Correctional Psychiatry (May)

Date of Issue: 05/01/2016 | Volume: 14 | Number: 5

Issue Links:Learning Objectives | Editorial Information

Practicing psychiatry in a prison setting is just different from doing so in a traditional care environment. In this issue, we look at what you need to know to provide effective mental health care inside the walls, including advice for using psychopharmacology to treat inmates.

In This Issue

Article

Psychopharmacology in Jails: An Introduction

Topics: Antidepressants | Antipsychotics | Anxiety Disorder | Gender & Sexuality | Practice Tools and Tips | Psychopharmacology Tips

There is a high demand for psychiatric care in U.S. correctional facilities. At any given time, about 1% of the adult population is incarcerated, and many of them have a psychiatric disorder of some sort.

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Article

Correctional Psychiatry: Salary and Benefits Are Generous

Topics: Practice Tools and Tips

The average annual wage for U.S. psychiatrists in 2015 is about $194,000 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). According to a 2011 salary survey, the average salary of a prison psychiatrist in the U.S. is $204,909. And these averages are probably on the low side.

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Expert Q&A

The Experience of Correctional Psychiatry

Topics: Antidepressants | Antipsychotics | Anxiety Disorder | Gender & Sexuality | Practice Tools and Tips | Psychopharmacology Tips | PTSD

Dr. Patrick Gariety shares his experiences as a treatment clinician working in a facility with about 300 psychiatric patients, staffed with five psychiatrists and eight psychologists. The psychiatric population was extremely mixed, with most of the patients suffering from some form of chronic mental illness, and/or severe personality disorders.

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Research Update

Ongoing ECT Does Not Equal Ongoing Cognitive Problems

Topics: Brain Devices | Research Update

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is well known to cause short-term amnesia and disorientation around the time of treatment. However, for most of our patients, these cognitive side effects improve and disappear fairly quickly, usually within a few days. We have less information about how long-term ECT may affect our patients, such as those who have had multiple courses over the years, or those who have undergone maintenance monthly treatments. A recent study provides us with some reassuring data.

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Research Update

Second-Generation Antipsychotics Do Not Raise Risk of Major Malformations

Topics: Antipsychotics | Psychopharmacology Tips | Research Update

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) are used for a variety of psychiatric conditions, but even though they’ve been around for 20 years, we know little about what impact they have on the developing fetus. These medications are widely considered to be relatively safe during pregnancy, but this assumption is based on scant evidence. In this paper, researchers tapped into the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) National Pregnancy Registry of Atypical Antipsychotics and reported some reassuring results.

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CME Post-Test

Take The CME Test For Correctional Psychiatry, TCPR, May 2016

After reading the issue, click here to take the CME test and earn your certificate.

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