Imagine a Child Colossus

Psychiatry & Society

H. Steven Moffic, MD, wants to put an exclamation point on child mental health, particularly amongst questions of whether psychiatric medication for children is justified. To do so, he reimagines the poem, "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. You can read more about this poem, and the Statue of Liberty as a mother, in Moffic's column, "Our Statue of Liberty Is Crying."

"If you build a Colossus for children, maybe peace will come," concludes Moffic.

If you are interested in reading more on child and adolescent psychiatry, check out our most recent Special Report.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.