Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
@appelbap.bsky.social
Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine & Law, Columbia University. Interested in medical ethics, ELSI of genetics and neuroscience, law and psychiatry, mental health policy.
My take: it is “simply misleading to suggest that we know that ketogenic diets can improve schizophrenia symptoms, much less that they can ‘cure’ the condition.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/u...
Kennedy Makes Unfounded Claim That Keto Diet Can ‘Cure’ Schizophrenia
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:18 PM
My take: it is “simply misleading to suggest that we know that ketogenic diets can improve schizophrenia symptoms, much less that they can ‘cure’ the condition.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/u...
Case reports begin to accumulate of people experiencing psychotic symptoms after intensive interactions with chatbots. Like this woman who experienced delusions of communicating with her dead brother after late-night chatbot sessions: www.livescience.com/health/diagn...
Diagnostic dilemma: A woman experienced delusions of communicating with her dead brother after late-night chatbot sessions
A woman developed psychosis, and her symptoms escalated rapidly, prompting clinicians to retrace the events leading up to her hospitalization.
www.livescience.com
January 22, 2026 at 1:14 AM
Case reports begin to accumulate of people experiencing psychotic symptoms after intensive interactions with chatbots. Like this woman who experienced delusions of communicating with her dead brother after late-night chatbot sessions: www.livescience.com/health/diagn...
Reposted by Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
New Publication by faculty affiliate Matthew Lebowitz and
@appelbap.bsky.social
How do people decide when genes matter for behaviors?
The authors find a consistent asymmetry and the psychological mechanisms behind it 👇
@appelbap.bsky.social
How do people decide when genes matter for behaviors?
The authors find a consistent asymmetry and the psychological mechanisms behind it 👇
January 21, 2026 at 2:12 PM
New Publication by faculty affiliate Matthew Lebowitz and
@appelbap.bsky.social
How do people decide when genes matter for behaviors?
The authors find a consistent asymmetry and the psychological mechanisms behind it 👇
@appelbap.bsky.social
How do people decide when genes matter for behaviors?
The authors find a consistent asymmetry and the psychological mechanisms behind it 👇
Reposted by Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
The updated version of this paper is now online: rdcu.be/eX8ck. We wrote this paper as part of the behavior genetics special issue 'Behavioral Genetics as a Public Science: Impacts and Implications' -excited to see it out! @evangiangrande.bsky.social @lucasjmatthews.bsky.social @appelbap.bsky.social
January 8, 2026 at 2:11 PM
The updated version of this paper is now online: rdcu.be/eX8ck. We wrote this paper as part of the behavior genetics special issue 'Behavioral Genetics as a Public Science: Impacts and Implications' -excited to see it out! @evangiangrande.bsky.social @lucasjmatthews.bsky.social @appelbap.bsky.social
A nice summary, with comments by my colleague Matt Lebowitz, of our research on perceptions of genetics as the cause of good and bad behaviors: www.psypost.org/why-people-t...
Why people think kindness is in your DNA but selfishness isn’t
A new study in Public Understanding of Science finds that people tend to see good behavior as more genetically caused than bad behavior, mainly because kindness and generosity are perceived as more na...
www.psypost.org
December 4, 2025 at 12:46 AM
A nice summary, with comments by my colleague Matt Lebowitz, of our research on perceptions of genetics as the cause of good and bad behaviors: www.psypost.org/why-people-t...
At the Univ. of Virginia, the Institute of Law, Psychiatry & Public Policy is conducting an oral history project on mental health & law to mark its 50th anniversary. Check out my recollections here: avalon.lib.virginia.edu/media_object...
Oral History Interview with Paul S. Appelbaum - Avalon Media System
avalon.lib.virginia.edu
November 14, 2025 at 7:16 PM
At the Univ. of Virginia, the Institute of Law, Psychiatry & Public Policy is conducting an oral history project on mental health & law to mark its 50th anniversary. Check out my recollections here: avalon.lib.virginia.edu/media_object...
Reposted by Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
New Publication from our faculty affiliate, @appelbap.bsky.social
Can a person still claim the insanity defense if their mental state was affected by not taking prescribed medication?
📘doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250438
Can a person still claim the insanity defense if their mental state was affected by not taking prescribed medication?
📘doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250438
October 31, 2025 at 3:32 PM
New Publication from our faculty affiliate, @appelbap.bsky.social
Can a person still claim the insanity defense if their mental state was affected by not taking prescribed medication?
📘doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250438
Can a person still claim the insanity defense if their mental state was affected by not taking prescribed medication?
📘doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250438
Reposted by Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
This Friday! Join our Journal Club to discuss the implications of subcontinental genetic variation.
📖 Join us for the next ELSI Journal Club session!
Subcontinental genetic variation in the All of Us Research Program: Implications for biomedical research
Published on @ajhgnews.bsky.social
🗓 October 31, 2025 | 🕛 12–1 p.m. ET
📍 Online via Zoom
🔗 Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Subcontinental genetic variation in the All of Us Research Program: Implications for biomedical research
Published on @ajhgnews.bsky.social
🗓 October 31, 2025 | 🕛 12–1 p.m. ET
📍 Online via Zoom
🔗 Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
October 29, 2025 at 2:02 PM
This Friday! Join our Journal Club to discuss the implications of subcontinental genetic variation.
