The American Psychiatric Association represents us, but those who work for the APA are primarily salaried, hospital-based administrators in academic positions, and are largely removed from the day-in day-out treatment of patients. We need to redefine the mission of psychiatry by creating a task force including psychiatrists in private practice. Without committed advocacy from a wide variety of psychiatrists, many of us will continue to be critically underutilized. Ultimately, the losers will be our patients.
Dr. Cohen is in private practice and is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and psychiatric consultant at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.