THE PSYCHIATRIC JOURNAL  TM

PJ - the independent, online, non-profit psychiatric journal where thinking is allowed.

“All truth passes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Second, it is violently opposed.  Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” – Arthur Schopenhauer

The Psychiatric Journal is interested in publishing any articles related to mental health and/or quality of life.

How to Submit an Article for Publication in The Psychiatric Journal

    Individual authors are responsible for the syntax, grammar, semantics, content, and style of the articles they have written. Views expressed in articles published at the Psychiatric Journal website are solely those of the individual authors. Thus, publication of articles at the Psychiatric Journal website should not be taken as an endorsement of any aspect of these articles by the Psychiatric Journal.


Why Go Into Psychiatry? -- For anyone considering a career in psychiatry


GAP and the Future of Psychiatry – by John Tennison, MD, FGAP

CRITICAL ACCLAIM for “GAP and the Future of Psychiatry”:  ”I have just read your paper on GAP and I must tell you that in the same way that you say ‘GAP fulfills my dream of what psychiatry should be,’ your paper fulfills my dream of how a resident and a newly minted psychiatrist should perform.  Thank you so much for the comprehensive and beautifully written paper which clearly depicts many of the reasons we hang on to GAP and remain committed to it.  After reading it I felt the need to write to you to tell you how appreciative I am.” -- Paul Jay Fink, MD


Why we love the ones who hurt us:  Victims of abuse suffer from the Stockholm Syndrome too -- by Dr. Clinton R. Van Zandt, May 12, 2005


The Transcendent Child -- As Overcomer and Wounded Healer Regarding Verbal Abuse and Spiritual Abuse -- by Alice Carleton, October 12, 2004


Newspeak:  Manipulation of Language, Thought, and Behavior by Those in Power -- April 4, 2004


Why NOT Commit Suicide? - "Absurdolytic" Medications and the Wisdom of Albert Camus -- March, 2004


Anticipating Challenges to Prescription Rights - Thoughts on prescribing by psychologists


A Chief Resident's Mission Statement -- Timeless Principles supportive of residents' rights and quality of life -- issued December 4, 2001


A Chief Resident's Election Speech -- More Principles supportive of residents' rights and quality of life -- delivered December 18, 2001


The Development and Resolution of Existential Anxiety – Published February 22, 2003


Fellowships Available to Psychiatrists and Psychiatry Residents


Good Grief:  Hope and Despair in Effective Psychotherapy -- By David S. Fuller, M.D., UTHSCSA


The Three DSM Feature-Specifiers for Mood Episodes and Disorders


What is "Splitting" and How Does It Occur?


Psychodynamic Theories of the Mind


When Nomenclature is Harmful: Evidence Supporting the Use of the Word, "Addiction" Instead of "Dependence" in the Nomenclature of Substance Use Disorders


Value of Life (VOL):  The Fundamental Construct of Ultimatology


Spirituality and the Brain


A Recommended Backup Call System for Psychiatric Emergency Rooms


Dr. Tennison’s “The Five Ds of Psychiatry:” Danger, Distress, Dysfunction, Deterioration, and Decision-Making


Human Brain Imaging During Musical Activity


Localizing Neurological Lesions


Websites Related to Psychiatry


Doc Talk Radio Interview on Recreational Drugs with James Ferrell, MD, PhD and John Tennison, MD


The Past, Present, and Future of PDAs


Thoughtful Articles & Books from other Sources

    "The DSM's categorical nomenclature is stigmatizing and harmful to patients.  A better approach would be a nomenclature system that explicitly incorporates the continuous and quantifiable nature of all the signs and symptoms that form the basis for the categories (the so-called "disorders") of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)." -- John Tennison, M.D.

The Perspectives of Psychiatry, 2nd Edition -- by Paul R. McHugh, MD (Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine) and Phillip R. Slavney, MD.  "'The Perspectives of Psychiatry' is among the most important books ever written about psychiatry." -- John Tennison, MD, 1998

The Cult of Personality: How Personality Tests Are Leading Us to Miseducate Our Children, Mismanage Our Companies, and Misunderstand Ourselves by Annie Murphy Paul  "This book shows how psychological testing, like the DSM, over-simplifies the complexity of human beings, and causes people to make assumptions and expedient decisions that sometimes do more damage than good." --John Tennison, M.D.

Rethinking the DSM:  A Psychological Perspective -- edited by Larry E. Beutler & Mary L. Malik  (This is a book that considers possible alternatives to the way the DSM classifies mental illness.  The book jacket notes that this book "reflects the dissatisfaction of a growing number of mental health care professionals who question the lack of strong empirical foundations in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and who are confounded by its patchwork of vaguely defined disorders, each defined by seemingly arbitrary time limits or poorly related symptoms.  Expressing concern about whether the DSM truly provides a method for differentiating normal from pathological, clinicians and therapists alike wonder if the DSM should remain the diagnostic tool of choice")

"Dump the DSM!" -- by Paul Genova, M.D., Psychiatric Times, April 2003, Vol. XX, Issue 4