“...the available data do not suggest that SSRIs make them more likely to engage in mass shootings. Indeed, to the extent that SSRIs alleviate their distress, they may reduce the risk of violence.” www.factcheck.org/2025/10/rfk-...
RFK Jr. Misleads About Antidepressants and School Shootings - FactCheck.org
A day after a shooting at a school in Minnesota, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed, as he has before, that certain antidepressant drugs, known as SSRIs, “might be contr...
www.factcheck.org
October 28, 2025 at 11:06 PM
“...the available data do not suggest that SSRIs make them more likely to engage in mass shootings. Indeed, to the extent that SSRIs alleviate their distress, they may reduce the risk of violence.” www.factcheck.org/2025/10/rfk-...
An excellent overview of laws on involuntary commitment of drug users. As I said, “Passing a law doesn’t create a system. Treatment of addiction is difficult and takes time. It is not something that’s going to be solved in 30 days.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/h...
Can Drug Users Be Forced Into Rehab? Trump Says Yes. So Do 34 States.
www.nytimes.com
September 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
An excellent overview of laws on involuntary commitment of drug users. As I said, “Passing a law doesn’t create a system. Treatment of addiction is difficult and takes time. It is not something that’s going to be solved in 30 days.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/h...
Reposted by Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
🧬 What happens when a genetic therapy is made for just one patient? How do we support and regulate development?
@sandrasoojinlee.bsky.social and @appelbap.bsky.social from our Division discuss the ethical implication of “research-treatment hybrids”.
🔗https://jme.bmj.com/content/51/5/jme-2023-109729
@sandrasoojinlee.bsky.social and @appelbap.bsky.social from our Division discuss the ethical implication of “research-treatment hybrids”.
🔗https://jme.bmj.com/content/51/5/jme-2023-109729
August 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM
🧬 What happens when a genetic therapy is made for just one patient? How do we support and regulate development?
@sandrasoojinlee.bsky.social and @appelbap.bsky.social from our Division discuss the ethical implication of “research-treatment hybrids”.
🔗https://jme.bmj.com/content/51/5/jme-2023-109729
@sandrasoojinlee.bsky.social and @appelbap.bsky.social from our Division discuss the ethical implication of “research-treatment hybrids”.
🔗https://jme.bmj.com/content/51/5/jme-2023-109729
Reposted by Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
New pre-print online: Imputing parental genotypes through Mendelian Imputation: Ethical and Legal Considerations
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
August 1, 2025 at 12:53 PM
New pre-print online: Imputing parental genotypes through Mendelian Imputation: Ethical and Legal Considerations
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
An important alert on the implications of an Executive Order on "gold standard science" that many of us may have missed: www.thehastingscenter.org/gold-dust/
Gold Dust : The Hastings Center for Bioethics
The United States has never had a situation in which political and ideological nonscientists got the last word about what is credible science. The direct political oversight of science represented in ...
www.thehastingscenter.org
July 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM
An important alert on the implications of an Executive Order on "gold standard science" that many of us may have missed: www.thehastingscenter.org/gold-dust/
What do we know about how mental illness affects pretrial defendants' chances of reoffending or failing to appear for trial? Answer: Not very much. See our new article: A Scoping Literature Review of Mental Illness in Decisions Regarding Pretrial Release jaapl.org/content/earl...
A Scoping Literature Review of Mental Illness in Decisions Regarding Pretrial Release
Judges generally make pretrial release decisions based on the risk that a defendant will miss court appearances or pose a danger to the community; for criminal cases initiated in state courts, this de...
jaapl.org
July 23, 2025 at 7:28 PM
What do we know about how mental illness affects pretrial defendants' chances of reoffending or failing to appear for trial? Answer: Not very much. See our new article: A Scoping Literature Review of Mental Illness in Decisions Regarding Pretrial Release jaapl.org/content/earl...
Our analysis of the impact of abortion restrictions on mental health in pregnancy, just out today: :https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2836537?utm_source=bluesky&utm_campaign=content-shareicons&utm_content=article_engagement&utm_medium=social&utm_term=071625
July 16, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Our analysis of the impact of abortion restrictions on mental health in pregnancy, just out today: :https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2836537?utm_source=bluesky&utm_campaign=content-shareicons&utm_content=article_engagement&utm_medium=social&utm_term=071625
Our systematic review or the literature on the psychosocial impacts of autism-related genetic testing is now online (in preprint format) at JAACAP: doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
sciencedirect.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Our systematic review or the literature on the psychosocial impacts of autism-related genetic testing is now online (in preprint format) at JAACAP: doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
The capacity of newborn genomic screening to identify risks for conditions without effective treatments, along with diseases that may develop much later in life, can create challenges for parents and offspring alike: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/h...
