Are You a ‘Senior’ Psychiatrist?

You are a Senior Psychiatrist if you are a life member, life fellow, or distinguished life fellow of our American Psychiatric Association. There are about 8,000 APA members eligible for life status. In 2012, we formed an APA-allied organization with representation in the APA Assembly. On our website, www.seniorpsych.org, which is open to everyone, there are a number of resources of particular interest.

Many of us Senior Psychiatrists are maintaining full- or part-time clinical practices, whether in health centers or in our private offices. The deadly opioid crisis makes our detailed guidelines titled “Prescribing Controlled Substances: Managing the Risks” especially timely. On another topic in the news, and always of importance, we offer “Practical Pointers for Managing Risk When Treating Patients With Suicidal Behaviors.”

As seniors, we have a huge repository of clinical experience; therefore, we are often asked and happy to give advice to colleagues. “The ‘Curbside’ Consult and What It Means for You” will help you sort through the levels of advice you might offer and the obligations of each. With recent drastic changes in medical record keeping, you may be wondering about “Retaining and Discarding Psychiatric Records.” Another rapidly developing field is telepsychiatry; our “Telepsychiatry: A Primer” and “Telepsychiatry Checklist” will be very useful to those of us treating patients by electronic, rather than face-to-face, communication.

Some of us are embarking upon other new practice arrangements. Before signing a new contract, consult “Contract Liability Risks for Psychiatrists.” And some of us, hopefully to enjoy retirement but sometimes sadly because of illness, will find “Practical Pointers for Closing a Private Practice” a big help.

Membership in the Senior Psychiatrists is free and open to all APA life members. Have a look at our website, consider signing up with our new Mentorship Program, and join us at our reception each year at APA’s Annual Meeting. We would love to hear about your needs and activities. Just click on “Contact” at the Senior Psychiatrists website, and send us an email. ■

The website of APA’s Senior Psychiatrists is www.seniorpsych.org. The articles cited above can be accessed here.