Who we are....

The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (NKI) is a facility of the New York State Office of Mental Health that has earned a national and international reputation for its pioneering contributions in psychiatric research, especially in the areas of psychopharmacological treatments for schizophrenia and major mood disorders, and in the application of computer technology to mental health services. Since 1952, interdisciplinary teams of distinguished NKI scientists have applied their talents and expertise to study the etiology, treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation of severe and persistent mental illnesses.

Located on the grounds of Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, New York (20 miles north of New York City), NKI receives additional operating support from federal, municipal, and private sources through the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. NKI has a strong academic collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry of New York University.

Our mission....

As one of our nation's premier centers of excellence in mental health research, a broad range of studies are conducted at NKI, including basic, clinical, and services research. All of our work is intended to improve care for people suffering from these complex, psychobiologically-based, severely disabling mental disorders.

We focus primarily on:

• patient-oriented research programs emphasizing the causes, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and care of severe and long-term mental disorders;
• clinically-relevant, basic research on physiological and biochemical aspects of mental disease; and
• research on the cost, quality, and effectiveness of services for patients in mental health programs certified, operated, and/or funded by New York State.

A Glimpse At Some of Our Past Accomplishments...

• Introduction of pharmacologic treatment for depression and affective disorders
• Application of computers to psychiatry
• Development of the first mental health information systems
• Demonstration of the efficacy, dosage and safety of new psychotropic drugs and their generic bioequivalents
• Development of now widely used laboratory assay technology to measure therapeutic blood levels
• Development of statistical design techniques and data analysis methodologies for clinical trials
• Discovery of the optimal plasma level of haloperidol for treatment of schizophrenia

A Look To Our Present and Future...

• With the recent completion of a 4-year, $ 40 million construction and renovation effort, the NKI research infrastructure has been greatly enhanced for the foreseeable future. The new research complex includes 200,000 square feet of modern laboratory, clinical research, and office space---the first in the region to be exclusively devoted to mental health research.
• The opening of this complex has resulted in important program enhancements, including the creation of new laboratory facilities for an Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Research Program, and the establishment of a Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (with world-class magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capabilities) allowing the detailed study of brain functioning.
• NKI has also opened a new inpatient clinical research and evaluation ward. This unit provides a unique setting to discover new treatments for people who do not respond to currently available medications, but who are afflicted by some of the most common mental disorders.
• The timing of this new resource could not be more fortuitous. Technology and science have provided new windows into the brain and have accelerated the pace of discovery and opportunity---but formidable challenges remain as we search for the causes and cure of some of mankind's most vexing, costly, and disabling disorders including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and manic-depressive illness.