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APA Announces New Psychiatric News Alert 

ARLINGTON, Va. (July 13, 2011)—Psychiatric News Alert reports breaking news on topics such as clinical psychiatry, psychiatric research, legislative and regulatory updates, health policy, APA advocacy initiatives, and lifelong learning. The Psychiatric News Alert also highlights major findings reported in APA’s leading periodicals, the American Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Services. scroll to Subscribe Via Email on the right and enter your email address.

New APA Publication on Preventing Bullying and School Violence

ARLINGTON, Va. (Sept. 14, 2011) — Results from numerous surveys indicate that many students do not feel safe in school, resulting in academic and psychological consequences for children and youth.  A new publication from American Psychiatric Publishing, a division of the American Psychiatric Association, offers clinicians, school counselors, and administrators practical guidelines and strategies for addressing bullying and school violence and creating a safe climate for students.

The authors of Preventing Bullying and School Violence, Stuart W. Twemlow, M.D. and Frank C. Sacco, Ph.D., contend that inadequate attention has been given to the role of mental health professionals in preventing bullying and school violence. They propose a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, one that draws upon the skills of the educational, health care, and mental health communities in identifying risk, choosing appropriate interventions, and implementing targeted wellness programs.

The authors see bullying as a process—a characteristic of the social system—not a problem originating with a single troubled person. Thus, they believe that bullying behaviors can be effectively addressed only by targeting the broader social context—the coercive power and group dynamics that breed and maintain bullying and violent behavior in the school setting.

“In looking at the bullying process as a social rather than an individual problem, the scope of the mental health professional’s intervention becomes more complicated, but also more effective…The overall health and welfare of children is much benefited by a more global climate approach, which in turn seems to improve academic standards,” the authors note.

This book is intended to empower mental health professionals to work confidently in educational settings and provides a model for tackling violent behavior in the school context. It includes

·   strategies for working effectively with the complex social bureaucracies (e.g., school boards and governmental agencies);

·   ways to define and recognize at-risk children who require special attention;

·   innovative community interventions; and

·   techniques for promoting wellness among the student population—not just physical wellness, but also the positive attitudes and coping skills that are the hallmarks of mental health.

For Information Contact:                                                                                                

Bob Pursell (APP)                                                                                                September 14, 2011     703-907-7893, bpursell@psych.org                                                                 

Release No. 11-47                                              

Jennifer Dart (APA)     703-907-8536, jdart@psych.org     

American Psychiatric Publishing is the world’s premier publisher of books, journals, and multimedia on psychiatry, mental health and behavioral science. APP offers authoritative, up-to-date and affordable information geared toward psychiatrists, other mental health professionals, psychiatric residents, medical students and the general public. Visit www.appi.org and www.PsychiatryOnline.com.

The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society whose physician members specialize in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research of mental illnesses including substance use disorders. Visit the APA at www.psych.org and www.HealthyMinds.org.