Alfred Freedman
Encyclopedia
Alfred Mordecai Freedman (January 7, 1917 April 17, 2011) was an American psychiatrist. A long-time educator and advocate of social justice, Freedman is known for leading the effort to have the American Psychiatric Association
de-classify homosexuality
as a mental illness.
. After earning his undergraduate degree at Cornell University
in 1937, Freedman graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School
in 1941. He began an internship at Harlem Hospital
but left before completion to enlist in the United States Army Air Corps
. He left the service having attained the rank of Major.
After initially studying neuropsychology
, Freedman trained in both general and child psychiatry, undertaking a residency at Bellevue Hospital. He became the chief of child psychiatry at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
, a post in which he served for five years, before becoming the first person to serve full-time as the department of psychiatry Chairman at New York Medical College
, a post which he held for 30 years.
In his position as president, Freedman immediately supported a resolution offered by Robert L. Spitzer
to delete homosexuality from the list of mental illness diagnoses. On December 15, 1973, the APA's board of trustees voted 13—0 in favor of the resolution, which stated that "by itself, homosexuality does not meet the criteria for being a psychiatric disorder" and that "We will no longer insist on a label of sickness for individuals who insist that they are well and demonstrate no generalized impairment in social effectiveness." LGBT
rights organizations have hailed this decision as one of the greatest advances for gay equality in the United States. Freedman himself believed that passing this resolution was the most important accomplishment of his one-year tenure as president. A second resolution called for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation and the repeal of laws against consensual gay sex
.
. He led a delegation to the USSR and challenged the practice of detaining political dissidents in mental facilities. Following his retirement he turned his attention to the role of psychiatry in capital punishment
and campaigned for doctors not to participate in executions and against the administration of psychiatric medicines to death row inmates so they could be declared competent for execution.
The Alfred M. Freedman Award for best scientific paper presented at the annual International Society of Political Psychology
meeting was awarded from 1993 to 1999.
on April 17, 2011, following complications after surgery to treat a hip fracture. He is survived by his wife, Marcia, sons Dan and Paul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Freedman) and three grandchildren.
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
de-classify homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
as a mental illness.
Early life and education
Alfred Freedman was born January 7, 1917 in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. After earning his undergraduate degree at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1937, Freedman graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School
University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is the medical school of the University of Minnesota. It is a combination of two campuses situated in Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota....
in 1941. He began an internship at Harlem Hospital
Harlem Hospital Center
Harlem Hospital Center is a 272-bed public, municipally owned teaching hospital in New York City founded in 1887. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue at 135th Street in the Harlem community of Manhattan.-Overview:...
but left before completion to enlist in the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
. He left the service having attained the rank of Major.
After initially studying neuropsychology
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from individual cells in...
, Freedman trained in both general and child psychiatry, undertaking a residency at Bellevue Hospital. He became the chief of child psychiatry at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, better known as SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is a public university and medical center located in central Brooklyn, New York and the only academic center for health education, research, and patient care serving Brooklyn’s 2.5...
, a post in which he served for five years, before becoming the first person to serve full-time as the department of psychiatry Chairman at New York Medical College
New York Medical College
New York Medical College, aka New York Med or NYMC, is a private graduate health sciences university based in Westchester County, New York, a suburb of New York City and a part of the New York Metropolitan Area...
, a post which he held for 30 years.
Removing homosexuality as a mental illness
In 1972, Freedman was approached by the Committee of Concerned Psychiatrists, a group of young reform-minded doctors, who encouraged him to run for the presidency of the American Psychiatric Association. He won the election by 3 votes out of some 9,000 that were cast.In his position as president, Freedman immediately supported a resolution offered by Robert L. Spitzer
Robert Spitzer (psychiatrist)
Robert L. Spitzer was a major architect of the modern classification of mental disorders. He is a retired professor of psychiatry at Columbia University in New York City, United States and was on the research faculty of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. He...
to delete homosexuality from the list of mental illness diagnoses. On December 15, 1973, the APA's board of trustees voted 13—0 in favor of the resolution, which stated that "by itself, homosexuality does not meet the criteria for being a psychiatric disorder" and that "We will no longer insist on a label of sickness for individuals who insist that they are well and demonstrate no generalized impairment in social effectiveness." LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
rights organizations have hailed this decision as one of the greatest advances for gay equality in the United States. Freedman himself believed that passing this resolution was the most important accomplishment of his one-year tenure as president. A second resolution called for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation and the repeal of laws against consensual gay sex
Sodomy laws in the United States
Sodomy laws in the United States, which outlawed a variety of sexual acts, were historically universal. While they often targeted sexual acts between persons of the same sex, many statutes employed definitions broad enough to outlaw certain sexual acts between persons of different sexes as well,...
.
Other concerns
Freedman was very concerned about the treatment of drug addiction. In 1959 he established in East Harlem one of the earliest drug treatment programs for adults and the following year created a similar program for adolescents. As president of the APA Freedman worked to draw attention to the abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He led a delegation to the USSR and challenged the practice of detaining political dissidents in mental facilities. Following his retirement he turned his attention to the role of psychiatry in capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and campaigned for doctors not to participate in executions and against the administration of psychiatric medicines to death row inmates so they could be declared competent for execution.
The Alfred M. Freedman Award for best scientific paper presented at the annual International Society of Political Psychology
International Society of Political Psychology
The International Society of Political Psychology is an interdisciplinary not-for-profit organisation, representing all fields of enquiry involved with the exploration of relationships between both psychological and political processes and phenomena...
meeting was awarded from 1993 to 1999.
Death
Alfred Freedman died in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on April 17, 2011, following complications after surgery to treat a hip fracture. He is survived by his wife, Marcia, sons Dan and Paul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Freedman) and three grandchildren.