October 2014
October is
Domestic Violence Prevention Month
Domestic violence is control by one partner over another in a dating, marital or live-in
relationship. Domestic violence occurs in every culture, country and age group.
It affects people from all socioeconomic, educational and religious backgrounds and takes place
in same sex as well as heterosexual relationships. Women with fewer resources or greater
perceived vulnerability—girls and those experiencing physical or psychiatric disabilities or
living below the poverty line—are at even greater risk for domestic violence and lifetime abuse.
Children are also affected by domestic violence, even if they do not witness it directly.
What You Can Do if You Are Being Abused?
While you cannot stop your partner’s abuse—only he or she can do that—you can find help and
support for yourself.
• Talk with someone you trust: a friend or relative, a neighbor, coworker or religious or spiritual
advisor.
• Tell your physician, nurse, psychiatrist or therapist about the abuse.
• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), your state domestic
violence coalition, and/or a local domestic violence agency.
• Call the police if you are in danger.
• Remember, you know your situation better than anyone else. Don’t let someone talk you into
doing something that isn’t right for you.
APA Twitter Chats
Want a way to keep up on Mental Health topics? Join the APA Twitter Chats at #YourMH each
Friday at Noon. APA's #YourMH Twitter chat series provides an opportunity for psychiatrists to
lead conversations on current mental health issues and be engaged with key influencers, allied
groups, and the public/patient community.
#YourMH chat takes place Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. ET. To join, use the hashtag #YourMH
(stands for "Your Mental Health") or tweet to @apapsychiatric. And during the chats, don't just
sit on the sidelines—tweet your comments, share your expertise.
October/November:
October 17: OCD
October 24: Domestic Violence Awareness
October 31: ADHD (Pending)
November 7: Anniversary of Final Parity Rule
Special Veterans Day chat on Monday/November 10
November 21: Caregivers/Alzheimer’s Disease
Wednesday/November 26: American Indians & Alaska Natives (Heritage Month)
The APA Meetings app is now available!
The APA Meetings app provides many features to enrich your experience at the IPS:
 Search the scientific program by day, format, topic or speaker.
 Add the sessions you want to attend to “My Schedule.”
 Use maps to view each floor of the meeting hotel and exhibit hall and browse the exhibitor
list.
 Receive real-time alerts from APA and provide feedback on individual sessions.
 Connect with your peers using the "attendees" and “friends” features.
To access the new APA Meetings app:
 Visit the App Store or Google Play and search for "APA Meetings,"
 Point your browser to m.core-apps.com/tristar_apa_events, or
 Scan the QR code.
Integrating Science and Care in a New Era of Population Health
The Institution on Psychiatric Services’ (IPS) scientific education program will highlight the
practical, clinical and evolving health care policy issues affecting psychiatry, particularly in light
of real-time development of the Affordable Care Act.
This year’s meeting will continue the trend of offering an exciting Integrated Care Track with
presentations from Integrated Care pioneers such as Lori Raney, M.D. and Jürgen Unützer,
M.D., M.P.H.
Experts from across the country and the spectrum of collaborative care will provide presentations
on a variety of topics including the integration of behavioral health and primary care in both
primary care clinics and in public mental health settings serving as health homes for the SMI
population, training the next generation of psychiatrists in these models, improving psychiatrists’
knowledge of common medical conditions and more.
View the online IPS Program Guide.
Be prepared to work in an Integrated Care setting by registering to attend IPS today!
By becoming an APA Member you will receive substantial savings on your IPS registration
rates! When you join the APA and your local District Branch/State Association, you become
part of a global organization of 35,000.
APA’s Department of Government Relations will be operating Engage
2014– a grassroots campaign designed to encourage our members to advocate on behalf of
the mental health community as well as increase participation in grassroots efforts among
the APA membership as a whole.
Many members of the House and Senate are vigilant about tracking constituents' views and
incorporating those views into their decision-making. By taking advantage of this
opportunity to educate lawmakers and raising awareness about our policy issues we are
increasing the chances that our voices will be heard.
In the coming weeks-before election day-APA will be engaging its leaders and advocates in
order to achieve payment equity under Medicaid. To learn more about this issue, click here
to read a letter APA sent to Congressional leadership in June. As plans for a post-election
"lame duck" session of Congress solidify, this page will be updated with mores ways for
YOU to get involved.
We must speak so that our representatives in Congress will have a better chance of making
sure their actions reflect our views and that of our patients. Here’s how to Engage!
Now Accepting Applications for the Improved 2015 Spurlock
Congressional Fellowship
The APA Jeanne Spurlock Congressional Fellowship is an opportunity for
residents, fellows and early career psychiatrists to represent the profession of
psychiatry on Capitol Hill. This is an exciting opportunity to see the inner
workings of a Congressional office, how legislation is developed and the impact
of community activism. To better align with the academic year, APA has
implemented a new timeline for this fellowship. The Spurlock Congressional
fellow would begin work on Capitol Hill on August 31, 2015 and complete the
10-month fellowship at the end of June 2016.
The deadline for submitting an application is December 19, 2014 with the selection and
announcement of the fellow by the end of January 2015. You can view the fellowship
announcement details, as well as information on past Congressional fellows and their
experiences on the Hill via the APA website.
APA has a number of new resources available to members who are potentially interested in
applying for the fellowship. First, we hope you will watch a brief video of Ellyn Johnson, M.D,
the 2014 Spurlock Congressional fellow as she describes the fellowship and her experience on
Capitol Hill. Dr. Johnson, who is currently active duty in the United States Air Force, served in
the House Armed Services Committee where she worked on military personnel issues including
mental healthcare.
If you are interested in the fellowship and would like to discuss it or have any questions, you can
now connect with Dr. Johnson as well as other former Congressional fellows and APA staff in a
Google Group dedicated to fellowship discussion. To become a Google group participant please
email Marilyn King, APA Division of Diversity and Health Equity.
2015 Distinguished Service Award Nominations
Nominations for the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) are now being accepted. Please submit
nominations to ctobita@psych.org by October 31st.
The DSA was established in 1964 by the Board of Trustees to honor an APA Distinguished
Fellow, Fellow, General Member, nonmember, or organization who has contributed exceptional
meritorious service to the field of psychiatry.
Nominations should include the full name and contact information for the nominee as well as a
150 word statement and CV describing the nominee's contributions to psychiatry.
2014 Distinguished Service Award Recipients
 Carl Bell, MD
 David Fassler, MD
 Ivan Goldberg, MD
 Laura Roberts, MD
 Joel Yager, MD
 The Jed Foundation
2013 Distinguished Service Award Recipients
 Ronald M. Burd, MD
 David J. Kupfer, MD
 The John A. Hartford Foundation
2012 Distinguished Service Award Recipients
 Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD
 Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD
 W. Walter Menninger, MD
 National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality
HHS Grant Announcement
HHS announces nearly $212 million in grants to prevent chronic diseases: Funded in part by the
Affordable Care Act. Grants focus on preventing tobacco use, obesity, diabetes, heart disease,
and stroke. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced nearly $212
million in grant awards to support programs aimed at preventing chronic diseases such as heart
disease, stroke and diabetes. Funded in part by the Affordable Care Act, the awards will
strengthen state and local programs aimed at fighting these chronic diseases, which are the
leading causes of death and disability in the United States, and help lower our nation's health
care costs. A total of 193 awards are being made to states, large and small cities and counties,
tribes and tribal organizations, and national and community organizations, with a special focus
on populations hardest hit by chronic diseases.