For the record-setting number of psychiatrists and others who attended APA's 2004 annual meeting last month, New York really did turn out to be a" helluva town," to quote a lyric from one famous paean to the Big Apple.FIG1FIG2FIG3FIG4FIG5FIG6FIG7FIG8

While New York's picture-postcard sights, the world's richest repositories of the arts, and the unbeatable nightlife were among the reasons that people came to New York City for the meeting, the scientific program was the main draw. Many of the sessions spotlighted the meeting's theme," Psychotherapy and Psychopharmacology: Dissolving the Mind-Brain Barrier."

As President Marcia Goin, M.D., noted in her address at the meeting's Opening Session, genetic and neuroimaging studies are showing just how artificial the division between mind and brain really is.

Incoming President Michelle Riba, M.D., emphasized the need to block any threats to the ability to teach and train future generations of psychiatrists, particularly money-driven attempts to minimize the number of clinical encounters residents have.

More than 26,000 attendees will attest to the fact that the annual meeting was an incredibly enriching experience.