Michael B. First is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 psychiatrist

Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...

 who focuses on diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. He is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

. First was the Editor of the DSM-IV-TR, the Editor of Text and Criteria for the DSM-IV, and the editor of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV

Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders is a diagnostic exam used to determine DSM-IV Axis I disorders and Axis II disorders . There are at least 700 published studies in which the SCID was the diagnostic instrument used...

. He also served as consultant to the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

 for the revision of ICD-11.

Life and career

First earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 in 1978. He then graduated from University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 with a Master's Degree and a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1983. He did his psychiatric residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and a fellowship in biometrics

Biometrics

Biometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...

 at the New York State Psychiatric Institute

New York State Psychiatric Institute

The New York State Psychiatric Institute, established in 1895 and located on Riverside Drive at the foot of Washington Heights, the far upper west side of Manhattan in New York City, was one of the first institutions in the United States to integrate teaching, research and therapeutic approaches to...

. He is certified with the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology.

First frequently writes on diagnostic criteria, particularly diagnostic controversies. He has written on several of these controversies, including depression, eating disorders, and desire for amputation

Amputation

Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...

 or paralysis

Paralysis

Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...

, calling it body integrity identity disorder

Body integrity identity disorder

Body Integrity Identity Disorder , formerly known as Amputee Identity Disorder, is a psychological disorder wherein sufferers feel they would be happier living as an amputee...

.

He has provided expert opinion and testimony on several high profile cases including the federal trial of the accused Al Qaeda terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui

Zacarias Moussaoui

Zacarias Moussaoui is a French citizen who was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens of the US as part of the September 11 attacks...

. First co-authored Am I Okay?: A Layman's Guide to the Psychiatrist's Bible with psychiatrist Allen Frances

Allen Frances

Allen J. "Al" Frances is an American psychiatrist. He was chair of the DSM-IV Task Force. He also served as Chair of the department of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine...

.

External links

• Michael First, M.D. via Columbia University Medical Center
• Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV