The Contemporary Significance of the Holocaust for Australian Psychiatry.

14 August 2017

In this paper we survey briefly the components of the Holocaust directly relevant to the psychiatric profession and identify the main themes of relevance to contemporary psychiatry. The euthanasia program, the persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) citizens and the complex relationship between the psychiatric profession and Nazi state are the main themes to emerge from this survey. We then compare this period with key themes in the history of Australian psychiatry and link these themes to some of the contemporary ethical challenges the profession faces.