Adolf Meyer (psychiatrist)

Adolf Meyer (September 13, 1866 – March 17, 1950) was a Swiss-born psychiatrist who rose to prominence as the first psychiatrist-in-chief of the Johns Hopkins Hospital (1910–1941). He was president of the American Psychiatric Association in 1927–28 and was one of the most influential figures in psychiatry in the first half of the twentieth century. His focus on collecting detailed case histories on patients was one of the most prominent of his contributions. He oversaw the construction and development of the Henry Phipps Psychiatric Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, which opened in April 1913, ensuring it was suitable for scientific research, training, and treatment. Meyer's work at the Phipps Clinic is possibly the most significant aspect of his career.

Meyer's main theoretical contribution was his idea of ergasiology (a term he derived from the Greek for "working" and "doing") to describe a psychobiology. This brought together all the biological, social, and psychological factors and symptoms pertaining to a patient. He considered mental illnesses to be a product of dysfunctional personality, not a pathology of the brain. Believing that whole-life social and biological factors should be central to both diagnosis and treatment, Meyer was one of the earliest psychiatrists to support occupational therapy as an important connection between the activities of an individual and their mental health, and incorporated community-based activities and services to develop people's everyday living skills.