Psychiatric Times Through the Years: the Last 5 Years in January Covers

Take a look back at the last 5 January covers of Psychiatric Times.

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

Psychiatric Times Vol. 37 No. 1

2020

In the January 2020 issue of Psychiatric Times, the cover story discusses the mental health crisis brought on by 2019 Hong Kong protests. Direct exposure to violence, familial conflicts over political views, economic downturns, and pervasive media coverage of traumatic events brought on the mental health crisis. Reports at the time indicated a rise in acute stress disorder symptoms and exacerbation of existing mental health conditions. The Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists launched the Care4ALL Programme, which offered mental health resources and low-cost psychiatric care. Experts warned that the psychological impact may persist for decades, necessitating sustained support and policy interventions to rebuild a more resilient society. Read more.

The second cover story highlights an issue in US mental health care: over treatment of those without severe conditions and neglect of those with serious mental illness. "The horrible result is that 600,000 patients are either prisoners or homeless-or rotate between the two," Allen Frances, MD writes. Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vol. 38 No. 1

2021

In the January 2021 issue, Editor in Chief John J. Miller, MD, highlights 10 promising psychiatric drugs in development. Two of the agents being tested at the time were ALKS 3831, a combination of alanzapine and samidorphan to reduce weight gain associated with olanzapine, and MIN-101, targeting sigma-2 receptors to improve negative and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. Read more.

The second featured story discussed the surge in mental health issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fear of infection, social isolation, economic hardship, and exposure to pandemic-related media all contributed to this surge, earning the term “post-COVID stress disorder” to describe the phenomenon. “The current international pandemic and possibly future ones will challenge us and give us the chance to continue to learn and share with other nations, hopefully linking us cooperatively rather than polarizing us,” the authors conclude. Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vol. 39 No. 1

2022

In the January 2022 issue of Psychiatric Times, the cover article discusses the pervasive impact of social determinants on mental health and advocates for enhanced training, practice, and advocacy within psychiatry. Authors Kenneth S. Thompson, MD, and Allan Tasman, MD, cite factors like socioeconomic status, environment, and education as the determinants affecting mental well-being. According to the authors, “It takes a great deal of effort and time to gain enough perspective to see the incredibly complex social aspects of our world and to learn how they can be shaped for ourselves and others.” The authors said the American Psychiatric Association should prioritize these determinants, and stress that recognizing and addressing these social factors are crucial for the future effectiveness of psychiatric practice. Read more.

The second featured story discusses the Goldwater Rule, prohibiting psychiatrists from offering professional opinions on public figures without a personal examination and authorization. Authors Alan D. Blotcky, PhD; Ronald W. Pies, MD; and H. Steven Moffic, MD, acknowledge the rule’s original intent to prevent speculative diagnoses but argue that ethical guidelines should evolve. They propose refining the rule to allow psychiatrists to comment on public figures’ behavior when it poses a threat to public health or safety, if that commentary is based on observable actions and aligns with the profession’s commitment to societal well-being. The authors concluded, “our representative democracy functions best when all its citizens are active, vocal, and assertive.” Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vol. 40 No. 1

2023

The January 2023 cover of Psychiatric Times features a piece from Editor in Chief John J. Miller discussing the stagnation in schizophrenia treatment. At the time, all FDA-approved medications primarily functioned as dopamine-2 receptor blockers. Miller walks readers through the history of first, second, and third generation antipsychotics. Clozapine is highlighted as the most effective antipsychotic, even in treatment-resistant cases, due to its activity at specific serotonin receptors. Read more.

“Forgive Our Divisiveness” is the second story featured on the cover, written by J. Eric Vance, MD. Vance explores the human tendency for dualistic thinking, categorizing concepts into binaries like us vs them. The inclination is traced back to early evolutionary biology, where organisms had to make simple, binary decisions, like approach or avoid, in order to survive. “If we acknowledge and understand the origins of our dualistic neurobiological constraints, we can generate compassion for the human condition, arriving at the point of acceptance that Buddha did,” Vance concludes. Read more.

Psychiatric Times Vo. 41 No. 1

2024

The cover story in January 2024, written by Editor in Chief John J. Miller, MD, is part 1 of a 2-part series focusing on emerging treatments for schizophrenia. Miller discusses the need for new drugs targeting cognitive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Miller discusses the clinical significance KarTX, emraclidine, iclepertin, roluperidone, and evenamide. Read more.

In “Medication-Assisted Psychotherapy: The Past and Future of Psychiatry” authors Ioannis Alex Malidelis, MD; Andrew Hunt, MD; and Awais Aftab, MD, discuss recent reliance on medication management over psychotherapy as treatment, despite recognition that pharmacology alone often falls short. The authors say the optimal approach integrates both pharmacological and psychosocial treatments. The authors discuss psychedelic-assisted therapies, like MDMA and ketamine, which aim to combine the neurochemical benefits of medications with the transformative potential of psychotherapy. “As opposed to the currently dominant model of medication as the primary treatment modality, many of these approaches emphasize the importance of the experience itself and point to the ways in which medications alter the neurobiology to facilitate neuroplasticity, learning, and behavioral modifications,” the authors write. Read more.