Historically, the Russian Society of Psychiatrists (RSP) originates from the medical societies of Psychiatrists and Neurologists that were first organized in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the 19th century.
The first society of psychiatrists in Russia was a psychiatrists’ society in St. Petersburg, founded in 1861. In 1885, Professor A.Y. Kozhevnikov organized a small circle of psychiatrists, which was later transformed into Moscow Scientific Society of Psychiatrists and Neurologists. S.S. Korsakov was one of its founders and it was he who wrote the draft code of the Soceity.
In January, 1887, the first congress was initiated by the High Medical Administration and held in Moscow in order to establish the main issues of psychiatry. In 1896, at the 6th Pirogovsky’s meeting, S.S. Korsakov put forward the idea of creating the Russian Union of Neuropathologists and Psychiatrists. The Union was to unite both the academy’s psychiatrists (the medical departments) and psychiatrists from all over Russia. It took nearly 17 years for this idea to come into life. The code of the Russian Union of Neuropathologists and Psychiatrists was only established in 1908. The first congress of the Union took place in Moscow in 1911. At the congress, the members of the Council were chosen, and it therefore included V.M. Bekhterev, V.P. Serbsky, P.P. Kaschenko. N.N. Bazhenov (chairman), P.B. Gannushkin, M.O. Gurevich and others. The Council decreed to create the Union’s informational bureau, with P.B. Gannushkin as its director. He was also appointed the editor of “The Directory Page” (12 issues were published during the period of 1912-1914). The Council assembled regularly and held discussions about the ongoing issues of scientific and social psychiatry. With the outbreak of WWI the Council paid much heed to the problems of mentally ill soldiers. V.M. Bekhterev, V.P. Serbsky and V.K. Rot were among the first to contribute to the development of the Union.
After the October Revolution, the Council of the Russian Union of Neuropathologists and Psychiatrists was the first social medical institution to engage into the creation of the Soviet medical healthcare service. The Council addressed the medical panel that the psychiatric help service should be organized. P.B. Gannushkin was elected Chairman. Later on the conferences and meetings held by the Union raised issues on the further development of the organization, summarized the results and set goals.
The Soviet Scientific Medical Society of Neuropathologists and Psychiatrists was officially founded at the II All-Soviet Congress of neuropathologists and psychiatrists in 1936. At first, the Society included 35 local societies, amounting up to 2,000 members. In 1940, it already had 3,199 members, in 1966 – more than 15,000, and in the mid-80s – more than 22,000 specialists. The Society also had branches in all the soviet republics, regions and cities. In different periods of time the Society was headed by professors V.K. Khoroshko, S.A. Sarkisov, O.V. Kebrikov, V.A. Gilyarovsky, V.M. Banschikov, E.V. Shmidt, G.V. Morozov.
In May, 1958 the decision to form the All-Russian Society of Neuropathologists and Psychiatrists was reached. N.M. Zharikov, D.D. Fedotov and V.V. Kovalev were elected Chairmen.
In October, 1988 at the VII All-Soviet Congress of Neuropathologists, Psychiatrists and Narcologists, the Society was subdivided into the Society of Psychiatrists and the Society of Neurologists and, after the collapse of the USSR, the Russian Society of Psychiatrists (RSP) became the successor of the All-Union Society of Psychiatrists. In 1991, the RSP was registered as an independent legal entity. In 1995, Professor Valery Nikolayevich Krasnov became Chairman of the RSP Board. In 2010, during the XV Congress Professor Nikolay Grigorievich Neznanov was elected Chairman of the RSP Board.
Currently, the RSP has more than 7,000 psychiatrists as members, majoring in practical and scientific psychiatry. Regional branches of the Society are present in 78 of the 83 subjects of the Russian Federation.

Professor Nikolay Grigorievich Neznanov

Professor Valery Nikolayevich Krasnov