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The Riggs Blog
The Riggs Blog is a mix of news about clinical work, research and educational activities from the Austen Riggs Center, as well as a source for information beyond our walls that we find interesting and thought-provoking. Senior clinical experts, researchers, and editors review all clinical content on this blog before it is published.
At a certain juncture in their training, some medical students and psychiatric residents confront a profound question: What is the best intervention to treat patients suffering with mental health problems—Is it medication? Is it psychotherapy? Is it both?
Freedom of Access to Medically Necessary Treatment is one of the Four Freedoms that is a foundation of mental health.
As clinicians know, and as Federal District Court Judge Joseph Spero made part of his verdict in the landmark Wit v. UBH class action lawsuit [which we reference later in this piece], treatment should address underlying problems and co-occurring disorders in a way that goes well beyond mere crisis stabilization. This kind of treatment pursues the goal of recovery. Freedom to Pursue Recovery is another of the Four Freedoms that are foundations of mental health.
“It’s when you work together in a team, in a coordinated way that you can really leverage your power. And people with disabilities, with mental health conditions and physical health conditions have a lot more political power than we think we might,” remarks Ted Kennedy Jr., Esq. in these select remarks from his presentation.
In November of 2016, Dr. Eric M. Plakun’s first piece as psychotherapy columnist for the Journal of Psychiatric Practice was published. You can read this piece and his more recent columns here.
Psychoanalysis “looks holistically and unflinchingly at complex phenomena that contemporary trends are fragmenting” remarks Dr. Nancy McWilliams in these select remarks from her presentation, “Standing for Reality: What Really Matters in Psychotherapy.”
CALL FOR ENTRIES: Submissions now being accepted for $3,000 Austen Riggs Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media
Austen Riggs Center Winter 2019-20 newsletter, reporting out on our Centennial Conference, addressing the need for freedom to medically necessary treatment, and more.
Moving the needle on the mental health crisis demands new (and old) solutions, argues Tom Insel, MD, in these select remarks from his keynote presentation, “Beyond Magical Thinking.”
The top 10 blogs from the Austen Riggs Center in 2019 – featuring the four freedoms of mental health, opioid use, mental health parity, and more.
Your gift to the Austen Riggs Center Annual Fund supports our mission of helping people with complex psychiatric problems take charge of their lives.
This video series is taken from our Centennial Conference and features excerpts from many of the presentations – check back often or bookmark the Riggs Blog to see new videos.
Can a psychodynamic approach work for children with ADHD? Francine Conway, PhD, makes the case in support of that position in these select remarks from her presentation, “The ADHD Compassion Project: Dispelling the Illusion of Children with ADHD as the ‘Bad’ Other.”
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