Goldwater After Trump

The “Goldwater rule,” a policy adopted by the American Psychiatry Association (APA) in 1973, prohibits organization members from diagnosing or offering professional opinions regarding the mental health of public figures without both first-hand evaluation and authorization. Initially developed in response to a controversial survey of APA members during the 1964 Presidential election campaign, the ethics rule faced few large scale challenges until the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Since that time, a significant number of psychiatrists have either violated or criticized the rule openly. This paper argues that whatever the initial merits of the rule, the prohibition has since been rendered obsolete by the combined lack of professional consensus supporting the policy, absence of a meaningful enforcement mechanism, and the credible statements of non-APA members in the mental health professions regarding public figures.

Meta-Analysis of the Dose–Response Relationship of SSRIs in Adult Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

This chapter provides a summary of a landmark study on adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Discussion here is based on a meta-analysis from nine prominent clinical studies. Are there any differences in efficacy and tolerability among different doses of, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in the treatment of OCD? Starting with that question, it describes the basics of the study, including funding, study location, who was studied, how many patients, study design, study intervention, follow-up, endpoints, results, and criticism and limitations. The chapter briefly reviews other relevant studies and American Psychiatry Association (APA) guideline information, discusses implications, and concludes with a relevant clinical case.

Desmitificación del uso medicinal de la marihuana: argumentos médicos, científicos y sociales en contra de su legalización

El consumo de marihuana es un tema controversial, aún más con la intensa campaña global para legalizarlo, argumentando sus beneficios medicinales; ocultándose sus efectos adictivos. El presente trabajo explica cómo esta droga afecta la estructura y funcionamiento del sistema nervioso. Los neurotransmisores involucrados en el proceso adictivo como la dopamina, involucrada con la sensación de placer, los receptores cannabinoides CB1 y CB2 con mayor distribución en el sistema nervioso central y periférico, respectivamente, los cuales además están asociados a alteraciones de la motivación y habilidades cognitivas. Hay variada información que refuerza la asociación entre el uso de marihuana y el debut o recaída de los trastornos psiquiátricos. La APA (American Psychiatry Association) considera que la marihuana no es beneficiosa para el tratamiento de trastornos psiquiátricos, además advierte que su uso afecta el neurodesarrollo.