Career

As practicing physicians, we constantly ask ourselves when and where to alert patients to bad possibilities that may occur in the future. More in this installment of "Why Psychiatrist Are Physicians First," by Sharon Packer, MD.

Most New Yorkers were afraid to venture outdoors after the Twin Towers toppled, so a short term, part-time locums post opened upstate, an escape from the decaying metropolis and retreat to the country. What could go wrong in such an idyllic setting?

Psychiatrists have patients who need help and we have the tools to help them. Some of these tools are technical and specific (meds; CBT); but even these work best only in the context of a rich therapeutic relationship that is based on all that makes us human.

You have a platform here to share with your colleagues your hopes and concerns about the impact of the Affordable Care Act on your practice.

It is the opinion of this psychiatrist that overtesting and overtreating is promoted and protected by the enormous economic and political power of the medical industrial complex. Here's just a beginning list of what needs to be done.

Psychiatric Times is conducting its 2013 ethics survey. We invite you to share your perspective and participate in the survey.

There is a subtle reluctance to admit that, at least in the field of medicine, the doctor knows more than the patient and is the expert in the area in which the patient is having trouble.

More than simply a collection of interesting vignettes, the author of this book frequently pushes readers to confront ingrained biases toward some of our most challenging patients.

For now, it is encouraging to know that psychiatrists remember that they, too, are physicians first who can tap into their medical training to provide comprehensive patient care.

This letter is a plea to the leadership of the APA to develop flexible, user-friendly guidelines for criteria being implemented in the new CPT Evaluation and Management codes.

How often are you confronted with an ethical dilemma in your clinical practice? How comfortable-and how prepared-are you to deal with these issues? Those are just a few of the questions posed in the Psychiatric Times Ethics Survey-a survey that turned out to be the largest ever of its kind.

Come next year, psychiatrists will start seeing patients who have purchased new individual and small-group health plans on the state exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

If you are a psychiatrist who tends to look on the bright side, you may find the results of a new physician survey to be relatively good. Psychiatrists report the lowest level of professional burnout and the lowest level of burnout severity across various specialties. But just how good is relatively good?

Digital technology provides many benefits to clinical practice but only if you know how to avoid the associated pitfalls. This slideshow provides easily accessible information for best practices for using e-mail, text messaging, search engines, blogs, etc.

The demands on physicians keep growing-they are not only responsible for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, they are subject to all manner of related administrative and practice responsibilities. Not surprisingly, physicians are susceptible to burnout.

While this article highlights some of the modern-era risks to confidentiality that psychiatrists may experience, it does not constitute an exhaustive list of issues to consider and is not a substitute for legal advice.

In psychiatry, professional challenges are heightened by the importance of the psychiatrist-patient relationship.

During a presentation at a past Psychiatric Times Virtual Career Expo, Dr Joseph Weiner answered questions submitted by attendees, offered here in this brief Q&A.

Social media is not a fad. It allows physicians to “get out of the office” in real time, to learn about patients’ concerns, and to connect with others.

Career fulfillment, free time, maximum revenue-a perfect combination for every clinician-but seldom realized. Here, an expert on professional “burnout,” Dr Joseph Weiner discusses strategies that can enhance career satisfaction.

Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are increasingly turning to social media to help build, manage, market, and diversify their practices. But how to use social media still maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality? Details here.

Dr Thomas Szasz dies at 92.

Four studies sprang from the TORDIA trial on treatment-resistant depression in children and adolescents and showed that several factors influence treatment efficacy following treatment resistance.

A website for your practice can increase your patient base and decrease advertising costs, but it does require planning and an initial investment.

The prevalence of professional burnout ranges from 25% to 60% among practicing physicians. No wonder then, that the workshop on physician burnout was packed at the APA annual meeting.

As an employed physician, when I was off, I was off. In private practice, the same is not true.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since I saw my first patient in my very own office.

The goal of the survey was to go beyond ethical lessons, useful as these may be, and to learn how Psychiatric Times’ readers-who are on the front line of psychiatric practice-handle a series of hypothetical ethical scenarios.

In addition to receiving birthday cards, on this birthday, one of our bloggers, Dr. Moffic, decided to send out a card to all those he loved. It is being reprinted here. "If you are what you love, There is no longer reason to be most modest, so step aside Muhammad Ali, for I Am The Greatest!"

Whether planned or unplanned, a physician's departure from your practice will definitely have an impact, so be prepared.