After years of specialized training in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy, it can feel foreign or uncomfortable to prescribe a nonpsychiatric medication, such as an antibiotic, to a patient in need. Uncertainty about psychiatrists’ scope of practice leaves many of us feeling...

  Your hospitalized patient tells you that he is angry with his sister and intends to “bash her brains in.” He tells you she is sending him messages through the television that say she is going to kill him. Nurses...

When our patients become agitated and threatening, we often think first about chemical or physical restraints—especially when staff’s physical safety seems at imminent risk. But it’s important to remember that coercive interventions can be humiliating and may lead to more...

CHPR: Can you start by telling us what criteria you use to assess capacity? Dr. Cheung: We generally look for evidence of capacity in four domains. These have become the standard criteria for assessing capacity, based on Dr. Paul Appelbaum’s...