Dr. Putman is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow and former Laughlin Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists (ACP). A past President of the Central (now American) Neuropsychiatric Association, he is Board Certified in General Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

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A graduate of Austin College in Sherman, Texas, Dr. Putman received his MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.  He completed his internship and residency in General Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where he was Chief Resident.

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A practicing psychiatrist for over thirty years, Dr. Putman has performed phase 1 to 4 studies in psychopharmacology, published in peer-reviewed journals, and served as a supervisor and lecturer in academic psychiatry. He currently writes and lectures full-time, and ​serves as Associate Editor of the journal Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice. 

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In addition to his scientific publications, Dr. Putman has authored Encountering Treatment Resistance: Solutions Through Reconceptualization, a guide to avoiding and reversing treatment failure, Rational Psychopharmacology: A Book of Clinical Skills, a text on practicing clinical psychopharmacology for practitioners and students, and Rollercoaster, a book on bipolar disorder for patients and their families.