The Dahlem Conferences, named after the area of Berlin in which they were held, were inaugurated in 1974 under the joint sponsorship of the German Science Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and the Association for the Promotion of Science and the Humanities in Germany (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft). Ever since, they have provided an innovative format for expert scientific exchange on a wide range of topics, in the form of one-week workshops (over 100 to date), consisting of short presentations and intensive discussions. In the 1980s three Dahlem conferences were devoted to psychiatric topics: 1982 "The Origins of Depression: Current Concepts and Approaches", organised by J. Angst; 1986 "Biological Perspectives of Schizophrenia", by H. Helmchen and F.A.Henn, and 1987 "Etiology of Dementia of Alzheimer's Type" by A. S. Henderson and J. H. Henderson.

Angst J, editor, The Origins of Depression: Current Concepts and Approaches. Berlin: Springer; 1983.

Helmchen H, Henn F, editors. Biological Perspectives in Schizophrenia. Chichester: Wiley;1987.

Henderson AS, Henderson JH, editors. Etiology of Dementia of Alzheimer’s Type. Chichester: Wiley; 1989.

Jules Angst

October 2, 2014