The American Psychiatric Association's practice guidelines provide authoritative guidance for assessing and treating major clinical problems that psychiatrists face. This article reviews the social context in which practice guidelines have emerged, opportunities they afford educators, and limitations in their educational and practice applications. Practice guidelines should be used in residents' and medical students' seminars and in continuing medical education activities. The incentive to study guidelines may increase as their likely use as information sources for questions on in-service and specialty board certification examinations as well as in clinical quality-assurance activities becomes more widely recognized.Abstract Teaser