American Psychiatric Association

This article describes the American Psychiatric Association. It should not be confused with the American Psychological Association (also abbreviated to APA ).

The American Psychiatric Association ( APA ; German: American Psychiatric Society ) is the most important association of psychiatrists and psychiatrists in the United States . With around 35,000 members, it is the world's largest association in the field of psychiatry . The company is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia .

The APA publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) , which contains detailed criteria for diagnosing mental illnesses .

history

Thirteen directors of psychiatric hospitals founded the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane in Philadelphia in 1844 . In 1892 the society was renamed the American Medico-Psychological Association , and in 1921 the American Psychiatric Association .

Organization and membership

The members are predominantly, but not exclusively, US Americans. The society is led by a President and a Board of Trustees with an Executive Committee. The APA holds a conference annually.

Important personalities

• Adolf Meyer became known as the president of the American Psychiatric Association. He was one of the most influential figures in psychiatry in the first half of the 20th century.
• Robert Spitzer was one of the key people in the development of the first versions of the DSM .
• Donald Ewen Cameron is best known for his mind control work for the CIA. He was President of the APA from 1952 to 1953.

Web links

• Official websites
• Sound document from the American Psychiatric Association 2008 Congress of a webcast for Switzerland (MP3, 15.5 MB)

swell

1. ^ APA History, by Lucy Ozarin and Gary McMillan .
2. ↑ Alix Spiegel: The Dictionary of Disorder: How one man revolutionized psychiatry , The New Yorker, March 1, 2005, accessed March 7, 2019.