Our Experts
Michael First, M.D.
Michael First, M.D., Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is one of the world’s leading experts on psychiatric diagnosis and assessment. Dr. First is editor of the last two editions of the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the official diagnostic guide for all mental health professionals. In addition, Dr. First is the Director of the DSM-V Prelude Project and co-Principal Investigator on the "Future of Psychiatric Diagnosis" conference series, which is setting research priorities for the DSM-V.
With a rich expertise in many areas of psychiatry, Dr. First has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles on assessment, mood disorders, personality disorders, and substance dependence. In addition to his role in the DSM, he is the lead author of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and author of numerous texts including the DSM-IV-TR Casebook, the DSM-IV-TR Guidebook, the DSM-IV-TR Handbook of Differential Diagnosis, and DSM-IV-TR Mental Disorders: Diagnosis, Etiology, and Treatment. In addition, Dr. First edited the American Psychiatric Association’s Handbook of Psychiatric Measures - all staples of any mental health professional’s library. Dr. First is also Medical Editor of the Quick Reference Guides to the American Psychiatric Association’s Practice Guidelines, which set evidence-based standards for the treatment of different psychiatric disorders.
Dr. First’s academic accomplishments are diverse. He supervises trainees at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in psychopharmacology and in cognitive therapy for personality disorders. As an extension of his internationally recognized expertise on diagnosis and assessment issues, Dr. First has consulted to the FBI on the classification of violent crime. He has also served on committees on personality disorders, mood, psychotic and anxiety disorders for the World Health Organization and is the Principal Trainer for the DSM-IV and the SCID for the New York State Office of Mental Health. A summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, who majored in computer science, Dr. First has developed an array of highly subscribed to computer-administered software programs for diagnostic interviewing.
Dr. First also has been listed in New York Magazine’s “New York’s Best Doctors” for the last three years. He has consulted to a number of highly sensitive cases in recent years, lending his outstanding assessment and writing skills to complex criminal and civil litigation.