This collection contains records from the World Psychiatric Association. There are 4 series in this collection.

World Psychiatric Association Headquarters: The World Psychiatric Association headquarters were located in Geneva, London, and Copenhagen at different times. The official records in this collection include statutes and bylaws, minutes of the Executive Committee (incomplete), some reports, and related material.

Section on the History of Psychiatry: The bulk of the correspondence in the WPA collection pertains to the Section on the History of Psychiatry. Dr. Eric Carlson began his relationship with the Section in 1967 as its first chairman. The constitution of the Section was officially adopted in 1971. Dr. Denis Leigh, Secretary General of the WPA in the late l960’s and 1970’s, was responsible for the organization of the symposia on different topics to members. According to Dr. Leigh’s specific instructions, the purpose of this Section was to further the study of the history of psychiatry through the meetings of expert committees, symposia, arrangement of lectures, and other educational events. The records of the Section consist of the Constitution, list of members, and correspondence pertaining to the planning of the Session on the History of Anxiety held at the V World Congress of Psychiatry in Mexico City.

Newsletters: Newsletters were published by the Secretariat and contain information about upcoming congresses and symposia, committees, individual and organizational members of the WPA, and related matters. A special issue (1986) is devoted to WPA history from 1961-1986 and contains the statutes and bylaws, as well as the Declaration of Hawaii, regarding ethical standards in psychiatry.

Publications: This series consists of The Bulletin, a publication containing newsworthy items and brief articles on WPA members. The series also contains programs abstracts from some of the World Congresses and symposia.