Boycotts and Protests to Meet APA Keynote Speaker, Desmond Tutu

The selection of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, to present the convocation lecture at the American Psychiatric Association’s upcoming annual meeting has so outraged some APA members that they have arranged meeting boycotts and protests.
by Arline Kaplan

Should Psychiatrists Prescribe Neuroenhancers for Mentally Healthy Patients?By Cynthia M. A. Geppert, MD, PhD, MPH and Peter J. Taylor, DO, MA

PAIN MANAGEMENT

Diagnosing Fibromyalgia: Development of New Criteria

One can only speculate whether by excluding mood from the criteria, the authors of the guidelines sought to avoid controversy about the relationship between mental disorders and FM.
By Steven A. King, MD, MS

COMMENTARY

The Eight-Fold Path of Internet Ethics: A Primer for Health Care Professionals

One can only speculate whether by excluding mood from the criteria, the authors of the guidelines sought to avoid controversy about the relationship between mental disorders and FM.
By Ronald Pies, MD

TALES FROM THE NEW ASYLUM

Tales from the New Asylum: Pulling Teeth

The bad news is that your pain isn't going to go away all at once. It may take a while, and you may have to live with some amount of pain. The good news... (you just had an intense flash of pain) is that she does have a plan she thinks will lower your pain.
By James L. Knoll, IV, MD

RESIDENT'S CORNER

Unlucky Number 90862

As psychiatrists, we are trained to observe our patients quickly by considering aspects as diverse as time of arrival for an appointment, body position, use of language, and manner of dress.
By Howard Forman, MD

POETRY OF THE TIMES

Critters

Richard Berlin, M.D.: “There is something about the condensed pressure of poetry that feels very natural to me.”
By Richard M. Berlin, MD

MOLECULES OF THE MIND

To Sirtuin With Love: Caloric Restrictions and the Genes of the Aging Brain

One of the most remarkable discoveries in the field of life span alteration occurred in the past century and has to do with caloric restriction.
By John J. Medina, PhD

BOOK REVIEWS

We’ve Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication

For those of us who treat seriously emotionally disturbed children, We’ve Got Issues is a welcome change from the invectives of those who believe that the use psychotropic medication is virtually criminal.
Reviewed by Gabrielle A. Carlson, MD

Endocrine Psychiatry: The Dexamethasone Suppression Test and Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is making something of a comeback because it remains a paragon of efficacy amidst other relatively disappointing treatments.
By Charles H. Kellner, MD

NEWS FROM WASHINGTON

Demystifying Health Reform Legislation

Many provisions of the new legislation remain to be implemented, and psychiatrists and psychoanalysts have been, and should continue to be, involved in shaping that implementation.
By James C. Pyles, JD

SPECIAL REPORTS - SCHIZOPHRENIA

Introduction: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Clinicians have long recognized that many of the psychiatric disorders lack clear boundaries, and that there is a substantial overlap in phenomenology and etiopathophysiology of various disorders.
By Gunvant K. Thaker, MD
 

Autism and Schizophrenia

Developmental delays are described premorbidly in samples of children and adults with schizophrenia.
By Yael Dvir, MD and Jean A. Frazier, MD

Cognitive Rehabilitation in Schizophrenia

This abbreviated “survival guide” was designed to assist residents in their ER training, and came about through experiences working in the psychiatric ER and supervising residents.
By Irene M. Hurford, MD, Solomon Kalkstein, PhD, and Matthew O. Hurford, MD

Guidelines for Developing a Cognitive Remediation Program for Patients With Schizophrenia

The Figure provides a proposed flowchart for cognitive rehabilitation programs. The details of each step are described in depth.  

Early Antecedents and Detection of Schizophrenia

Much resistance to disorder status for the psychosis-risk syndrome stems from the fact that only a minority of those given the diagnosis really have the disorder.

WASHINGTON REPORT

Possible Restriction of ECT Devices: Concern Grows Among Psychiatrists

Many provisions of the new legislation remain to be implemented, and psychiatrists and psychoanalysts have been, and should continue to be, involved in shaping that implementation.
By Stephen Barlas