Psychiatric Times Through the Years: The Last 5 Years in April Covers

During the 40th anniversary of Psychiatric Times, we are taking a look back at our covers over the last 5 years.

2020

At 9:02AM on the morning of April 19, 1995, a rental truck filled with explosives was detonated outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Phebe Tucker, MD, DLFAPA, reflected on the events of this tragedy 25 years later in our April 2020 cover. Tucker was part of the recovery efforts, meeting at the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center with civilians who had been close to the federal building, and seeing patients at an outpatient clinic who felt the “additive effects of the bombing.” The community felt the after effects of this event for weeks and years to come, shared Tucker. Data prove this: In a study of 255 who were directly exposed to the blast, about one-third had a PTSD diagnosis, about 80% had witnessed death or injuries, and 77% required medical attention. Then, 7 years later, 26% still suffered from PTSD while many others had subclinical PTSD symptoms. Moreover, almost 19 years following the event, another study found that 23.2% of directly exposed survivors met threshold criteria for probable PTSD. Read more.

Psychiatric Times, vol. 37 no. 4

At least 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Male victims of sexual assault are forgotten or neglected due to shame, stigma, and more—but our April 2020 Cover 2 took a closer look. Joan M. Cook, PhD, and Amy E. Ellis, PhD, shared key considerations for working with male survivors of sexual trauma. These considerations include (1) assess for trauma and modify language when necessary, (2) work to reduce the power differential, (3) avoid assumptions regarding masculinity, (4) avoid terms like therapy to reduce discomfort around mental health issues, (5) respond sensitively, and (6) integrate additional services and resources. Read more.

2021

Psychiatric Times, vol. 38 no. 4

The rhetoric surrounding electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a foundational treatment for the field of interventional psychiatry, can sometimes become incredibly heated. For our April 2021 Cover, Horacio A. Capote, MD, introduces a point-counterpoint series on this controversial treatment. John Read, PhD; Sarah Hancock, MS, CRC; and Sue Cunliffe, MBchB, RCPCH, share their article, “ECT: Dangerous on Either Side of the Pond,” in which they conclude that ECT shows no evidence of being better than placebo, and in fact causes persistent or permanent memory loss in 12% to 55% of patients. On the opposite side, Michael E. Henry, MD, shares his article, “ECT: An Effective and Safe Treatment,” in which he concludes that concerns about ECT stem from outdated studies. Furthermore, Henry shares that there are more than 75 years of clinical experience supporting the efficacy of ECT. What side do you fall on? Read more here to decide.

COVID-19, while distressing, may have offered a reprieve for patients with social anxiety and autism spectrum disorder, who felt relieved to be free from social obligations and working from home. Sharon Packer, MD, examined the differential effects on the pandemic, as not 100% of the population suffered similarly. Packer suggests this “other side of the COVID-19 pandemic” is demonstrative of a need for change in external environments, for which psychiatrists and mental health clinicians can help advocate: “Should we not also concern ourselves with adapting workplaces to meet the needs of our patients?” Read more.

2022

Psychiatric Times, vol. 39 no. 4

By the end of 2021, many American adults found themselves in the worst mental state in years. A study took a look at mental health by state, and concluded that the best state overall for mental health care was Maryland and the worst was Mississippi. Additionally, Massachusetts had the fewest uninsured inhabitants, whereas Texas had the most uninsured inhabitants. Vermont had the most mental health providers per capita, and South Carolina had the least. Utah had the highest rate of suicidal thoughts, and New Jersey had the lowest. Learn more here.

For our April 2022 Cover 2, Ronald W. Pies, MD, took a look overseas at Russia and questioned whether governments/societies can be “paranoid” in the psychiatric sense. Better yet, he asked whether psychiatrists have a unique role to play in helping world leaders understands the psychodynamics of societal paranoia. There are several risk factors for “paranoid government disorder,” including weak civil society, unstable democratic institutions, significant inequality, and systemic corruption. Perhaps psychiatrists are in a unique position to serve as consultants to intergovernmental organizations dedicated to conflict resolution, Pies determined. This cover from 3 years ago remains relevant. Learn more here.

2023

Psychiatric Times, vol. 40 no. 4

In the April 2023 cover, we took a closer look at gun violence and its relationship with mental health. Public responses to mass shootings often include speculations about the shooter’s mental state, with politicians and commentators across party lines responding to mass shootings by stating that mental illness is a—if not the—reason for the incidents. It is also not uncommon for media outlets to make connections between mental illness and gun violence in their reports. According to a CBS News poll from June 2022, 47% of respondents believe mass shootings are more common in the United States than in other countries because of mental health issues. But psychiatric clinicians feel differently: only about 20% of mass shooters have a major mental illness, which does not account for the nearly daily mass shootings in the US. Read more.

Black adolescents are frequently overlooked in discussions of the youth mental health crisis, shared Amanda Calhoun, MD, MPH. In psychological research, race is rarely mentioned and when it is, race-inclusive articles are authored and edited by almost all white scholars. Psychiatry itself remains a white-dominated field. Calhoun shared that she commonly observes a lack of empathy toward Black patients, and implores psychiatry to change the way it views Black patients, children in particular. Read more.

2024

Psychiatric Times, vol. 41 no. 4

For the April 2024 Cover, we created a package of articles focused on a huge issue: suicide. According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate in the United States reached its highest peak since 1941. Both genders saw increases, with a 2% increase for male suicides and a 4% increase for female suicides. The most common methods of suicide included firearms (54.6%), suffocation (25.8%), and poisoning (11.6%). According to psychiatric clinicians, the causes for this increase include trauma, COVID-19, a broken health care system, and increased loneliness. Potential solutions included increased use of telepsychiatry, increased screening, and the utilization and funding of 988. Read more here.