APA Blogs
28 Results
Collaboration is Key to Meeting Demand for Mental Health Services
The COVID-19 pandemic has left in its wake a serious mental health crisis, the scope of which is still evolving. Even before the pandemic, demand for mental health care services was extremely high, and increasing by the day. Now, as lockdowns have ended and many pandemic restrictions have lifted in America, COVID is still putting a strain on health care personnel, and the systems they work in. In addition to laying bare the severity of healthcare disparities in our communities, the pandemic has also focused a spotlight on the seriousness of the mental health care shortage in America. In the face of these mounting challenges and unprecedented need, it is clear that the future of mental health care in our country will require an interdisciplinary approach.
What APA Is Doing for You: Update on Clozapine REMS
- By Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., FRCP-E, FRCPsych
In November 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instituted a new Clozapine Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to monitor prescribing and dispensing of the drug, which is used to treat schizophrenia. The new REMS led to confusion for manufacturers, pharmacies, prescribers, and patients. Some clinicians stopped prescribing the already underutilized drug, and some pharmacies stopped dispensing it. This chaotic situation led the FDA to stop enforcing certain requirements of the REM for 90 days.
“CURED” Documentary: What It’s Like to Participate in a Chronicle of Psychiatry’s Past
- By Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., FRCP-E, FRCPsych
At the 1972 APA Annual Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, a psychiatrist identified only as “Dr. H. Anonymous,” who had been stigmatized and lost his job because of his sexual orientation, offered a masked protest during a session devoted to psychiatry’s relationship with homosexuality. Joined on the panel (chaired by Judd Marmor, M.D.) by the organizer/activists Barbara Gittings and Frank Kameny, the psychiatrist was later revealed to be Dr. John Fryer. This event that was a watershed moment both for psychiatry and the LGBTQ community, and eventually led to the removal of homosexuality from the DSM in 1973.
Supporting International Medical Graduates is Crucial for Mental Health Care in America
- By Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., FRCP-E, FRCPsych
International Medical Graduates (IMGs) play a huge part as we work to address care gaps, weather the effects of the pandemic, and achieve greater health equity in the United States. They are often the unsung heroes of psychiatry, many working to fill in shortages in underserved and rural areas, while meeting their waiver requirements before applying for permanent resident status.
Observing Juneteenth and Supporting Mental Health Equity
This weekend, we acknowledge and observe Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the day that the end of slavery was announced in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. Juneteenth has been celebrated by the Black community since the late 1800s. Now, pending President Biden’s signature, expected this afternoon, it will be a federal holiday in recognition of the end of the dark chapter of human slavery in America, and the start of the long march towards equality for the Black community.