NYCPS Mission

Advancing the field of psychiatry, advocating for access to treatment and excellence in patient care, promoting research and education, and serving the professional needs of our members.

History

The New York County Psychiatric Society represents psychiatrists from Manhattan and Staten Island. It is the largest District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association. NYCPS is one of thirteen District Branches in New York State. Members of NYCPS are also members of the APA and of the New York State Psychiatric Association (NYSPA), therefore, our members can partake in the benefits of all three organizations, with programming and representation at the local, state, and national levels.

NYCPS’ beginning can be traced back to the New York Society for Clinical Psychiatry, which was organized on November 9, 1922 by a group of New York psychiatrists, with Dr. George H. Kirby as its first president. There were just 164 original members. The Society held four regular scientific meetings each year and one annual dinner meeting with a guest speaker. The early membership was almost evenly divided between non-psychiatric physicians and psychiatrists, and the starting annual dues were $5.

The New York Society for Clinical Psychiatry’s relationship to APA was originally that of an “affiliated society.” It had a representative with the central APA organization, but neither a voice nor a vote. The first APA District Branches were created to decentralize the APA and offer regional members more participation. The New York County District Branch was one of the earliest (1955) and largest branches, and today it remains the largest District Branch of the APA. The New York Society for Clinical Psychiatry and the New York County District Branch merged in 1958, and became officially incorporated in New York State in 1962.

By April of 1959, the District Branch membership stood at 1,200 and the number of committees had risen to nine. The first District Branch Newsletter was published in September 1978, with Dr. Henry Weinstein as Editor. In 2000, the first Legislative Breakfast was held, and continues to be held each year in the winter.

The Society has changed and continues to change and adapt to the needs of our members. We’ve gone from formal dinners at Tavern on the Green to casual social barbecues at the 79th Street Boat Basin. We’ve gone from offices on Park Avenue to having a completely virtual office in 2013. We even changed our name again in 2014 to the New York County Psychiatric Society. What has not changed and will not change, is our commitment to being an active, multifaceted organization making a difference for our members and the patients they serve. We think our founders would be proud!