See the 7Cs We Need in the Election of Our Psychiatric Leaders

PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

It is that time of year in the American Psychiatric Association. It is time for the election of officers. In view of our 2 recent columns on the state of psychiatry, that got me thinking of what we need now in our leaders, without any implications of who I would vote for.

1. We need leaders who will help us be used more at the highest levels of our government.

I mean someone(s) at a level close to—or at—that of our Surgeon General or, say, a consultant to the administration. Why? Our country’s mental health is worsening, our resources to help are decreasing, and the hostile divisiveness is hurting us all. We also probably need a single payor system like the rest of the major countries in the world, and that will have to come out of our federal government.

Call this C Courage.

2. We need leaders who are culturally competent and humble.

Different cultures and religions have significant similarities and differences. At its best our country is more of a delicious potluck mean than a melting put because our cultures, religions, genders, ages, and more, can all produce something special and nourishing for the country. Right now, especially in reference to the conflict in Gaza, we have more internal conflict than is helpful.

Call this C Collegial.

3. We need leaders who have had widespread psychiatric experiences.

Our field is so broad in its interests and potential capabilities. Understanding—or desiring to find out more—about our various needs is important.

Call this C Comprehensive.

4. We need leaders with solutions for our epidemic rates of burnout and moral injuries.

We are unduly suffering and our abilities to heal have been compromised by the increasing for-profit business control of medicine and psychiatry. Wellness services and lifestyle changes are welcome, but inadequate. System changes are also required.

Call this C Change.

5. We need leaders who are willing to try new things in their psychiatric leadership.

We psychiatrists tend to be reserved and passive, perhaps too much so due to our history of trying to be blank screens in psychoanalysis. Our society now has much more self-disclosure. How about creating new ways of interacting with members? How about finding ways to draw attention from the public? That sort of specialty marketing to the public can find new ways to encourage involvement in public discussions without the inappropriate commentary that led to the Goldwater Rule.

Call this C Creativity.

6. We need leaders with a heart.

Despite that we cannot measure this emotional heart, our emotional heart may well be the most important leadership characteristic to have. These are the leaders who really care about what happens to patients, especially those underserved, and us. That may be more important than business knowledge, political skills, and technical competence. If anything endangers our field for the future, the worst may be the mock humanity of cults and technologies like AI that are used to substitute for humans.

Call this C Compassion.

7. And, we need more of us to vote for these characteristics and others. Our percentage of voters has been abysmal.

Call this C Concerned.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.