. But there is so much more to it.

Vacation Times?

The trouble with looking like a God becomes clear after we learn to wear our mask of omnipotence, pretending to know the answers to questions...

Looking Like a God

The good news? Compared with our non-psychiatric colleagues, we psychiatrists are in very good shape when it comes to switching over to ICD-10-CM. 

What You Need to Know About DSM-5 and ICD-10-CM

An interesting history, key myths, and the pros and cons of marijuana are explained in this book.

The Truth About Marijuana

May we forgive a murderer on behalf of his victims?

Murderers, Psychotherapy--and the Flight Into Forgiveness

Circadian components are profound in depressive disorders, such seasonal affective disorder. This article introduces a course to be given at this year’s APA Meeting in Toronto, on melatonin and light treatment.

Vol 32 No 8