Fred Berlin
Encyclopedia
Frederick S. "Fred" Berlin is an American
psychiatrist
and sexologist specializing in sex offenses.
in 1964, a master's degree from Fordham University
in 1966, and a Ph.D. from Dalhousie University
in 1972. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Dalhousie in 1974. Following a clerkship at Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he was an intern at McGill University School of Medicine, Jewish General Hospital, Children’s Hospital in Montreal
, Canada
. He completed a psychiatric residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and served as an exchange resident at Maudsley Hospital
in London
, England. After serving as Chief Resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital's Department of Psychiatry, he was appointed to The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He was an Assistant Professor from 1978 to 1986, and has been an Associate Professor since then. He has been an Attending Physician there since 1978 and served as Founder and Director of The Johns Hopkins Sexual Disorders Clinic from 1980 to 1992. In 1992 he founded the National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma and serves as its Director.
Berlin served on Subcommittee on the Paraphilias, American Psychiatric Association third revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-III-R) from 1984 to 1989. He received a Presidential Citation from the City of Baltimore in 1996 and was named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
in 2003. Memberships include the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, the American Medical Association
, the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
, the American Psychiatric Association
, and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
.
He has appeared as an expert witness
in trials including the murder trial of Jeffrey Dahmer
. and Mark Dean Schwab. He has discussed the merits of chemical castration
for sex offenders.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychiatrist
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 sexologist specializing in sex offenses.
Life and career
Berlin studied psychology, earning a bachelor's degree from University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1964, a master's degree from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
in 1966, and a Ph.D. from Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in 1972. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Dalhousie in 1974. Following a clerkship at Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he was an intern at McGill University School of Medicine, Jewish General Hospital, Children’s Hospital in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He completed a psychiatric residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and served as an exchange resident at Maudsley Hospital
Maudsley Hospital
The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in South London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the country...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. After serving as Chief Resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital's Department of Psychiatry, he was appointed to The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He was an Assistant Professor from 1978 to 1986, and has been an Associate Professor since then. He has been an Attending Physician there since 1978 and served as Founder and Director of The Johns Hopkins Sexual Disorders Clinic from 1980 to 1992. In 1992 he founded the National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma and serves as its Director.
Berlin served on Subcommittee on the Paraphilias, American Psychiatric Association third revision of 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...
(DSM-III-R) from 1984 to 1989. He received a Presidential Citation from the City of Baltimore in 1996 and was named a Distinguished Fellow 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...
in 2003. Memberships include the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
, the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children is an organization in the USA started by David Corwin. The APSAC website states its mission is "mission is to enhance the ability of professionals to respond to children and their families affected by abuse and violence." Membership is open to...
, 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...
, and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers is a non-profit organization founded to foster research, facilitate information exchange, further professional education and provide for the advancement of professional standards and practices in the field of sex offender evaluation and treatment...
.
He has appeared as an expert witness
Expert witness
An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
in trials including the murder trial of Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism...
. and Mark Dean Schwab. He has discussed the merits of chemical castration
Chemical castration
Chemical castration is the administration of medication designed to reduce libido and sexual activity, usually in the hope of preventing rapists, child molesters and other sex offenders from repeating their crimes...
for sex offenders.
Selected publications
- Berlin FS (1972). The use of waking and hypnotic suggestions to change behavior. Dissertation.
- Berlin FS, Meinecke CF (1981). Treatment of sex offenders with antiandrogenic medication: conceptualization, review of treatment modalities, and preliminary findings. Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:601-607.
- Berlin FS (1989). Special considerations in the psychicatric evaluation of sexual offenders against minors. In Rosner R, Schwartz HI (eds.). Juvenile psychiatry and the law. Plenum Press, ISBN 9780306429583
- Berlin FS, Hunt WP, Malin HM, Dyer A, Lehne GK, Dean S (1991). A Five-Year Plus Follow-up Survey of Criminal Recidivism Within a Treated Cohort of 406 Pedophiles, 111 Exhibitionists and 109 Sexual Aggressives: Issues and Outcome. American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 12, 3, pp. 5–28, 1991.
- Berlin FS, Malin HM, Dean S (1989). Effects of statutes requiring psychiatrists to report suspected sexual abuse of children. Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:449-453.
- Berlin FS (1996). Sexual deviation [review]. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 186, No. 4, pp 255–256, 4/98. Review of Rosen I (ed). Sexual Deviation, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780192625168
- Fagan PJ, Wise TN, Schmidt CW, Berlin FS (2002). Special Communication of Pedophilia. Journal of the American Medical AssociationJournal of the American Medical AssociationThe Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
, 288, 19, pp. 2458–2465, November, 2002.
- Saleh F, Berlin FS (2003). Sex Hormones, Neurotransmitters and Psychopharmalogical Treatments in Men with Paraphilic Disorders. Journal of Child Sex Abuse, Vol. 12, No. 3/4. pp. 233–253, 2003. Also published simultaneously in Identifying and Treating Sex Offenders: Current approaches, Research, and Techniques, (ed. Robert Geffner, et al.). The Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press, New York, pp. 233–253, 2003.
- Schwartz MF, Berlin FS (2008). Sexually Compulsive Behavior, An Issue of Psychiatric Clinics: Volumes 31-34. Saunders, ISBN 9781416063896
External links
- National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma
- Berlin, Fred S., M.D., Ph.D. via Johns Hopkins
- Luo, Michael, "In Sex Abuse Case, Priest's Old Letter Could Be Pivotal", The New York Times, September 14, 2006; Berlin providing contrary opinion to defendant. Article also here. Church resolution of case in favor of defendant at: Vitello, Paul, "A Monsignor Is Defrocked for Abusing a Student",The New York Times, December 17, 2010.