To the readers of Current Psychiatry,
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) informed me on 12-27-19 that my editorial in the December issue about my candidacy for APA President-Elect was unfair to the other candidates because they should have been invited to publish their own statements side-by-side with mine. I was not aware of this because the APA election rules allow a candidate to blog or write on all social media or to send a mass mailing unilaterally. I take full responsibility for my mistake and decided to inform the APA Board of Trustees that I am withdrawing my candidacy for APA President-Elect. I hope the elections will go smoothly and wish the APA well.
Please note that my loyalty to the APA is very strong. That’s why my January 2020 editorial strongly urges all psychiatrists to join (or rejoin) the APA because unity will make it more possible for us to advocate for our patients, increase access to mental health, eliminate stigma, achieve true parity, and raise the profile of psychiatry as a medical discipline.
As you may have read in my campaign statement, one of my major goals as a candidate was to change the name of the APA to the American Psychiatric Physicians Association, or APPA. This name change is critical so that the public knows our medical identity. It also will differentiate us from the other APA (American Psychological Association), which is the first to appear when anyone enters APA on Google or other search engines. I will lobby vigorously with the current APA president, the APA CEO, and whoever becomes President-Elect to get this name change approved by the Board of Trustees. I am very sure that the vast majority of psychiatrists will support such a name change.
Thank you and I hope 2020 will be a happy and healthy year for all of you, and for all our psychiatric patients.