Electronic Summer 2025 | Issue 63

APA Assembly at the May APA Annual Meeting: An Update

By: Arden Barnett, MD

Your representatives from Illinois to the APA Assembly are Linda Gruenberg, Joshua Nathan, Susan Scherer, and Arden Barnett.

At the Assembly meeting, which occurred in Los Angeles for 2 days prior to the start of the APA, we reviewed position statements of the APA that were being established or renewed, as well as 32 action papers submitted for adoption by the APA. These were submitted by delegates from other states or specialty organizations within the APA.

As a reminder, an action paper (AP) for the APA Assembly is similar in process to a resolution in the Illinois State Medical Society or the American Medical Association, or a bill that is introduced in the Illinois or U.S. House of Representatives.

Of the AP’s submitted, over 3/4 of them were adopted by the Assembly and passed on to APA administration for consideration and, it was hoped, referral to the Board of Trustees for adoption.

You will see from the list below the AP’s that were submitted, as well as the ones that were approved. If you are interested, you can read the full AP on the APA website.

Action Paper Title:

  • The Influence of Online Reviews on Psychiatric Practice [FAILED]

  • Advancing Professionalism, Civility, and Accountability in Peer-to-Peer Interactions with Managed Care [APPROVED]

  • Encouraging Transparency and Science-Based Evidence Reviews in Coverage Policy Development [APPROVED]

  • APA Position on Preserving the Fidelity of the Collaborative Care Model [APPROVED]

  • Access to Care for People with Neurodevelopmental and Neurocognitive Disorders [APPROVED]

  • Civil Commitment of Individuals with Neurodevelopmental and Neurocognitive Disorders [APPROVED]

  • Critical Review of Suicide Risk Assessments: Moving Beyond Traditional Low, Moderate, and High-Risk Categories [APPROVED]

  • FDA Approval Does Not Equate to APA Endorsement [FAILED]

  • Safeguarding Human Intelligence in Medical Decision-Making Amidst the Rise of Artificial Intelligence [FAILED]

  • Supporting Equity for Service Dog Users in the Medical Workforce [APPROVED]

  • Call for Transparent Labeling and Warnings on Non-Prescribed and Over-the-Counter Psychoactive Substances [APPROVED]

  • A Call to Implement the 2018 Action Paper on the Supervision of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants [APPROVED]

  • Advocacy for Modified CPT and E/M Codes for Unsupervised Non-Physician Practitioners [APPROVED]

  • State Regulation of ECT for Minors with Special Emphasis on Pediatric Catatonia [APPROVED]

  • Recommend Disuse of ‘Hallucinations’ and ‘Delusions’ Specific to Artificial Intelligence (AI) [APPROVED]

  • Awareness and Education Regarding Nicotine Analog Products [APPROVED]

  • Endorsement of and Support for Required Reproductive Psychiatry Training within Accredited Psychiatry Residencies:

  • Influencing the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) [APPROVED]

  • Assessment of Senior Physician Competency [FAILED]

  • Protecting the Term "Psychiatrist" as a Physician-Specific Designation [APPROVED]

  • Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Championing an APA Global Mental Health Training Curriculum [FAILED]

  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Activities in Healthcare Settings [APPROVED]

  • Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Youth Suicide Prevention [APPROVED]

  • Mental Health is Dependent on Clean Drinking Water Access [APPROVED]

  • Integration of Dietary and Nutritional Education in Psychiatry Residency Training Programs, Medical Schools and Psychiatric Practice [APPROVED]

  • Comprehensive Mental Health Support of Post-Release Hostages, Wrongful Detainees, and Family Members [APPROVED]

  • Developing Responsibilities and/or Expectations for Distinguished Fellows of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) [FAILED]

  • Support for Permanent Standard Time [APPROVED]

  • Inclusion of Mid-Sized District Branches in Best Practice Awards [APPROVED]

  • Addressing Restrictive Employment Policies for Pre-Trial Individuals Confined to Private, State, and Federal Correctional Facilities [APPROVED]

  • Promoting Mental Health and Social Connection in Incarcerated Populations [APPROVED]

  • New Business: Defending the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA)'s Critical Public Mental Health Mission and Funding [APPROVED]

  • New Business: Action Towards Mutually Agreeable Language In APA Bylaws Concerning the Description and Qualifications of the Current M/UR Trustee [APPROVED]

Your representatives take seriously the importance of representing Illinois within the Assembly of the APA, and all of your delegates are involved representing you not just in the Assembly, but also on various committees and councils and workgroups within the Assembly.

Remember as you practice and teach and advocate for Psychiatry in Illinois, if you encounter an issue that you think would be worthwhile to be discussed by your delegates through the APA Assembly on a national level, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss this.

We attend the Assembly and its various component meetings to represent the interests of Psychiatry in Illinois, and your work in Psychiatry throughout the state.