Year in Review: Top Blogs and Features

Here are a few of this year's popular features on our website, in no particular order. Thanks for making 2013 a great year.History of PsychiatryThe Medicalization of Grief: What We Can Learn From 19th-Century Nervousness, by Greg Eghigian, PhDA multitude of concerns have been raised about the DSM-5 revisions in the definition of depression. Many worry that eliminating the bereavement exception in the guidelines for the diagnosis of major depressive disorder represents a dangerous move. Here, an historical view.Tales From the New AsylumTruth, by James L. Knoll IV, MDThe need has been with us for so very long. We slowly uncover the facts of science, but perpetually stumble in the dark in search of truth, with only a diallelon of words to dimly light our way.InterviewBrain on Fire: An Interview With Susannah Cahalan, by Howard L. Forman, MDThe case that brought the neurological diagnosis of anti–NMDA receptor autoimmune encephalitis to the forefront.Couch in CrisisGrief and Depression: The Sages Knew the Difference, by Ronald W. Pies, MDWhile it is true that the intense grief of bereavement and major depressive disorder often share some features-for example, tearfulness, insomnia, low mood, and decreased appetite-there are many substantive differences.In MemoriamEulogies for Psychiatrists Who Inspired, by H. Steven Moffic, MDA range of psychiatrists are remembered-from pioneers in psychoanalysis to trance studies; from psychopharmacology to reality therapy; from the normality of homosexuality to the psychopathology of “brain fag” syndrome; from flowers to film; from childhood to old age; from everyday clinicians to courageous challengers of the status quo; and from student to expert.DSM-5My 12 Best Tips on Psychiatric Diagnosis, by Allen Frances, MDHere are 12 tips on how best to ensure accurate and safe diagnosis, based on the introduction to Dr Allen Frances' book, The Essentials of Psychiatric Diagnosis.FilmIron Man 3: Reconciling Psychiatry’s Warring Camps, by Sharon Packer, MDThe subtext of Iron Man III speaks directly to psychiatry. Minds can communicate with machines in real life, and not just in reel life.EthicsThe Moral Struggles of Practicing Psychiatrists, by Cynthia M. A. Geppert, MD, PhD, MPHHow often are you confronted with an ethical dilemma in your clinical practice? How comfortable-and how prepared-are you to deal with these issues? Have the ethical dilemmas you face become more difficult in recent years? Those are just a few of the questions posed in the Psychiatric Times Ethics Survey-a survey that turned out to be the largest ever of its kind.Residents CornerSeroconversion: From Unconscious to Conscious and Back, by Robert Nastasi, MDOne resident's journey of switching specialties from anesthesia to psychiatry, from operating room to office.Risk AssessmentAssessing Violence Risk: A Meteorological Analogy, by Robert I. Simon, MDBoth clinicians and weather forecasters employ the same general process of information gathering, analysis, and reaching a conclusion.