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“Professionalism” is a term often spoken about but whose meaning is not fully agreed upon. Like pornography, however, it is recognized when it is present, or more likely when it is not. This American Psychiatric Publishing publication is a concise overview of several important themes most would conclude make up some part of what can be agreed to constitute a definition of professionalism as it applies to the specialty of psychiatry. The senior authors of this work, Glen Gabbard and Laura Weiss Roberts, have contributed much to the literature in the area of dynamic psychiatry and ethics, and for this reason their book may well find an appreciative readership in the membership of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry. For those involved in the education of medical students, and particularly residents and fellows, Professionalism in Psychiatry is especially recommended now that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has made it one of its six core competencies required of graduate trainees.
The book is a quick read and is divided into ten short chapters for a total of 183 pages plus a reference section. Each chapter is concluded with a Key Points list of about a dozen pearls that summarizes the chapter.
Chapter One, Professionalism in Medicine and Psychiatry, is an overview of what is generally meant by the term professionalism, referring to a set of attitudes, skills, and knowledge embodied in the physician. The authors importantly note that what is meant by professionalism evolves over one's career and that lifestyle choices and economic realities need to be taken into account in defining it. Some may take issue with the authors' position that psychiatrists are held to a higher standard than other specialists by virtue of the very nature of our work with individuals whose perception of events is influenced by our interactions with them in (and out of) treatment. The importance of self-reflection and a considered underst