[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 119 (Monday, August 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     REMEMBERING DR. MELVIN SABSHIN

 Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to 
Dr. Melvin Sabshin, a tireless advocate for mental health issues, who 
passed away on June 4, 2011. I am proud that Dr. Sabshin's family lives 
in Connecticut and honored to remember a man who spoke out against 
harmful discrimination, breaking down the stigma of mental health ahead 
of his time.
  As the former director of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. 
Sabshin worked diligently to advance the field of psychiatry by 
strengthening research efforts and advocating for increased mental 
health funding.
  Dr. Sabshin was born on October 28, 1925, in New York City. 
Graduating high school at age 14 and college at 17, he was a scholar 
from childhood. After graduating from the University of Florida, he 
served briefly in the U.S. Army and then enrolled in medical school and 
completed his residency at Tulane University in Louisiana. Upon 
graduation from medical school, he practiced medicine at the Michael 
Reese Hospital in Chicago and eventually became the head of the 
University of Illinois' Department of Psychiatry.
  At the University of Illinois, he became an active member of the 
American Psychiatric Association. In 1974 he was appointed medical 
director of the American Psychiatric Association and served as director 
until 1997. During his time, he oversaw the publication of new editions 
of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which 
sets standard criteria for classifying mental health conditions.
  In fighting discrimination, he worked tirelessly to eliminate 
homosexuality from the list of psychiatric disorders in the manual, and 
his work helped to change attitudes toward homosexuality. During his 
tenure as director, Dr. Sabshin was also a leading voice against the 
ideological manipulation of psychiatry by communist authorities in the 
Soviet Union.
  Upon his retirement from the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. 
Sabshin was hired as a clinical professor at the University of 
Maryland's medical school. He also was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal 
College of Psychiatrists. He is survived by his wife Marion Bennathan 
of London, his son Dr. James Sabshin of Woodbridge, CT, and four 
granddaughters.
  Dr. Sabshin has been called ``central to the evolution of modern 
American psychiatry.'' This characterization could not be more 
accurate. Dr. Sabshin's death is a great loss to the professional 
community and especially to all those who have benefited from his many 
years of great public service. I know my colleagues will join me in 
honoring the great life of Dr. Melvin Sabshin.

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