American Psychiatric Association
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The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is an organization of physicians who specialize in the practice of psychiatry. It was founded in 1844 to address diagnostic and treatment concerns regarding persons with mental disorders and now includes care for those with intellectual disabilities and substance disorders as well.
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Areas of Professional Concern
The APA provides its members with various resources targeting such areas of professional concern as:
• ethics and conduct
• psychiatric treatment practices
• advocacy for standards of care and patient rights
• educational opportunities for physicians
• networking
• research
The Mission Statement of APA
The mission statement of the APA includes commitment to the following:
• humane care
• effective treatment
• psychiatric education and research
• advancing the field of psychiatry
• serving the professional needs of its members
APA Values
The APA has a set of professional values that include:
• best practices
• ethical standards of professional conduct
• prevention, access to care and sensitivity for patients
• compassion for the families of patients
• advocacy for patients
• lifelong professional learning
• collegial support
APA Ethics
The practices of all physicians in the United States are governed by the Principles of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA). Members of the APA are also governed by the ethics specific to the practice of psychiatry presented in the Principles of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry (latest revision 2009). The ethics of all physicians cited by The Principles of Medical Ethics of the AMA include sections that address:
• the patient as paramount concern
• competency
• compassion
• human dignity and rights
• honesty
• impaired or deficient physicians
• rights of patients, colleagues and other health professionals
• confidences and privacy
• medical education
• consultation
• community and public health
• access to medical care
Annotations to the ethical guidelines of the American Medical Association that include guidelines specifically for psychiatrists address certain prohibitions of practice and conduct in psychiatry such as:
• patient exploitation
• discrimination based on ethnic origin, race, sex, creed, age, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation
• dual relationships
Other ethical guidelines specific to psychiatrists include:
• child and adolescent psychiatric practices
• business management
• fees
• informed consent
• duty to report to authorities
• referrals
• forensic issues
APA Publications
The APA publishes books, journals and other media about mental health and behavioral science for psychiatrists, medical students, medical residents and other mental health professionals.
APA journals
The APA publishes journals for the field of psychiatry that include:
• American Journal Of Psychiatry
• Psychiatric Services
• Neural Psychiatry And Clinical Neurosciences
• Psychosomatics
• Psychiatric News
Evidence-Based Guidelines for Psychiatric Practice
The APA publishes evidence-based psychiatric practice guidelines about such clinical issues as:
• Psychiatric Evaluation Of Adults
• Acute Stress Disorder And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Alzheimer's Disease And Other Dimensions
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Delirium
• HIV/AIDS
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Suicidal Behaviors
APA Textbooks
The APA publishes textbooks for psychiatrists-in-training such as:
• Textbook Of Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky & Gabbard
• Treatments Of Psychiatric Disorders, Gabbard
• Textbook Of Psychotherapeutic Treatments, Gabbard
• Textbook Of Geriatric Psychiatry, Blazer & Steffens
• Dulcan’s Textbook Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Dulcan
• Textbook Of Substance Abuse Treatment, Galanter & Kleber
• The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook Of Psychopharmacology, Schatzberg & Nemeroff
• Manual Of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Schatzberg, Cole & Debattista
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
The APA publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which is used by mental health professions to categorize and diagnose mental disorders. The categories of diagnoses and criteria for each diagnosis provide a universalized clinical language through which patient information is communicated. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders provides information used in research done on mental disorders, intellectual disabilities and substance disorders. The manual is commonly referred to as “The DSM” and is now in its fourth edition.
Diagnoses are given in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders along five “axes” which describe distinct elements of each disorder. These are:
• Axis I: mental disorders including substance disorders, developmental disorders and learning disorders
• Axis II: personality disorders and mental retardation
• Axis III: medical and physical conditions
• Axis IV: psychosocial and environmental factors related to the disorder
• Axis V: assessment of functioning
APA Resources for Psychiatrists
The APA provides various career development and career management resources for psychiatrists and psychiatrists-in-training. These include:
• medical education programs and activities for medical students and practicing psychiatrists
• resources for psychiatric residents and fellows
• conferences featuring research, practice strategies and treatment
• ethics workshops and other ethics-related resources
• library and archive resources
• education and resources for HIV psychiatry
• disaster psychiatry education, network and resources
• career development information and resources for early career psychiatrists
• malpractice insurance
Electronic Health Records
The APA provides its members with information about record-keeping utilizing electronic means. Information on privacy and security of health records, technical standards, available technology and the use of tools for electronic health record-keeping are available to its members.
APA and Special Interest Groups
The APA provides special interest groups for its membership that address particular concerns of psychiatric practice and career development and management. These include:
• Early Career Psychiatrists—for members within their first 7 years of practice after training.
• Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual—information and resources for gay and lesbian psychiatrists.
• Medical Students—information about psychiatry as a career and educational opportunities
• Minority and Underrepresented Group Caucuses—for minority psychiatrists to address issues and promote needed change.
• Office of International Activities—provides opportunities for collaboration with psychiatrists in other nations.
• Residents & Members in Training—information for medical residents and fellows about awards, fellowships, educational opportunities and training.
• Women’s Program—information and resources for women psychiatrists.
