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Throughout the centuries, we have continued to puzzle over our capacity for antisocial behavior

Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream

Practical tips for helping patients and simultaneously avoiding legal battles.

The Right Way to Avoid Malpractice Lawsuits

Strategies to remain calm under pressure; to be clear and concise; and to know what is expected in courtroom battles.

Tips for Testifying in Court

It is no secret that a significant proportion of the criminal justice population has an issue with addiction. So what is being done about it?

The Case for Medication-Assisted Treatment: An Ethical Priority

Inevitably, some of your patients will need of emergency psychiatric services. These tips will help prepare you and your patients when a crisis unfolds.

Understanding Crisis Services: What They Are and When to Access Them

The authors share evidence-based guidance for patient safety that minimizes suicide risk in medical settings.

Implementation Challenges of Universal Suicide Risk Screening in Adult Patients in General Medical and Surgical Settings

In honor of National Foster Care Month, this article sheds light on these issues and provides information for psychiatrists caring for this vulnerable population.

Challenges and Strategies in Foster Care

The cure should not be worse than the disease; so must we be cautious about our response to COVID-19. More in this video with Harold J. Bursztajn, MD.

Weaving Beauty Into the Tapestry of the Pandemic

“I met Talia almost 20 years ago. It wasn’t the usual doctor-patient relationship formed in the setting of an outpatient clinic or general inpatient hospital.”

The Boundary I Wish I Hadn't Kept

We often push thoughts of death far out of our awareness, but at the present time they unavoidably re-emerge. Can we learn something helpful from this?

Panic and Pandemics: The Return of the Absurd

Across the centuries, March has been an eventful month for the insanity defense on both sides of the Atlantic, and the McNaughten rule remains the prevalent standard to this day.

Assassins in London and Washington Force Changes in the Insanity Defense

Not that long ago I read a news story about three women who had reported that the psychiatrist treating them had insisted on sex.

News Headline: “Psychiatrist, Three Accusers Settle Out of Court”

When parents take steps to end their marriages, the default arrangement for children should be shared parenting. Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, lawyers, and judges can help parents avoid irreparable harm.

Treatment and Prevention of Parental Alienation

James L. Knoll IV, MD, analyzes the ethical and legal duties of psychiatrists treating substance use disorders.

Psychiatric Malpractice Grand Rounds: Addiction Psychiatry 

The costs, risks, and considerations involved in treating addiction have upped the ante, as illustrated in this case.

A Rock and a Hard Place

Dr Pies is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Lecturer on Bioethics and Humanities, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine; and Editor in Chief Emeritus of 

 (2007-2010). Dr Pies is the author of several books. A collection of his works can be found on

How can a human being commit such acts without being under the influence of some powerful “alien” force? How can they not be "mentally ill"? Here's how.

Cruel, Immoral Behavior Is Not Mental Illness

Bullying and aggression, evasiveness and avoidance of responsibilities, and impulsivity and stealing-if these behaviors persist, the brain may hold the key in future studies.

Neuroimaging Shows Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior Linked to Smaller Brain

Key points regarding intimate partner violence.

3 Important Facts About Domestic Violence

A tripartite dimensional approach may be used to better understand the mental functioning of those who commit mass violence.

The Mass Shooter and His Mental Functioning

When it comes to mass shooters, persistent emotional disturbance is not the same as frank “mental illness.” Exploring the spectrum of psychopathology.

Forensic Psychiatry

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