Full access
Letters to the Editor
Published Online: 24 July 2018

Psychiatrists Need to Act

Publication: Psychiatrics News
Volume 53, Number 14
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2018.7b50
Track CitationsAdd to favorites

Psychiatrists Need to Act

I was relieved and grateful to read the statement issued by APA condemning the policy of separating children from their parents on our border.
I grew up in South Africa under apartheid. When that terrifying system finally ended, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission shone a light on ways in which ordinary people had perpetrated violence through those years and whether or not citizens took action to change things.
I believe there will one day be such a commission looking at the events in the United States of 2018. We will have to face the questions: what did we do, as individuals and as organizations, to stop the harm we saw being inflicted? What did we do when we heard the cries of children torn from their families? What action did we take when we knew that a father killed himself in a prison cell after his child was forcibly removed from his arms?
As psychiatrists, we have an ethical duty to speak out against child abuse and mental torture when we see it. I see both those happening in our country right now, and it is our job to name it, to report it, and to take action.
Paul Browde, M.D. (New York, N.Y.) ■

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatrics News
Volume 53 • Number 14 • July 7, 2018 – July 20, 2018

History

Published in print: July 7, 2018 – July 20, 2018
Published online: 24 July 2018

Keywords

  1. Child separation
  2. Trump
  3. Inhumane policies
  4. Border
  5. immigration

Authors

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

View Options

View options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.