The American Psychiatric Association made a third of its $64.6 million from books and journals, 8 percent from dues
The body that writes the DSM reported $64.6 million in 2023 revenue to the IRS: $14.7 million from publications, $7.6 million in net book sales, $12.6 million from the annual meeting, $5.5 million in dues. Industry support is not itemized.
We have not finished checking this source. No judgement either way. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: A Form 990 does not itemize industry support, so no figure for pharmaceutical funding is stated or implied here; the association's annual reports, which might, are available only by email request and were not read. A 990 reports what the filer reports. Nothing in it shows money changing a diagnostic decision, and no such inference is drawn.
Significant findings
The American Psychiatric Association is a 501(c)(6) business league with 248 employees and 20 trustees. Its Form 990 for calendar 2023, signed by its chief financial officer on 2024-11-14, reports total revenue of $64,631,488 and total expenses of $62,115,499, with net assets of $123,130,491 at year end.
Part VIII, the statement of revenue, breaks the money out. Program service revenue of $36,991,356: publications $14,679,694; annual meeting $12,621,806; membership dues $5,491,641; CME certifications $1,236,469; job bank sales $1,010,068; all other program service revenue $1,951,678. Contributions and grants of $4,079,782, of which government grants $3,436,337 and related organizations $460,000. Royalties $4,139,285. Investment income $2,218,271. Net gain on assets sold $9,540,034. Net income from sales of inventory $7,594,567 on gross sales of $8,368,863.
Our arithmetic on those lines: publications plus inventory, the DSM and the journals, are about 34 percent of revenue; the annual meeting about 20 percent; dues about 8 percent. The five highest paid independent contractors were an audio visual company ($2.2 million), two annual meeting services firms, an e-publishing vendor and a printer. Officers, directors and key employees were paid $5,777,471 in reportable compensation; 78 individuals received more than $100,000.
The 2024 return, read from the IRS record as summarized by ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer, reports revenue of $58.2 million against expenses of $60.9 million; the incoming chief executive was paid $462,395 for a partial year and her predecessor $749,990 the year before.
Worth asking
There is no line in the return for pharmaceutical or device industry support. Exhibitor and sponsorship income would sit inside the annual meeting line and drug advertising inside publications, and the form does not separate them. The association's own annual and financial reports are provided only on request by email. What the return does establish is that the organization which decides what counts as a mental disorder earns about a third of its income from selling the book that says so, and eight percent from its members.
Source
Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, tax year 2023: American Psychiatric Association (EIN 52-2168499) — American Psychiatric Association; Carlton Davids CPA, Chief Financial Officer (signing officer) (2024)
Read the source: https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/522168499_202312_990O_2025032023241116.pdf
How this was scored
- Study design
- not recorded
- Funding
- not recorded
- Published in
- not recorded
- Sample size
- not recorded
- Preregistered
- not recorded
- Conflicts disclosed
- not recorded
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
We have not finished checking this source, so there is no scoring to show yet. “We have not checked this yet” and “this is disputed” are different statements, so no scored band is shown rather than a low one.
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published September 21, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
veisund rates this source "not yet assessed". We have not finished checking this source. No judgement either way. One caveat travels with that badge: A Form 990 does not itemize industry support, so no figure for pharmaceutical funding is stated or implied here; the association's annual reports, which might, are available only by email request and were not read. A 990 reports what the filer reports. Nothing in it shows money changing a diagnostic decision, and no such inference is drawn. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, tax year 2023: American Psychiatric Association (EIN 52-2168499) — American Psychiatric Association; Carlton Davids CPA, Chief Financial Officer (signing officer) (2024). The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.