Couch in Crisis

With everything going on in the world, this lesson has become abundantly clear—our attitudes will help us ride the ups and downs and the slings and arrows that present themselves and propel us to better times.

Sometimes our best intentions lead us down the wrong road. By reconsidering a few seemingly harmless questions, this psychiatrist was able to make the most of his medication-check visits with his patients.

New data and an intriguing case example suggest the mortality rate may be decreasing. What does this mean for the days ahead?

In this interview, Dr Aftab and Dr Shedler discuss the relationship between the psychoanalytic worldview and the medical model, and they reexamine the role of psychodynamic psychotherapy in contemporary psychiatry and psychology.

An early career psychiatrist and resident psychiatrist reflect on their racialized experiences in predominantly white spaces and the impact on their lives.

An interview with Dr Anne Harrington, who offers a stimulating and thought-provoking historical perspective on the evolution of biological psychiatry from the German histopathologists to the present time in her recent book.

Private practice in the COVID era.

Clinicians may need to consider what happens to religiously oriented people when things go badly, despite their faith and prayer.

The recent ghastly killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd serve as a reminder that the pursuit of happiness and longevity remain a dream deferred for Black America due to systemic racism.

A 4-step plan to tackle the worries of the day.

Our country’s founders embarked on a dream. They did not know what would happen, and they did not agree on how our new world should work. Same is true in medicine and psychiatry. More in this introduction to the July issue.

Despite our own burnout, we must strive to be part of the solution. Concern and compassion are the ethical way of the physician.

Given that face masks help prevent asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 and may also reduce the chances of anyone contracting the virus, wouldn’t any decent, responsible citizen put up with such a minor inconvenience? Apparently not.

One was a civil rights activist. Another, a book illustrator on the side. A third practiced medicine for over 70 years. All served as mentors. No one loss is less profound. Their families and psychiatry mourn them.

Hopefully, the season will bring us a new sense of freedom, as we make progress in the fight against COVID and the possibility of returning to a more normal life.

My initial glance before my patient sees me usually tells me a lot about how they are doing and what to expect during the appointment.

Although it may seem a bit of a luxury to begin an examination of countertransference at a time when life itself hangs in the balance, clinicians may be working with patients whose political views make it very difficult to address their emotional needs.

It might be advisable to bring in psychiatrists to keep the peace and not federal troops.

In just 3 months, the virus has changed the lives of our psychiatric patients and of psychiatry forever. What are the next best steps?

How can psychiatry constructively address our nation’s crisis?

The Navajo population are vulnerable to lung disease due to decades of exposure to uranium mines and the use of wood or coal for heat and cooking. It is now vulnerable to COVID-19.

Awais Aftab, MD, interviews this highly respected psychiatrist and genetics researcher, who has been further catapulted into fame over the past two decades through his widely read philosophical commentaries.

Reflections on the anti-restriction protesters and hyper-individualists.

Beyond unsettling our minds, the current pandemic unsettles our souls in ways we are just beginning to understand. Just as the COVID-19 virus attacks the respiratory tract, the pandemic itself can assault the soul. Dr Pies identifies five manifestations of the crisis.

If we want the public to wear masks for protection from the coronavirus, not complying with self-protective measures does not model safety.

Many serious challenges will face us once the curve has been flattened, and we work as a nation toward recovery in the war against COVID-19.

What is the nature of the virus turning the world upside down? Dr Sheldon Preskorn shares critical clinical information to better understand the virus, testing, and what might the future hold as we look to turn the corner in this pandemic.

Strange Fruit was written by a Jewish schoolteacher after seeing a disturbing picture of a black man, lynched in the South. But what does this song have to do with the Coronavirus pandemic?

All current FDA-approved medications for the treatment of schizophrenia antagonize dopamine type 2 receptors-but that is where their similarity ends.

Mental health professionals charged with compassionate care for those facing a radically changing world filled with loss have one narrow task.