Dr. Gabbard and his colleagues call our attention to a key issue in psychiatry—professionalism, one of the six core competencies in residency training for psychiatrists defined as The body of qualities or features, as competence, skill, etc., characteristic of a professional. This text is chocked full of pearls on boundaries in physical contact; self-disclosure; cyberspace; balancing altruism with self-care; sensitivity to race, culture, gender, and sexual orientation; etc. that every psychiatrist needs to take to heart and practice to be worth their salt.—Carl C. Bell, M.D., President/C.E.O. Community Mental Health Council, Acting Director, Institute for Juvenile Research and Professor, Department of Psychiatry and School of Public Health

Written by some of the leading authors in North American psychiatry, this book begins the thoughtful discussion about how to address and teach deficiencies in professionalism. As they suggest, lapses in professionalism among medical practitioners has often been overlooked or explained away by enablers. This book was not designed to end the conversation, but to encourage discussion of issues related to professionalism using the context of clinical situations in psychiatry. In many cases, the vignettes raise as many questions as they answer, forcing readers to examine their own moral foundations. In particular, the chapter on cyberspace is timely and illustrates the widening gap in the use of technology between those guiding residents in training and those being trained, with the latter often significantly more knowledgeable and sophisticated in its use. It is an excellent start to an ever-evolving dialogue.—Steven T. Herron, M.D., Doody Enterprises, Inc., 2/1/2012

This is the best one-stop shopping book published on professionalism in our field. It addresses nearly every substantive issue faced by the psychiatrist and resident. It is well written and integrates important points through the use of clinical vignettes. This book should be required reading in every psychiatry residency program in the country and, for that matter, in other countries as well. Psychiatric hospital administrators, academic psychiatrists (remember the hidden curriculum), and nonacademic psychiatrists will also benefit from reading this book. Professionalism in Psychiatry addresses the fundamental ethical and professional topics required for program accreditation. Most importantly, however, attention to the issues in the book will enhance everyone's practice of psychiatry.—Jerald Kay, M.D., The American Journal of Psychiatry, 2/1/2012

This book covers a range of issues relevant to professionalism in psychiatry in both breadth as well as depth. If one is teaching residents about professionalism, or even considering how or whether to do so, this is the book to use.—Robert Michels, M.D., Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 2/1/2012