The Council on Emerging Issues

Abstract

THE COUNCIL HELD three meetings during the past year. Two task forces of the Council continue to work on reports that will soon be ready for the Council’s review. These are the Task Force on Psychosurgery, John Donnelly, M.D., chairperson, and the Task Force to Define Mental illness and ‘ ‘ What is a Psychiatrist?’ ‘ , Morton Reiser, M.D. , chairperson. The Task Force on Psychohistory, Charles K. Hofling, M.D. , chairperson, completed its report in 1974; it was unanimously approved by the Council for publication and was also approved by the Reference Committee and sent to the Board ofTrustees. On December 6. 1975, the Board declined to authorize its publication as an APA task force report, giving the task force permission to publish it elsewhere. The Council on Emerging Issues continues to believe that the report is a scholarly and thoughtful document that should be available to all who are concerned about the issues of psychohistory and psychoprofiling. The Council received a request from the Assembly of District Branches to prepare a charge for a national commission on the chronic psychotic patient. This issue has been dis-