The Ethical Minefield of Testing Infants for Incurable Diseases
www.nytimes.com
June 5, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The capacity of newborn genomic screening to identify risks for conditions without effective treatments, along with diseases that may develop much later in life, can create challenges for parents and offspring alike: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/h...
The new American Law Institute Restatement on Medical Malpractice portends changes in how the courts assess clinician liability, with more emphasis on evidence-based care. Neil Kaye and I discuss here: psychiatryonline.org/doi/epdf/10....
Psychiatry Online
PsychiatryOnline.org is the platform for all American Psychiatric Association Publishing journals, DSM, and bestselling textbooks, as well as APA Practice Guidelines, and continuing medical education.
psychiatryonline.org
June 5, 2025 at 12:17 AM
The new American Law Institute Restatement on Medical Malpractice portends changes in how the courts assess clinician liability, with more emphasis on evidence-based care. Neil Kaye and I discuss here: psychiatryonline.org/doi/epdf/10....
Most firearms used in mass shootings in the US are legally acquired--and legal guns are associated with higher number of fatalities. Another reason why focusing exclusively on illegal possession won't stop the violence epidemic. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
An analysis of firearm legality and lethality in 625 U.S.‐based mass murders involving firearms
Understanding the relationship between firearm regulations and the lethality of mass murder involving firearms has implications for prevention efforts. We examined 625 incidents of mass murder involv...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 19, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Most firearms used in mass shootings in the US are legally acquired--and legal guns are associated with higher number of fatalities. Another reason why focusing exclusively on illegal possession won't stop the violence epidemic. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Flying under the radar, HHS announces it no longer intends to enforce mental health insurance parity rules. The inevitable result: markedly reduced access to treatment. www.statnews.com/2025/05/13/h... via @statnews
Mental health care may be harder to obtain after HHS rule reversal
Access to care could be affected, following HHS indication that it will not enforce updates adopted in 2024 to the mental health parity law.
www.statnews.com
May 14, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Flying under the radar, HHS announces it no longer intends to enforce mental health insurance parity rules. The inevitable result: markedly reduced access to treatment. www.statnews.com/2025/05/13/h... via @statnews
Reposted by Paul S. Appelbaum, MD
"let’s be clear: It isn’t institutions that are being punished. It’s the researchers who are the future of science in this country"
What am I supposed to say to this generation of young scientists? www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/u... via @statnews.com
What am I supposed to say to this generation of young scientists? www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/u... via @statnews.com
What am I supposed to say to this generation of young scientists?
Undermining the future of American science is not a path to accountability — it’s a path to decline.
www.statnews.com
May 7, 2025 at 12:52 PM
"let’s be clear: It isn’t institutions that are being punished. It’s the researchers who are the future of science in this country"
What am I supposed to say to this generation of young scientists? www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/u... via @statnews.com
What am I supposed to say to this generation of young scientists? www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/u... via @statnews.com
No one dies of "complications of schizoaffective disorder." Disturbing questions about the quality of care rendered people in ICE custody, including people with mental illness: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Two men in ICE custody died of ‘natural’ causes. Were their deaths preventable?
Top medical experts reviewed records and questioned the treatment two immigrants received before their deaths. “That’s certainly substandard care,” said one neurologist.“That’s certainly substandard c...
www.miamiherald.com
May 4, 2025 at 1:45 AM
No one dies of "complications of schizoaffective disorder." Disturbing questions about the quality of care rendered people in ICE custody, including people with mental illness: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
In this new article, Stephanie Rolin and I review the expansion of liability for colleges and universities in addressing students with mental health issues: rdcu.be/ekaDC
Expansion of Colleges’ Legal Responsibilities Regarding Student Mental Health
rdcu.be
May 1, 2025 at 5:23 PM
In this new article, Stephanie Rolin and I review the expansion of liability for colleges and universities in addressing students with mental health issues: rdcu.be/ekaDC
To what extent should childhood abuse be taken into account in sentencing for murder of the abuser? The Menendez brothers' case is dealing with exactly that question: www.thefp.com/p/the-menend...
Were the Menendez Murders Justified?
Increasingly, judges are giving lighter sentences to criminals who suffered abuse during childhood. That could be good news for the Menendez brothers.
www.thefp.com
April 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
To what extent should childhood abuse be taken into account in sentencing for murder of the abuser? The Menendez brothers' case is dealing with exactly that question: www.thefp.com/p/the-menend...
A study of AI chatbots for treatment of mental disorders has gotten attention recently, but we should restrain our enthusiasm until some key questions are answered: selection bias? appropriate control? duration of effect? human supervision required? www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
Mental Health AI Chatbot Rivals Human-Based Tx in Less Time
A generative AI–powered therapy chatbot is linked to significant reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, results of a randomized controlled trial show.
www.medscape.com
April 3, 2025 at 10:41 AM
A study of AI chatbots for treatment of mental disorders has gotten attention recently, but we should restrain our enthusiasm until some key questions are answered: selection bias? appropriate control? duration of effect? human supervision required? www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...