Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) describes a constellation of emotional and behavioral symptoms that cause clinically significant distress or impairment arising from the false belief that one is emitting an offensive odor. Despite cases of ORS reported throughout the world over the last century, our knowledge and understanding of ORS remain relatively poor because of the limited literature-mostly case studies and series, but no clinical trials. ORS continues to pose significant diagnostic challenges within our current frameworks of categorizing mental disorders, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and International Classification of Diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article summarizes the report of the American Medical Association's (AMA) Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) on ethical practice in telehealth and telemedicine. Through its reports and recommendations, CEJA is responsible for maintaining and updating the AMA Code of Medical Ethics (Code). CEJA reports are developed through an iterative process of deliberation with input from multiple stakeholders; report recommendations, once adopted by the AMA House of Delegates, become ethics policy of the AMA and are issued as Opinions in the Code.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychiatrists who provide telepsychiatric services must uphold the standards of ethics and professionalism expected in in-person interactions. Psychiatrists' fundamental ethical responsibilities do not change when they take up a new form of practice. But as in other areas of medicine, the introduction of a new technology - here, Internet use and videoconferencing - raises new ethical challenges, requiring a fresh look at clinical practice and social issues such as equitable access.
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