Psychiatrist ready to celebrate 95th birthday

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Dr. George Megahy Simpson, a Fallbrook resident for seven years, is looking forward to a birthday celebration next month with many of his friends and some of the psychiatrists he has mentored. He turns 95 on Sept. 28.

Simpson, a noted American in the advancement of psychiatric drug research, was born in Scotland and received a degree in biochemistry from Glasgow University in 1948. He received his medical degree from Liverpool University in England in 1955 and spent the early years of his career as a resident in psychiatry at a research center at Rockland State Hospital in New York.

He later served as principal psychiatrist at Rockland.

He worked as a professor of psychiatry at the University of California in 1977-1983. In 1994, he became professor and Director of Clinical Research at the department of psychiatry at the USC School of Medicine. Other work locations were Montreal, Columbia University, New Jersey, New York Medical College, and Philadelphia.

After retiring from USC in 2012, he moved to Fallbrook with his wife, Inger, to a home on Palomar Drive. It burned down a couple years ago, destroying his collection of books, photos, and memorabilia, as well as their pre-colonial period furniture.

"It was devastating, but that's life," he said during the interview at his new home. "The good thing is that the other home had stairs, on three levels, and that would have become difficult."

The new single level home overlooks a fairway at The Golf Club of California off of Gird Road.

Simpson's wife died a year ago, and they had no children. He said the secret for his longevity is his family genes.

"I was lucky," he commented. "I was wild when I was young and drank too much whiskey. I'm looking forward to the big birthday party, but I wouldn't bet on 96."

Simpson's curriculum vitae dated in 2003 shows a remarkable career with many awards, certificates, honors, and places of employment. The document is 34 pages and includes a list of 319 published papers.

Simpson was recipient of the Arthur P. Noyes award in 1991. Dr. Noyes (1880-1963) published numerous textbooks and articles that relate to the modernization of psychiatric practices, outpatient care and the need for life-long education for medical staff. That is certainly in line with Simpson's career.

While working at the Rockland facility, Simpson said he became convinced that there must be a way to better treat patients, from excessively eccentric people to serious cases of schizophrenia.

"Psychoanalysis doesn't help with schizophrenia," Simpson said. "And that's what fills mental hospitals."

He explained that during that time, the United States was behind other countries in developing and using drugs for treatment.

"Too many people were being stored in hospitals who could have been helped by the right drugs," he said.

He visited hospitals in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and France often taking Inger with him on the trips – and evaluated their treatment plans. The "open hospital" movement is more advanced in those countries, he said.

"Prescription drugs can get people out of the hospitals and let them go on with their lives," Simpson noted. "It's treating the mentally ill humanely. There are some amazing drugs for schizophrenia."

However, in the beginning of his career, studies were necessary to get drugs approved in the U.S., the doctor explained. Simpson helped develop a scale for rating the effectiveness and side effects of drugs.

Later, he attended and helped lead case conferences held around the world, interviewing patients.

In the later part of his career, he became an advocate of establishing community health clinics and psychological therapy. Now, he enjoys visiting with friends with a glass of Scotch.