American Psychiatric Association

What American Psychiatric Association does

The American Psychiatric Association (APA), founded in 1844 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. (800 Maine Avenue, S.W., Suite 900), is a nonprofit professional membership organization serving practicing psychiatrists, psychiatry residents and fellows, medical students, and international psychiatrists across the United States and abroad. Its defining product is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the standard psychiatric classification system used for clinical diagnosis, coding, billing, and research; the APA is actively developing a next-generation, four-domain DSM (symptoms, functioning, biomarkers, social context) and published research in 2026 on integrating biomarkers such as inflammatory proteins into psychiatric diagnosis. Beyond the DSM, APA operates a wholly owned publishing arm (American Psychiatric Publishing / Psychiatry Online) producing the American Journal of Psychiatry, journals, and books; an education stack comprising the APA Learning Center, APA On Demand, podcasts, and the 178th Annual Meeting; research infrastructure including the PsychPRO mental health registry and AMNet addiction medicine practice-based research network; and member programs such as MindGames, SMI Adviser, the APA Mentorship Platform, MindSET, and The Virtual Immersive VR training.

APA generates revenue through five primary streams: (1) recurring annual membership dues across tiered categories (general, early career, resident-fellow, medical student, international), (2) APA Publishing subscriptions and book/journal sales via psychiatryonline.org, (3) CME courses and educational program fees through the Learning Center, (4) Annual Meeting registration, exhibitor, and sponsorship revenue (with the 2026 meeting in San Francisco and 2027 scheduled for New York City), and (5) research data services and grants through PsychPRO/AMNet. Its go-to-market is sales-led, recruiting members directly through residency programs, medical schools, district branches, caucuses, and renewal campaigns, while distribution of publications and educational content is digital-first. The organization is governed by an elected Board of Trustees and Assembly, currently led by CEO & Medical Director Saul Levin and President Paul Summergrad, and operates subsidiaries including the APA Foundation (charitable arm), APA Publishing, and the Center for Workplace Mental Health.

Name

American Psychiatric Association

Legal name

American Psychiatric Association

Website

https://psychiatry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1844

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The American Psychiatric Association (APA), founded in 1844 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit professional membership organization that serves practicing psychiatrists, residents, medical students, and international psychiatrists, primarily through the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), continuing medical education, the Annual Meeting, and APA Publishing's journals and books.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: APA generates revenue primarily through membership dues from psychiatrists, residents, medical students, and international members. Membership categories include general members, early career psychiatrists, resident-fellow members, medical students, and semi-retired/retired members.
2. Publishing and Journals: APA Publishing operates through psychiatryonline.org, offering the American Journal of Psychiatry, journals, and books. This is a significant revenue stream from subscriptions and publication sales.
3. Educational Programs and CME: APA Learning Center provides continuing medical education courses, the Annual Meeting, APA On Demand, podcasts, and certification programs for professional development.
4. Annual Meeting and Events: The APA Annual Meeting (May 2026 held in San Francisco, May 2027 in New York City) generates revenue through registration, exhibitor fees, and sponsorships.
5. Research Registries: APA operates research networks including PsychPRO (mental health registry) and AMNet (addiction medicine PBRN), potentially generating revenue through research grants and data services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional membership organization for psychiatrists in the United States, founded in 1844 and headquartered in Washington, DC. Its core offerings include the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), peer-reviewed journals and books (American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric News), continuing medical education and learning platforms, clinical practice guidelines, mental health registries (PsychPRO, AMNet), advocacy on mental health policy, and member services such as Find a Psychiatrist, JobCentral, and the APA Mentorship Platform.

Product overview

The American Psychiatric Association offers a comprehensive portfolio of professional products and services centered on psychiatric practice, education, and research. The core offering is the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the authoritative diagnostic classification system. This is supported by APA Publishing's Psychiatry Online platform providing access to journals including the American Journal of Psychiatry, books, and clinical resources. The APA Learning Center and APA On Demand deliver continuing education through courses, webinars, and recorded sessions. Research infrastructure includes PsychPRO (mental health registry) and AMNet (addiction medicine research network). Member programs include MindGames residency competition, SMI Adviser clinical support, Telepsychiatry resources, and the APA Mentorship Platform. The APA Foundation supports charitable initiatives, while JobCentral serves career placement needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Psychiatry.org: Official website of the American Psychiatric Association
• Psychiatry Online
• APPI (APA Publishing)
• PsychPRO
• Psychiatric News
• MindGames
• APAPAC
• La Salud Mental

