American Psychiatric Association
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| Formation | 1844 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters |
1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825 |
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Membership
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36,000 members |
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President
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Maria Oquendo, M.D. |
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President-Elect
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Anita Everett, M.D. |
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Immediate Past-President
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Renée Binder, M.D. |
| Website | psychiatry |
1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. Its some 36,000 members are mainly American but some are international. The association publishes various journals and pamphlets, as well as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM codifies psychiatric conditions and is used worldwide as a guide for diagnosing disorders.
The organization has its headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States.
The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association (both known by the acronym APA) are sometimes distinguished as "the little APA" (American Psychiatric Association) and "the big APA" (American Psychological Association). The terms "psychiatrist" and "psychologist" are often confused. A psychiatrist is a physician who has graduated from medical school, while a psychologist is not a medical school graduate, but generally has a master's degree or a Ph.D.
At a meeting in 1844 in Philadelphia, thirteen superintendents and organizers of insane asylums and hospitals formed the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSAII). The group included Thomas Kirkbride, creator of the asylum model which was used throughout the United States.
It was chartered to focus "primarily on the administration of hospitals and how that affected the care of patients", as opposed to conducting research or promoting the profession.
The name of the organization was changed in 1892 to The American Medico-Psychological Association to allow assistant physicians working in mental hospitals to become members.
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