Gratitude

By the time this column appears, it will be nearly Thanksgiving, the most uniquely American of our national holidays. For most of us, it is a time to celebrate the blessings of this land, our families, and the harvest. It is a spiritual but not distinctly religious event, a time of family gatherings, the return of kids from school, and, yes, a lot of football before the depths of winter hit.

This column marks the halfway point in my presidency. While there are many actions that APA has taken on your behalf, some very public and some quietly behind the scenes, I want to reflect on the experience of representing you and American psychiatry.

I am deeply honored to serve as your president. You have placed your trust in me, not just for yourself but for all those young women and men who will someday become psychiatrists and build on the foundation we are now laying for a future that we can barely imagine. Just as important is the responsibility you have given me to speak on behalf of our field—our science, clinical care, and the needs of our patients—which all too often are placed secondary to unproven cost-saving ideology and at times frank politics, or simply forgotten.

Whether the issues are local, national, or international, we know that APA is listened to carefully and its positions considered seriously. This is in part due to the strength of our science, our outstanding medical-education system, our ability to come together in articulating uncompromising positions. Our standing—which we have worked long and hard to achieve—makes a difference on the global stage as well. Policymakers have come to know that we are the physicians who care for the most seriously mentally ill people and that our clinical care is of the first rank. Under the leadership of our new CEO and medical director, Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., we have spent the past year building an administration that can take us to an even higher level of effectiveness in the government, educational, and public arenas.

All of this comes with a certain weight and seriousness. It means at times that we do not and should not speak if we do not know or do not have a settled policy—or that we realize that silence is, at moments, the most enlightened course.

There will be time enough in the next six months to talk about the strategic planning process that APA is now undergoing, to discuss where APA will be based in the post-2017 period when the lease expires on our headquarters in Arlington, Va., and to work with Congress and the administration to finally get substantive mental health legislation passed, including enhanced support for the field’s research and training missions.

But as we gather around our home fires amid loving family and friends at this time of year, it is enough to express my gratitude to you for the confidence you have placed in me, the great opportunities that we have to speak out on behalf of those who are the most troubled and marginalized and who may have no family to turn to on these cold nights, and your ceaseless dedication to our patients.

Happy Thanksgiving.