ROTARY LUNCHEON: Dr. Eric Plakun and Understanding Mental Disorders and Their Treatment

Eric Plakun, M.D. (the brother of Past President Scott Plakun), a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who is the former Medical Director/CEO of the prestigious Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, MA will discuss the stigma associated with mental and substance use disorders, including how stigma turns up in our healthcare system. He'll explore emerging evidence that mental disorders are caused by the interaction of genes and environment – especially such environmental factors as experiences of adversity and trauma.

Dr. Plakun will describe the barriers to care that result when practitioners and insurance companies pursue different goals for treatment and the role we as citizens and voters can play in breaking down barriers and fighting stigma. In fact, California has been a leader in this fight. He will also address the different efficacies of medications and talk therapy and how to tell when something more intensive than outpatient treatment is the most beneficial option.

You'll come away from this talk with a better understanding of how contemporary approaches to the treatment of mental and substance use disorders offer renewed hope that those who are struggling can get the help they need to live healthy, self-directed, and productive lives.

Eric M. Plakun, M.D., is former medical director/CEO of the Austen Riggs Center and former Harvard Medical School clinical faculty member. He is the editor of two books and author of more than a hundred published papers and book chapters and has lectured extensively in the United States and abroad. Dr. Plakun served as plaintiffs’ expert on adult mental disorders in the landmark class action addressing access to care known as Wit v. United Behavioral Health/Optum. Dr. Plakun is a Distinguished Life Fellow of APA and a past member of its Board of Trustees. He is former chair of the APA Committee on Psychotherapy by Psychiatrists, APA Bylaws Committee, and past leader and founder of its Psychotherapy Caucus. He is a past member of the APA Assembly Executive Committee, the Assembly Committee of Representatives of Subspecialties and Sections, and the APA Finance and Budget Committee. Dr. Plakun is a leader in organized psychiatry and psychoanalysis, an advocate for the value of psychotherapy and other psychosocial treatments, and an advocate for access to care. He has been honored as the Outstanding Psychiatrist in Clinical Psychiatry by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society.

Register here for In Person or Zoom attendance.

For in-person attendees: We welcome all attendees! The in-person registration cost for all adults and children is $45 until 11:59 AM on Friday, January 31, 2025. The meeting cost increases to $60 at noon and beyond on January 31, 2025 and includes any walk-ins on Tuesday, February 4.

The Hotel Nikko holds us to the headcount that we submit on Friday at noon, prior to our Tuesday meeting, whether those registered attend or not. In Rotary spirit, thanks for helping us to maintain a good relationship with our host hotel. 

For attendance via Zoom: For those who wish to participate via Zoom, there is a $15 fee to attend.

Parking: If you are driving to the Hotel Nikko for this meeting, please leave your car with the Hotel Nikko valet. Pick up a validation sticker available at our check-in table. The discounted parking is $25 for three hours.

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