Clinical Practice Guidelines

APA practice guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for the assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders and are intended to assist in clinical decision making by presenting systematically developed patient care strategies in a standardized format.

Since 1992, APA has developed and published over 20 practice guidelines, including multiple second and third editions. APA makes the practice guidelines freely available to promote their dissemination and use; however, copyright protections are enforced in full. No part of these guidelines may be reproduced except as permitted under Sections 107 and 108 of the United States Copyright Act. For permission for reuse, visit our Permissions and Licensing Center. Also visit PsychiatryOnline to access the guidelines and purchase the complete collection of guidelines and watches.

Pharmacological Treatment of Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder

The Practice Guideline for the Pharmacological Treatment of Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder was approved by the APA Assembly in May and by the APA Board of Trustees July 2017, and published in January 2018..

For questions about this guideline or the development process, please contact Jennifer Medicus, Practice Guidelines Deputy Director, at jmedicus@psych.org or 202-559-3972.

Use of Antipsychotics to Treat Agitation or Psychosis in Patients With Dementia

Practice Guideline (May 2016)
AJP Executive Summary
CME Vignette
Clinician Summary/Training Slides
Patient/Family Information... Coming soon
Press Release

Other Practice Guidelines

Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults

Acute Stress Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias

Bipolar Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Delirium

Eating Disorders

HIV/AIDS

Major Depressive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Panic Disorder

Schizophrenia

Substance Use Disorders

Suicidal Behaviors

Guidelines Under Development

Treatment of Eating Disorders
Treatment of Bipolar Disorder
Treatment of Schizophrenia
Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
Assessment and Treatment of Delirium
Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder/Panic Disorder/Agoraphobia
Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

More Resources

APA Task Force reports represent the findings, opinions, and conclusions of APA task forces but, unlike APA practice guidelines, do not reflect APA policy or necessarily represent the views of the APA Board of Trustees.

APA Resource documents are collections of information, data, and reviews of the literature developed by APA components and staff. Like task force reports, they do not represent APA policy.

APA guidelines generally describe treatment of adult patients. For the treatment of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, practice guidelines, updates, and parameters are available from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The National Guideline Clearinghouse is a public database of clinical practice guidelines from around the world that is maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Guidelines must meet criteria showing they comply with IOM (NAM) standards to be included in the database.