AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION
SEPTEMBER 1997
TIPSHEET TWO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 18, 1997
Release no. 97-37
Melissa Saunders Katz
(202) 682-6142 /[email protected]
www. psych.org
Journal articles abstracted in this tipsheet are available in their entirety by calling APAFastFAX at 1-888-267-5400 and selecting the appropriate document number for the article you want (numbers listed below).
Highlights from the September Issue of Psychiatric Services
TWO DECADES OF PSYCHIATRIC LEADERSHIP:
AN INTERVIEW WITH MELVIN SABSHIN, M.D.
"The atrophy of psychotherapeutic skills among psychiatrists due to the increase d use of medications to treat mental disorders is one of the current dangers faced by psychiatry," obser ves Melvin Sabshin, M.D., medical director of the American Psychiatric Association in an interview in this month's issue. He calls for "increased research on combining psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological treatments in a way that is not simply additive but that constitutes a wholly new field." Dr. Sabsh in, who will retire October 1 after 23 years as APA's medical director, comments on the gains psychiatry has realized as it has moved toward scientific evidence-based treatments with solid theoretical framewo rks. [From "Melvin Sabshin Reflects on Two Decades at the Helm of the APA." For more information, contact Melissa Saunders Katz, American Psychiatric Association, 202-682-6142; f ax 202-682-6255, e-mail, [email protected].] APAfastFAX #6914
49TH INSTITUTE ON PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES PROVIDES DOZENS OF STORY IDEAS
The American Psychiatric Association sponsors the Institute on Psychiatric Servi ces as a "hands on" meeting for professionals who provide care to people with mental illnesses and s ubstance abuse disorders. The Institute focuses on treatment issues in an intimate discussion f ormat. The 49th Institute on Psychiatric Services will be held October 24-28, 1997 in Washington, DC at th e Omni Shoreham.
For more information or a preliminary program please contact Erin Murphy (202) 6 82-6324. Members of the media may attend at no cost. On-site media register in the APA Press Office . If you are unable to attend, the press office can assist with information and materials to cover the meeting off-site.
Selected Topics of Interest at the Institute:
Living with HIV/AIDS While in Psychotherapy - Sunday, October 26
Gender Differences in Mood Disorders, Monday, October 27
Talking About Depression: Models and Metaphors, Friday, October 24
Depression in Children Grades Six through Ten, Sunday, October 26
Cultural Issues and Mentally Ill African-Americans, Sunday, October 26
Hispanic Mental Health: Clinical and Cultural Issues, Monday, October 27
Ethical Issues in Managed Mental Health Care, Saturday, October 25
Virtual Reality in Mental Health, Saturday, October 25
You've Come a Long Way Baby: Professional Women in 1997, Saturday, October 25
Racism: Mental or Social Problem? Monday, October 27
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
September 29-October 30, 1997 -- Media briefing opportunities by telephone with psychiatric experts on religion and mental health. Contact Erin Murphy, media relation s assistant, (202) 682-6324, e-mail: [email protected]
October 5-11, 1997 -- Mental Illness Awareness Week 1997. Contact Walter H ill, APA's Manager of Network Communications at (202) 682-6122, e-mail: [email protected]
October 9, 1997 -- National Depression Screening Day, a Mental Illness Awar eness Week event. Contact Barbara Kopans at the National Depression Screening Day Project (617) 239-0071.
October 24-28, 1997 Washington, DC -- American Psychiatric Association Inst itute on Psychiatric Services. Contact Erin Murphy, media relations assistant, (202 ) 682-6324, e-mail: [email protected]
FREE RESOURCES FOR MEDIA
We encourage journalists to offer free copies of APA public awareness materials on mental illness and psychiatric issues in society.
Free pamphlets include:
Alzheimer's Disease,
Anxiety Disorders,
Childhood Disorders,
Coping with AIDS and HIV,
Depression,
Eating Disorders,
Manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder),
Mental Illness: An Overview,
Mental Health of the Elderly,
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder,
Panic Disorder,
Phobias,
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Psychiatric Medications,
Schizophrenia,
Substance Abuse,
Teen Suicide,
Choosing a Psychiatrist
Free fact sheets include:
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT),
Gay and Lesbian Issues,
Patient/Therapist Sexual Contact,
Pedophilia
Psychiatric Diagnosis and the DSM-IV,
Violence and Mental Illness,
When Disaster Strikes
Other resources:
Media Spokespersons -
APA can provide psychiatrists to speak on a
variety of topics. Contact Erin Murphy (202)
682-6324 to set up an interview.
Mental Illness Awareness Guide for Media -
Includes background information on mental
illness and treatments and a glossary of
psychiatric terms.
Need a Psychiatrist? Doctors-on-Call (D-O-C) program matches leaders in the psyc hiatric community with reporters writing about mental illness and mental health issues. D-O-Cs are available by phone in the office or at home, by beeper or e-mail to provide repo rters with background on mental illnesses, reaction to developing news, or referrals other psychiatrists. Contact Melissa Saunders Katz at (202) 682-6142 or e-mail [email protected] for more details.
The text of this tipsheet (APA FastFAX #6146) and other materials for media are available in electronic formats:
Newswise -- http://www.newswise.com -- visit SciNews-MedNews
Compuserve's Journalism Forum (go jforum), SciNews-MedNews library (section 17) search for files with the extension ".APA" (e.g. "TIP10997.APA")
APA's website -- http://www.psych.org -- check out our "News Stand"
Get your news via APAFastFAX! Call 1-888-267-5400 and select the document numbe r to have an item faxed to you. Other APA materials for media are also available through APAFastF AX -- just call for the menu. For more information on these topics or other areas of interest, contact Erin Murphy, APA Media Assistant, (202) 682-6324, e-mail: [email protected].
The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society, fo unded in 1844, whose 42,000 physician members specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional illnesses and substance use disorders. APA objectives include the advancement and improv ement of care for persons with mental illnesses through nationwide public information, education, and awareness programs and materials.
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