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American
Psychiatric Association
What
is the American Psychiatric Association?
The American
Psychiatric Association (APA), founded in 1844, is a medical
specialty society representing nearly 36,000 psychiatrists
in the U.S. and from around the globe. APA is the largest
and longest-serving psychiatric medical association. APA
advocates for psychiatrists and patients in many ways:
- Supporting
the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses,
including substance use disorders;
- Working
to secure increased funding for psychiatric research
and education; and
- Educating
lawmakers about issues, ranging from the need for fair
health insurance coverage of mental illnesses to concerns
over managed care companies’ business practices
and the confidentiality of patient medical records.
APA is also
a resource for mental health information and news. Through
the Web sites www.psych.org,
www.healthyminds.org,
and www.parentsmedguide.org,
physicians, health care professionals and the public can
access up-to-date information on individual and family
mental health needs. APA also publishes its “Let’s
Talk Facts” brochure series to offer factual, science-based
information on a variety of mental disorders. The brochures
are free for the general public and can be purchased by
health care providers, health care and academic institutions
and business and corporations that seek to improve consumer
understanding of mental health disorders.
The APA has
several subsidiaries that support patient care and the
profession of psychiatry: the American Psychiatric Institute
for Research and Education (APIRE), American Psychiatric
Publishing, Inc. (APPI), the American Psychiatric Foundation
(APF) and the American Psychiatric Association Political
Action Committee (APAPAC).
- APPI
is the world’s premier publisher of books, journals,
and multimedia on psychiatry, mental health and behavioral
science;
- APF
is the charitable and educational affiliate of APA,
working to advance public understanding that mental
illnesses are real and can be effectively treated;
- APIRE,
founded in 1998, facilitates APA’s leadership
role in contributing to the scientific base of psychiatric
practice and public policy; and
- APAPAC
functions as APA members’ political voice by allowing
them to support pro-mental health congressional candidates.
What
is a Psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist
is a medical doctor who has graduated from medical school
and has completed an additional four years of approved,
hospital-based residency training in psychiatry. Many
psychiatrists train even longer, further specializing
in areas such as: child and adolescent psychiatry; geriatric
psychiatry; addiction psychiatry; or forensic psychiatry.
Psychiatrists’
medical background, training and experience allow them
– under state licensing laws – to prescribe
medication, and order and interpret medical tests. These
procedures are essential for the appropriate diagnosis
and treatment of mental disorders, just as they are for
all other medical illnesses. Psychiatrists are also uniquely
qualified to approach care and treatment from a therapeutic,
as well as a medical, foundation.
APA members
work in all kinds of settings, from private practices
to the public sector, as well as in hospitals, community
mental health centers, primary education schools, colleges
and universities, correctional facilities and corporate
health care settings.
What
is Mental Health?
APA works to
improve public understanding of mental disorders and to
take the mystery out of public perception of mental illnesses
in an effort to reduce mental illness stigmas. Many mental
disorders have both physical and emotional bases, so an
individualized assessment and course of treatment is key
to maintaining a healthy mind and living a healthy life.
Mental disorders are recognizable, diagnosable and highly
treatable. Therefore, treatment works and indeed, seeking
help is a sign of strength.
For
Information Contact:
APA Office of Communications and Public Affairs
Phone: 703-907-8640
Media E-mail: press@psych.org
Consumer E-mail: apa@psych.org
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