It is possible that through such activities some contributors have received income related to treatments discussed in this guideline. A number of mechanisms are in place to minimize the potential for producing biased recommendations due to conflicts of interest. The guideline has been extensively reviewed by members of APA as well as by representatives from related fields. Contributors and reviewers have all been asked to base their recommendations on an objective evaluation of the available evidence. This potential bias is then discussed with the work group chair and the chair of the Steering Committee on Practice Guidelines.
Further action depends on the assessment of the potential bias.
This practice guideline was approved in July 1996 and was published in October 1996. The term practice guideline refers to a set of patient care strategies developed to assist physicians in clinical decision making. Although the APA has been publishing specific recommendations about the practice of psychiatry since 1851, the current level of effort devoted to the practice guideline process represents a qualitative change in the APA's role in establishing guidelines. For nearly 150 years, the APA's fundamental aim in developing practice recommendations has been to assist psychiatrists in their clinical decision making, with the ultimate goal of improving the care of patients. The explosion of knowledge in our field over the last several decades amplifies the value of guidelines.