APA Style Joins the Mobile Age

With smart phones becoming ubiquitous, many researchers are finding that mobile apps are becoming an important part of research. But citing a mobile app can be tricky – after all, it does not fit into the guidelines for traditional software and it is not the same as a printed product. Here are a few things you should know when citing a mobile app:

• Instead of an author, and app has a rights holder. The rights holder may be an individual, but it may also be a group or a company.
• Use the publication date of the version you used, even if previous or updated versions are available.
• If you are only using an entry, article, reference, or portion of the app, that can be noted just as you would in a print reference. That information simply goes at the beginning of the reference.
• List how you accessed the app – whether you downloaded it from the Apple Store, Google Play, or another Web site.
• Don’t put a period at the end of the Web address.

Here are some examples:

Rightsholder, A. B. (year). Title of App (Version 1) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://webaddress.com

Article Title. (year). In Title of App (Version 1) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://webaddress.com

What Do You Have to Say About the New DSM?

Want your voice to be heard when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes the upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)? The organization is now taking comments on its most recent draft and welcomes opinions until June 15, 2012. Simply register to participate in the public commentary period. This will be the third time the draft has been made available for comment and will be the final opportunity for feedback on the text. A final version of the text will be presented to the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association later this year in order to meet a May 2013 publication date.

Interested in reading what is new in the DSM-5? APA provides an ongoing list of the proposed updates.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will be releasing the eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in 2015. If you are interested in participating in the revision, making comments, or reviewing proposals, visit the WHO site to register. Want more information about how the ICD-11 update will affect you? Visit the ICD-11 fact sheet for more information.

Psychiatric Community Considers Name Change for PTSD

What’s in a name? For young veterans and others coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, a name could mean the difference between seeking treatment and suffering alone. Psychiatrists and military officers are now considering the implications of a name change for PTSD in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with this diagnosis. The new name under consideration? Post-traumatic stress injury, or PTSI.

“No 19-year-old kid wants to be told he’s got a disorder,” said General Peter Chiarelli, in a May 5 interview with the Washington Post. Until his retirement in February of this year, Chiarelli was the nation’s second-highest ranking Army officer, and he led the effort to reduce the suicide rate among military personnel. He and other supporters of the name change believe that using the word “injury” instead of “disorder” will reduce the stigma that stops soldiers and others from seeking treatment. According to Chiarelli, “disorder” suggests a pre-existing condition that “makes the person seem weak.” “Injury,” on the other hand, is appropriate because the condition is caused by the experience of specific trauma, according to supporters of the change. Injuries, they point out, can often be healed with treatment.

This issue is coming to a head because the American Psychiatric Association is working on a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), expected in May 2013. Not everyone is in favor of the name change; one of the major concerns, according to psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter, is that “altering a diagnostic label may have far-reaching financial implications for health insurers and disability claims. Specifically, some insurers and government agencies may not be willing to reimburse mental health providers for a condition that isn’t considered a disease or disorder” (Psychology Today blog, May 6).

American Psychiatric Association President Dr. John Oldham has suggested that he would be open to considering the name change. “If it turns out that that [the word ‘injury’] could be a less uncomfortable term and would facilitate people who need help getting it, and it didn’t have unintended consequences that we would have to be sure to try to think about, we would certainly be open to thinking about it,” Oldham told PBS NewsHour in a December interview.

What do you think? Would a name change help reduce the stigma associated with post-traumatic stress and encourage people to seek the help they need? PAR wants to hear from you, so leave a comment and join the conversation!

 

APA 2011

Are you attending APA 2011? Many PAR authors will be presenting during the convention. The following are just a sample of the engaging workshops, sessions, and symposia presented by PAR authors:

Lisa A. Firestone, PhD, will be presenting two CE workshops during APA 2011, “Assessing and Treating Violent Individuals” on Friday, August 5 at 8 a.m. and “Overcoming the Fear of Intimacy” on Saturday, August 6 at 8 a.m. Dr. Firestone is coauthor of the Firestone Assessment of Violent Thoughts™ (FAVT™),  the Firestone Assessment of Violent Thoughts^™-Adolescent (FAVT-A^™), and the Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts^™ and Firestone Assessment of Suicide Intent^™ (FAST^™-FASI^™).

Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD, will be giving an invited address during the Contemporary and Future Directions in School Psychology session on Friday, August 5 at 4 p.m. He will also be participating in a symposium on Saturday, August 6, at 2 p.m., titled “Using Psychology to Improve the Climate for Teaching in K-12 Schools.” Dr. Reynolds is the coauthor of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales™ (RIAS™), the Reynolds Intellectual Screening Test™ (RIST™), the School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory (SMALSI), the Test of Irregular Word Reading Efficiency™ (TIWRE™), and the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scales: 2nd Ed. (RCMAS-2).

John Briere, PhD, will be participating in two symposia: “Traumatic Dissociation— Neurobiological, Assessment, and Clinical Implications—I” on Thursday, August 4, at 3 p.m. and “Traumatic Dissociation— Neurobiological, Assessment, and Treatment Implications—II” on Friday, August 5, at 5 p.m. Dr. Briere is author of the Trauma Symptom Inventory™-2 (TSI™-2) , the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children™ (TSCYC™) , the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children™ (TSCC™) , the Inventory of Altered Self-Capacities™ (IASC™) , the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress™ (DAPS™) , and the Cognitive Distortion Scales™ (CDS™) .

Richard R. Abidin, PhD, will be participating in a symposium titled “Updates of Evidence-Based Assessment–Family Measures,” which will be held Friday, August 5, at 10 a.m. Dr. Abidin is the author of the Early Childhood Parenting Skills (ECPS), the Index of Teaching Stress™ (ITS™), the Parenting Alliance Measure™ (PAM™), the Parenting Stress Index, 3rd Edition (PSI), and the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents™ (SIPA™).

Charles D. Spielberger, PhD, author of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2™ (STAXI-2™), will be chairing a symposium on Friday, August 5, titled “The APF Spielberger EMPathy Symposium.”

Richard Rogers, PhD, ABPP, will be presenting an invited address, “Know Your Miranda Rights? Myths, Mistakes, and Meta-Ignorance,” during the 2011 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy session, on Friday, August 5, at 1 p.m. Dr. Rogers is the author of Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms, 2nd Edition (SIRS-2), the Rogers Criminal Responsibility Assessment Scales (R-CRAS), and the Evaluation of Competency to Stand Trial™ -Revised (ECST™-R).

See these PAR authors and many more during APA 2011. Make sure to stop by the PAR booth to see our new products, meet PAR staff, and place your orders. Don’t forget – you’ll receive 15% off all orders placed during the conference plus free shipping and handling! See you in Washington, DC!