Author Archive
Good luck, graduates. As you enter college, dream big, have fun, and don't be afraid to talk about mental illness
Los Angeles Times By Robin Abcarian June 5, 2018 Hakeem Howard, a senior at Quince Orchard High School in suburban Maryland, was in his first-period class one morning listening to announcements when he heard that the school was looking for graduation speakers and valedictorians. Grade-wise, he told me, he... read more
American Psychiatric Association June 5, 2018 States that have laws allowing police to temporarily seize firearms from people deemed to be at risk of danger to self or others have experienced a decrease in the number of suicides involving firearms, according to a report in Psychiatric Services in Advance. In recent years,... read more
American Psychiatric Association May 31, 2018 APA is urging an immediate halt to a new Trump administration policy that separates children from their parents at the U.S. border. “As physician experts in mental health, the American Psychiatric Association opposes any policy that separates children from their parents at the... read more
In Elderly Hands, Firearms Can Be Even Deadlier
The New York Times By Paula Span May 25, 2018 Barbara Herrington, a geriatric care manager in Polk County, Fla., was calling on a 72-year-old woman with dementia and a long history of alcoholism. Ms. Herrington knew her client would be angry that morning. Her daughter had taken the car... read more
American Psychiatric Association May 24, 2018 More than 2 million times every year, individuals with serious mental illness are arrested. Moreover, more than half a million people with serious mental illness are incarcerated at any given time. In fact, 44% of jail inmates and 37% of state and federal... read more
In its push for profits, the U.S. health care system has made it difficult for patients to get personal attention from doctors. But what if hands-on medicine actually saves money and lives? New York Times By Kim Tingley May 16, 2018 In October 2014, my father was startled to receive a letter announcing the retirement,... read more
Mental Illness, Civil Liberty, and Common Sense
Psychiatric Times By Allen Frances, MD and Mark L. Ruffalo, LCSW May 3, 2018 COMMENTARY Dr. Frances is former Chair and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Duke University. He was the Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force. Mr. Ruffalo is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Adjunct Instructor of Social... read more
Los Angeles Times By Melissa Healy May 11, 2018 The man had been a patient for decades, retired now from a career in which firearms were a part of the job. He was enjoying his days hunting, or at the shooting range with friends. But episodes of confusion had led... read more
American Psychiatric Association News May 9, 2018 Adolescence has long been known as a time of vulnerability for the start of mental disorders and substance use, yet not enough is known about normal brain development and its variations. To fill that gap, a collaborative federal program is starting to take a... read more
National Public Radio, Inc By Anna Gorman May 4, 2018 When 47-year-old Edward Vega arrived in jail, he couldn't quiet the voices in his head. He felt paranoid, as though he was losing control. "I knew if I didn't get my medication, I was going to hurt someone," says... read more