American Psychiatric Association to issue a statement warning of the dangers of “arm-chair psychiatry”.
“We at the APA call for an end to psychiatrists providing professional opinions in the media about public figures whom they have not examined, whether it be on cable news appearances, books, or in social media,” the group wrote, adding “Arm-chair psychiatry or the use of psychiatry as a political tool is the misuse of psychiatry and is unacceptable and unethical.”
“A proper psychiatric evaluation requires more than a review of television appearances, tweets and public comments,” the group added, further noting that “Psychiatrists are medical doctors; evaluating mental illness is no less thorough than diagnosing diabetes or heart disease. The standards in our profession require review of medical and psychiatric history and records and a complete examination of mental status.”
