Psychiatry’s High Holy Days

Our Psychiatry & Society video series is taking a short break. For now, enjoy this rerun with additional new commentary.

Just about a year ago, we posted a rerun video which, in turn, was a rerun of a rerun from September 21, 2021 on “Remembering High Holy Days of Psychiatry.” It considered what event in psychiatry would be closest to the Jewish High Holy Days or Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I also connected the prayer titled “A Prayer for Psychiatry” provided for the annual meeting in 1985 by the late great psychiatrist and Christian clergy, E. Mansell Pattison.
As it turned out, last year’s American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting, though live, was constrained by what was still left of the COVID pandemic. Attendance in New Orleans was much lower than prepandemic, and many attendees did get infected. I dropped out of my presentation since I was in a high risk group.

The upcoming APA Annual Meeting in San Francisco promises to be the most holy one in 4 years. However, the location will be a challenge to what we usually consider to be holy. Downtown San Francisco has been deteriorating with homelessness, crime, and vacant buildings. Yet, are there not sparks of holiness in the homeless? Surely, there is holiness in those psychiatrists that try to help them, not only in San Francisco, but all around the country. Even so, psychiatry needs to do what we can to prevent homelessness, especially with the high percentage of mentally I’ll among the homeless.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who has specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry. A prolific writer and speaker, he received the one-time designation of Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association in 2002. He is an advocate for mental health issues related to climate instability, burnout, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism for a better world. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times™.