Henry Brill
Encyclopedia
Henry Brill was an American psychiatrist
and educator. A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut
, he earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University
. After receiving his M.D. in 1932, he began a career in the New York state psychiatric system, culminating in the directorship of Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
in Brentwood, NY from 1958 to 1974. At its height in the mid 1950s, Pilgrim was the largest mental institution in the world, with a census of 13,875 patients. Brill also served as Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene from 1959 to 1964.
Brill was a leader in the early use of the tranquilizer chlorpromazine
(Thorazine) in the United States for the treatment of psychosis
, having heard of its success in France and Canada in the early 1950s. After being contacted directly by the drug's U.S. distributor, Smith Kline & French, Brill convened a meeting of New York psychiatrists in 1953 to discuss the benefits of chlorpromazine use in the public sector psychiatric hospital system. Shortly thereafter, New York became the first state to use the new medication in its hospitals on a large scale. Following several successful pilot tests in 1954, the introduction of chlorpromazine for general use in the patient population in January 1955 led to the first decrease in the New York state psychiatric hospital census during peacetime, as described in analyses published by Brill and Robert Patton in 1957 and 1959. The advent of wide antipsychotic medication
use in the public psychiatric hospital systems of the United States was a key factor in the eventual rise of the deinstitutionalization movement in the 1960s.
Brill was the chairman of the American Psychiatric Association
Committee on Nomenclature and Statistics
from 1960 to 1965 and was notable for supporting committee member Robert Spitzer
's efforts to discontinue the classification of homosexuality
as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
2nd Edition (DSM-II).
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and educator. A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, he earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. After receiving his M.D. in 1932, he began a career in the New York state psychiatric system, culminating in the directorship of Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, formerly known as Pilgrim State Hospital, is a state-run psychiatric hospital located in Brentwood, New York. At the time it opened, it was the largest hospital of any kind in the world...
in Brentwood, NY from 1958 to 1974. At its height in the mid 1950s, Pilgrim was the largest mental institution in the world, with a census of 13,875 patients. Brill also served as Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene from 1959 to 1964.
Brill was a leader in the early use of the tranquilizer chlorpromazine
Chlorpromazine
Chlorpromazine is a typical antipsychotic...
(Thorazine) in the United States for the treatment of psychosis
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
, having heard of its success in France and Canada in the early 1950s. After being contacted directly by the drug's U.S. distributor, Smith Kline & French, Brill convened a meeting of New York psychiatrists in 1953 to discuss the benefits of chlorpromazine use in the public sector psychiatric hospital system. Shortly thereafter, New York became the first state to use the new medication in its hospitals on a large scale. Following several successful pilot tests in 1954, the introduction of chlorpromazine for general use in the patient population in January 1955 led to the first decrease in the New York state psychiatric hospital census during peacetime, as described in analyses published by Brill and Robert Patton in 1957 and 1959. The advent of wide antipsychotic medication
Antipsychotic
An antipsychotic is a tranquilizing psychiatric medication primarily used to manage psychosis , particularly in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A first generation of antipsychotics, known as typical antipsychotics, was discovered in the 1950s...
use in the public psychiatric hospital systems of the United States was a key factor in the eventual rise of the deinstitutionalization movement in the 1960s.
Brill was the chairman of the American Psychiatric Association
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...
Committee on Nomenclature and Statistics
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
from 1960 to 1965 and was notable for supporting committee member Robert 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...
's efforts to discontinue the classification of 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 disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
2nd Edition (DSM-II).
External links
- Pilgrim Psychiatric Center at the New York State Office of Mental Health