End of Life, Aid in Dying, Harm Reduction Among Ethics Track Topics

The Ethics Track at this year’s Annual Meeting will feature speakers on contemporary clinical and research issues that engage the most fundamental ethics of the medical profession.

“The Ethics Track offers models and tools members may find useful in analyzing difficult dilemmas in their practice, from managing challenging matters like access and equity to deciding how to approach complex conditions or areas of practice,” said Philip Candilis, M.D., chair of the Ethics Track. “Past presentations have explored end-of-life issues, correctional ethics, cross-cultural approaches in the refugee crisis, standards of professionalism, women’s health, ethics of counterterrorism, research ethics, and many others.”

He is a professor of psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine and director of medical affairs at St. Elizabeths Hospital/Department of Behavioral Health in Washington, D.C.

Past APA presidents and current leaders in psychiatric ethics will participate in a session on the legal and ethical controversies surrounding medical aid in dying (MAID), calling on colleagues from Canada and geriatric psychiatry to explore the psychosocial and cultural factors that influence decision-making processes for both patients and healthcare clinicians.

The APA Ethics Committee’s annual session, “Psychiatric Dilemmas in Psychiatric Practice,” will respond to audience questions on dilemmas that arise in day-to-day practice and review the role and function of the committee itself. A panel on the responsible and equitable use of psychedelic therapies will review current research and the standards necessary for their advancement.

In keeping with the Annual Meeting’s focus on addiction, senior addictions specialists will describe comprehensive, integrated, public health approaches in working with substance use disorders, focusing on harm reduction and its ethical challenges. The panel “Incorporating Harm-Reduction Strategies Into the SBIRT Model” (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) emphasizes patient-driven approaches to risk reduction that are less stigmatizing and improve quality of life. Likewise, a panel on the current landscape of mandatory substance use treatment will focus on decision-making capacity and the ethics of treatment refusals, especially those that can be respected.

Candilis said, “The track is a unique combination of fundamental guidance and cutting-edge analysis, offering looks at a wide range of topics and perspectives. With psychiatry facing many intriguing and complex challenges, the exposure to multiple perspectives and models intends to enrich the experience for all those attending the Annual Meeting from all over the world.” ■