Background
Freedman, Alfred Mordecai was born on January 7, 1917 in Albany, New York, United States. Son of Jacob Abraham and Pauline Rebecca (Hoffman) Freedman.
Freedman, Alfred Mordecai was born on January 7, 1917 in Albany, New York, United States. Son of Jacob Abraham and Pauline Rebecca (Hoffman) Freedman.
After earning his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 1937, Freedman graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1941.
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. He began an internship at Harlem Hospital but left before completion to enlist in the United States Army Air Corps. He became the chief of child psychiatry at the State University of New York 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 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.
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.
A second resolution called for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation and the repeal of laws against consensual gay sexual Freedman was also 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 Union. He led a delegation to the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics 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.
Freedman Award for best scientific paper presented at the annual International Society of Political Psychology meeting was awarded from 1993 to 1999.
Alfred Freedman died in Manhattan on April 17, 2011, following complications after surgery to treat a hip fracture.
Member New York State Commission to Evaluate Drug Laws, Albany, 1970-1973. Founding trustee Center for Urban Education, New York City, 1965-1970. Director Upper Park Avenue Boys Club of America, New York City, 1970-1980.
Non-governmental organization representative United Nations for World Psychiatric Association, 1985-1990, non-governmental organization representative United Nations for World Association Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 1990-2011. Trustee New York Academy Medicine, 1976-1979. Trustee International Foundation for Human Sciences, Paris, 1987-1997.
Chairman board directors Center for Comprehensive Health Practice, 2006. Fellow: Academy Medicine et Psychiatricae Foundation (founding fellow, president 1990—2011), American Orthopsychiatric Association (director 1962-1964), American College Neuropsychopharmacology (president 1972-1973, council global psychiatry 1999), American Psychiatric Association (president 1971-1972, ethics appeals board 1993-1999, disting.fellow 2000, ethics appeals board 2003-2011, council on global psychiatry 2004-2011, Rush medal 1974, annual award, Special Presidential commendation 1999, Hamman Right award 2008), American Psychopathology Association (president 1973-1974, Hamilton medal 1972). Member: Institute Victims of Trauma (trustee 1992), Association Advancement of Philosophy and Psychiatry (founding executive committee 1989—2011), International Foundation Mental Health & Neurosciences (United States director, vice president 1996—2004), National Committee on Confidentiality of Health Records (president 1976-1995), New York Psychiatric Society 1986-1987.
Married Marcia Irene Kohl, March 24, 1943. Children: Paul Harris, Daniel Sholom.