Psychiatric Times Vol 19 No 4

In warn-torn Afghanistan, refugees continue to struggle to survive in 20-year-old "temporary" shelters, without proper food and suffering from the psychiatric consequences of trauma. What are psychiatrists doing to help?

Dropping the Lamb

Mandatory reporting laws rarely require reporting by psychiatrists. Psychiatrists need to treat the patient, rather than act as mandated reporters, and be knowledgeable about the dynamics and consequences of domestic violence and about available community resources and advocates that can help the patient.

A bill just signed into law by New Mexico's governor will allow psychologists to obtain prescribing privileges. Will this provide more care to underserved populations, or will it simply put patients at risk?

While the public perceives that many criminals escape punishment by pleading insanity, the truth is that very few people are ever found not guilty by reason of insanity. Society has to decide whether they want to lock up everyone who does any bad thing or excuse the behavior of people who are not capable of controlling their own behavior.

What is a psychiatric expert and how does their role differ from that of the clinician? What must you consider before deciding to serve as an expert witness?

Although it may be tempting to say that almost any rewarding activity can become addicting, new research appears to indicate that, at least in the case of Internet use, that may not be the case. In fact, "Internet addiction" may actually be a sign for other psychiatric disorders.

In the 1800s there was widespread concern over the increase in the number of individuals with severe mental illnesses. Evidence from the 20th and 21st centuries is building that shows a similar trend. Why, then, is this increase not being currently addressed?

Despite the fact that recent juries have discounted repressed-memory testimony as viable, the emotional cost of such cases still takes its toll. Why are such cases so controversial, and how can psychiatrists avoid their pitfalls?

Psychiatrists can help employers better understand the effects of personality disorders on employment litigation. This article looks at some of the consequences that personality disorders may have on employees' work conduct and the role of these disorders in settling employment legal claims.

Public perceptions are that the insanity defense occurs far more commonly than records indicate. In fact, the insanity defense is used in less than 1% of criminal proceedings and is successful in approximately one-quarter of those cases. Furthermore, defendants who are found insane spend as much, or more, time in state custody than their criminally convicted counterparts.