News Releases
396 Results
Media Encouraged to Attend APA Annual Meeting Online May 1 - 3, 2021
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting will be held online May 1 - 3, 2021. The theme for the meeting is "Finding Equity Through Advances in Mind and Brain in Unsettled Times," and the program will examine the concept of equity in many forms. Among the major topics to be discussed are racism, climate change, health equity, technology, COVID-19, trauma, and social determinants in community functioning.
APA Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution for People with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders
As the COVID-19 vaccine is being administered across the country, the American Psychiatric Association called on state public health authorities today to include people with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorders (SUD) to the equivalent of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Phase 1-C of their prioritization schedules. The recommendation coincides with APA’s recently released guidance document, The Role of the Psychiatrist in the Equitable Distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccine.
Dr. Rebecca W. Brendel Is Named APA President-Elect
The members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) have chosen Rebecca W. Brendel, M.D., J.D., as the medical society’s next president-elect. The results were released today but are not official until the APA Board of Trustees confirms them at its March meeting.
APA Condemns Pepper-Spraying, Handcuffing of 9-Year-Old Girl by Rochester Police
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) released a statement today on the situation in Rochester, NY, where, as police responded to a family disturbance call, a 9-year-old girl experiencing a mental health crisis was pepper-sprayed, pushed into the snow, and handcuffed by the police. In a body-cam video released Sunday by the Rochester police department she was calling for her father.
APA and PaPS Joint Statement in Support of Dr. Rachel Levine’s Appointment as Assistant Secretary of Health
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society (PaPS) today offered their formal support to the nomination of Rachel Levine, M.D., as President Biden’s Assistant Secretary of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Dr. Levine received APA’s 2018 Javits Award for Public Service, which is the highest honor the organization gives a public servant. She was selected for the award for her leadership in Pennsylvania in fighting the opioid epidemic, her long record of promoting collaboration between physical and mental health, and her advocacy for the LGBTQ community.
APA Apologizes for Its Support of Racism in Psychiatry
The American Psychiatric Association today apologized to Black, Indigenous and People of Color for its support of structural racism in psychiatry. Written and issued by the organization’s Board of Trustees, the apology acknowledges past practices and events in psychiatry that contributed to racial inequality, and expresses the organization’s commitment to developing anti-racist policies that promote equity in mental health for all. The apology is available to the public on APA’s website with an accompanying document covering some historical instances of racism in organized psychiatry.
APA Statement on Yesterday’s Violence in Washington
The American Psychiatric Association today condemns the violence that occurred during what should have been a peaceful step in the transfer of power in Washington, D.C., and offers resources for those whose mental health is impacted.
APA Applauds Congress for Taking Action to Strengthen Mental Health Parity; Including Key Mental Health Programs in Year-End Funding Package
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) today lauded Congress for passing the Strengthening Behavioral Health Parity Act (H.R. 7539) and including several key mental health and substance use-related programs in its combined $1.4 trillion year-end appropriations and COVID-relief funding package.
APA Reasserts Support for Affordable Care Act as Supreme Court Hears California v. Texas
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments today on California v. Texas, litigation challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The suit seeks to have the ACA entirely invalidated now that the so-called individual mandate has been essentially removed.
APA Congratulates President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President- Elect Kamala Harris; Pledges to Work with Them on Advancing Mental Health
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) today congratulates Joseph Biden on winning the 2020 election as the next president of the United States, and Kamala Harris for becoming the first Black woman and first Indian American to be elected vice president.
APA Calls for Calm During the 2020 National Election; Urges Leaders from Both Parties to Condemn Violence
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) acknowledges the raw emotions that are circulating as the nation approaches Election Day and, as psychiatrists, we are deeply concerned about the potential for violence in our communities regardless of who wins.
APA Condemns Fatal Police Shooting in Philadelphia; Calls for Expansion of Crisis Intervention Capability
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) today issued the following statement in response to the police shooting death this week of Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black male who had mental illness and needed crisis intervention.