Psychiatry, the law, and public affairs

The law is a public affair. The involvement of psychiatrists and psychiatry in legal and judicial proceedings themselves, not to mention the ever-increasing media commentary, is an opportunity to educate the public, but it also entails the very real risk of compounding public misinformation and misgivings about our field. The American Psychiatric Association has both a professional staff Division of Public Affairs and a membership component, the Joint Commission on Public Affairs. Staff and members field queries from the public and the media, plan educational campaigns in collaboration with advocacy organizations, prepare and distribute fact sheets, media kits, and issue kits for members, brochures for the lay reader, booklets for important audiences including clergy, educators, and legislators, and many other resources. Given their critical influence on the lay-person's image and understanding of psychiatry, the participation of forensic psychiatrists in the public affairs activities of our major professional organization is not only welcome, but vital.