947 Results
Caring for Pregnant Women: A Psychiatrist’s Guide
Every psychiatrist will see a pregnant woman or other patient who is pregnant someday. When that person presents to your office, will you be ready? Many of us received little if any training on the subject, so the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Women’s Mental Health would like to help. Read on for five things every psychiatrist needs to know before a pregnant patient walks in your door.
Practicing Self-Compassion
At the start of the year, many people set resolutions and intentions for enhancing their emotional well-being. One tool that can help improve psychological well-being is the practice of self-compassion. Many people find themselves being quite critical towards themselves. Some people believe that they are not good enough and that they don’t deserve compassion. In the long term, excessive self-criticism may contribute to depleting one’s emotional reservoir.
American Psychiatric Association Statement in Response to the AAPA House of Delegates Decision to Change Their Professional Title to "Physician Associate"
Patients deserve a clear understanding of the roles played by all those who partner in their care, as they already experience difficulty in identifying who is or is not a physician. It is important to provide transparency and clarity, not create more confusion, and put their safety at risk.
APA Statements in Remembrance of Civil Rights Icon Rep. John Lewis
As civil rights leader and ‘conscience of Congress’ Rep. John Lewis is laid to rest today in Atlanta, Georgia, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued the following statements:
How to Help Those with Opioid Use Disorder in Jails & Prisons
By now we all know that opioids like heroin, prescription painkillers, and fentanyl are deadly. What doesn’t get as much attention is the wider damage done by problem use of these substances, including losses of relationships and jobs, declining health, and financial strain. These concerns affect not only the individual but also every person close to them.
What APA Is Doing for You: Update on Clozapine REMS
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
Men, Women, and Differing Responses to Stress
Stress affects people in several ways—it activates adrenaline and other hormones, the nervous system and immune system. While not all stress is harmful, and some can even be beneficial, chronic or toxic stress can contribute to health problems. “Men and women react differently to toxic stress because their brains are wired differently,” notes Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., of The Rockefeller University, * “and therefore they may be at risk for different stress-related illnesses.” For example, as a result
Explore Sessions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-related topics in clinical psychiatry has gained momentum in recent years as health inequities have attained wider recognition.
“Nowhere to Turn”: COVID-19 and Caregiver Stress
“I need help, and I have nowhere to turn.” I find this a frighteningly common refrain among my patients who are also caregivers for people with dementia, autism, or children with a panoply of mental health conditions who need consistency and structure. As an individual psychiatrist, there seems to be no option, and I simply listen.
Lifestyle Factors Key to Reducing Risk for Dementia, Late Life Depression
A recent study highlights the lifestyle factors that can be protective against age-related brain conditions, including depression and late life depression. The research used the “Brain Care Score,” measuring lifestyle factors, and found that a higher Brain Care Score is associated with a lower risk of age-related brain disease, including stroke, late-life depression, and dementia.
Media Advisory: Media Encouraged to Attend APA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles
The American Psychiatric Association’s 2025 Annual Meeting features nationally recognized experts in psychiatry and mental health policy, research, and clinical practice. The meeting’s theme is Lifestyle for Positive Mental and Physical Health, will feature more than 450 educational sessions on 50 different topics and more than 1,000 poster sessions.
APA Ethics Committee Issues Opinion on the Spread of Disinformation
"When speaking publicly about a pandemic, therefore, it is particularly incumbent upon psychiatrists to honestly and responsibly share factual information,” states a new opinion from the American Psychiatric Association’s Ethics Committee. “Disseminating falsehoods about a pandemic disease such as COVID-19, including misleading information about scientifically supported public health protocols or vaccines, is unethical.”