Products and services

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) Authoritative diagnostic manual for mental disorders used by psychiatrists, psychologists, other clinicians, insurers, and researchers worldwide as the standard reference for psychiatric diagnosis.
• Psychiatry Online (psychiatryonline.org) Digital library and subscription platform providing access to the DSM, American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric News, textbooks, and clinical references for individual clinicians and institutions.
• American Journal of Psychiatry Peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original research, review articles, and clinical reports in psychiatry for clinicians, researchers, and academic institutions.
• Psychiatric News News publication of the American Psychiatric Association reporting on clinical, scientific, policy, and practice developments for APA members and the broader psychiatric community.
• APA Learning Center Online continuing medical education (CME) platform offering courses, learning activities, and self-assessment tools that help psychiatrists earn CME credits and meet maintenance of certification requirements.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines issued by the American Psychiatric Association to support psychiatrists and other clinicians in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions.
• PsychPRO Mental Health Registry Practice-based mental health registry that enables participating psychiatrists and practices to measure, track, and improve clinical outcomes for patients with mental illness.
• AMNet (Automated Measure Network) Automated quality measurement system that partners with electronic health record vendors to capture clinical data, enabling practices to report on quality measures for psychiatric care.
• APA Annual Meeting Annual scientific meeting convening psychiatrists, researchers, and industry partners for scientific sessions, CME, exhibits, and networking.
• Find a Psychiatrist Online public directory that helps patients, families, and providers locate APA-member psychiatrists by location and specialty.
• JobCentral Online career center where employers post psychiatric positions and candidates search for jobs across the United States.
• APA Mentorship Platform Online platform that connects APA members seeking mentors and mentees to support professional development and career guidance in psychiatry.
• APA On Demand On-demand access to recorded educational content from APA educational programs and the Annual Meeting for CME and self-study.
• MindGames Interactive digital program of learning activities designed to engage young people, educators, and the public in mental health literacy.
• SMI Adviser Resource center providing clinicians with evidence-based information, resources, and consultation for treating patients with serious mental illness.
• MindSET Digital education and self-assessment tool designed to support mental health learning and skill-building for clinicians and learners.
• The Virtual Immersive Immersive virtual learning experience provided by APA for clinician education and engagement in psychiatric topics.
• APA Foundation Affiliated philanthropic foundation that supports public-facing mental health programs, including the APA Foundation's work to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
• APA Podcasts Audio podcast programming offering interviews, clinical discussions, and policy commentary for APA members and the broader psychiatric community.

Quantifiable outcome

• The 178th Annual Meeting in May 2026 attracted thousands of clinicians to address AI's entry into psychiatric practice
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• Columbia University Medical CenternotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA provides information about Columbia University Medical Center fellowship opportunities in affective, anxiety, eating disorders, child psychiatry, schizophrenia research, postdoctoral substance abuse fellowship, and behavioral sciences research training in HIV infection through its external fellowships resource page.
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA and AACAP collaborated on Medication Guides for Parents in Spanish covering anxiety disorders, ADHD, brain stimulation treatments, bipolar disorder, ADHD with ASD, depression, impairing emotional outbursts, and sleep disorders.
• American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA's MindGames competition announces top 10 teams at the AADPRT meeting in March, with AADPRT providing guidance on applying for child psychiatry and forensic psychiatry fellowships.
• Mount Sinai School of MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA lists Mood and Personality Disorders Research Fellowships at Mount Sinai School of Medicine as an external opportunity for APA members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Psychological Association: The other "APA" — a separate mental-health professional membership organization serving psychologists rather than psychiatrists. Comparable on membership dues, journals, DSM-style diagnostic publications, advocacy, and convention, and a direct competitor for mental-health practitioner mindshare and CME spend.
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP): APA's named collaboration partner on parent medication guides; AACAP runs a parallel psychiatrist membership, CME, advocacy, and annual-meeting model for the child/adolescent subspecialty, competing for the same member dues, CME dollars, and subspecialty policy voice.
• American Medical Association (AMA): AMA is the largest U.S. physician professional membership organization, mirroring APA's model of membership dues, journals (JAMA), periodic coding/diagnostic standards (CPT/ICD), CME, advocacy, and an annual meeting. It is the closest structural analog for evaluating APA's revenue mix and operating scale.
• American College of Psychiatrists: An honorary psychiatric society focused on recognition, education, and leadership within psychiatry, offering CME conferences and journals. Smaller and more selective than APA but operates a similar specialist society model competing for senior member engagement.
• World Psychiatric Association (WPA): The global psychiatric professional society with associated member societies in 140+ countries, organizing World Congress of Psychiatry and publishing World Psychiatry. Directly comparable in scope of international members, classification leadership, and convention revenue.
• American Academy of Neurology (AAN): Specialist physician society for neurologists offering journals (Neurology), CME, annual meeting, practice guidelines, and advocacy. Closely comparable in scale, member mix, and product portfolio to APA, serving as a useful peer benchmark on dues, publishing, and event economics.

Broad incumbents

• American Osteopathic Association (AOA): The national membership and certification body for osteopathic physicians (DOs), with parallel CME, advocacy, and convention operations. Comparable professional-association economics to APA and a competing pipeline for primary-care and behavioral-health prescribing physicians.
• American College of Physicians (ACP): Large U.S. specialist (internal medicine) medical society with membership, Annals of Internal Medicine, MOC/CME, clinical guidelines, and advocacy — a near-identical operating model to APA but at a larger scale and broader specialty, useful as a revenue benchmark.
• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): The largest U.S. primary-care physician membership organization with member dues, CME, journals (American Family Physician), advocacy, and FMX conference. Comparable operational architecture to APA on a broader specialty footprint, with overlap in prescribing/mental-health CME.

Regional players

• Royal College of Psychiatrists: The U.K. equivalent specialist psychiatric membership body, running parallel member exams (MRCPsych), journals (BJPsych), clinical guidelines, and international affairs. Comparable operating model outside the U.S., useful for benchmarking APA's international member and guideline offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/APAPsychiatric
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLf3_-c0tpWquvGObsROanF_Eb6jgS0eR2
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmericanPsychiatricAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-psychiatric-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/apapsychiatric
• TikToktiktok.com/@apapsychiatric

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Psychiatric Association