The Psychiatric History of New York

Take an analytical stroll through the evolution of psychiatry—from asylums to psychoanalysis—on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Explore how mental health treatments, institutions, scandals, and philosophies shaped not just medicine, but the city itself.

Why This Tour?

This tour traces the arc of psychiatric thought in New York City, from early “madhouses” to modern neuroscience. Along the way, you’ll encounter a cast of real doctors, researchers, reformers, and profiteers who all left their mark on the city’s mental health legacy.

Far from clinical, this walking tour unpacks the social forces, pharmaceutical booms, and power structures behind America’s most ambitious (and often controversial) psychiatric evolution, right where it happened.

What You’ll Discover

From Europe to the Upper East Side

Find out how psychiatric theory traveled from Europe to New York and shaped American approaches to mental illness.

The City’s Early Madhouses

Learn about the conditions and cultural perceptions surrounding Manhattan’s first mental asylums and hospitals.

The Freudian Explosion

Discover how New York became a hotbed of psychoanalysis, attracting a wave of Freudians and shaping decades of practice.

“Valiumania” & the Sackler Legacy

Hear about the Sackler family’s rise during the pharmaceutical boom of mid-century “Valium culture.”

Psychiatric Islands, Societies & Secrets

Peer across the East River to the psychiatric islands, and explore the hidden homes, offices, and institutions that once defined Manhattan’s psychiatric elite.

Tour Details

East 87th Street and East End Avenue entrance to Carl Schurz Park, New York, NY 10028 (Upper East Side)

Endpoint: East 62nd Street (off Madison Avenue)

Tour length: 2 hours

Distance covered: 1.8 miles