American Psychiatric Association

American Psychiatric Association (APA), national society of physicians and medical students who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and emotional disorders. The association is the oldest medical specialty society in the United States.

The association’s objectives are to advance the practice of psychiatry and improve care for people with mental illnesses. It works to promote research on new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat mental illnesses; to uphold the ethical standards of its members; to improve the education of psychiatrists; and to improve the quality of care and facilities for people with psychiatric problems.

In working toward these goals, the APA issues several major professional publications. The American Journal of Psychiatry features reports on new discoveries in mental illness, geared toward psychiatrists and students. First published in 1844 as The American Journal of Insanity, it is the oldest medical specialty journal in the United States. Another APA journal, Psychiatric Services, reports on topics of interest to personnel working in clinics and other treatment centers. Psychiatric News, the APA’s official newspaper, covers day-to-day developments in psychiatric care.

The APA publishes numerous reports and books, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This book helps psychiatrists and researchers make accurate, objective diagnoses of mental illnesses. The organization also holds continuing medical-education programs to help psychiatrists keep abreast of new advances in care and hosts an annual meeting that is one of the major scientific gatherings in the United States.

The organization also tries to influence federal and state legislation and government regulations that affect the ability of psychiatrists to provide care and the ability of patients to gain access to care. For example, the APA lobbied the U.S. Congress to pass the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, which requires most health insurance providers to improve their coverage of mental illnesses. See Mental Illness: Recent Developments.

The APA’s public education programs inform laypeople about the symptoms, causes, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses. The organization also works to eliminate the stigma often associated with emotional and substance-abuse disorders. As part of these efforts, the APA publishes a series of nontechnical pamphlets about mental illnesses.

The APA was founded in 1844 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane. In 1892 the organization changed its name to the American Medico-Psychological Association. It adopted its current name in 1921. The organization’s logo consists of a portrait of Benjamin Rush, a physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, who is regarded as one of the founders of American psychiatry.