How do you approach patient requests for medical time away from work or other accommodations (such as disability paperwork) when the patients have mild-moderate symptoms being managed in the outpatient setting?

This is a very important question as clinicians are often requested to provide certain assertions based on their role as the medical provider. In reviewing this, there are several areas to keep in mind:

First, if you are the provider and are the one with the knowledge, then you should provide the requested information instead of refusing or passing it to another provider.

Second, your medical ethics would prohibit you from asserting to anything you do not believe. Outside of ethics, and depend...

In the context of first responders, "fitness for duty" is a formal evaluation. That is typically the role of the psychologist rather than the psychiatrist. Standardized testing relating to the patient's actual job duties may be involved.

I find myself in this dilemma from both directions. Sometimes the patient's agenda is to not return to work or school but sometimes the agenda is to return when the employer or school is afraid of their return. I find it equally difficult to guarantee fitness to...