Critical Psychiatry Network

Scepsis and science, reflection and humanism

CPN Symposium 2026: Recent developments in psychiatry and critical psychiatry

UK Critical Psychiatry Network Symposium

Friday 17th April 2026
‘Recent developments in psychiatry and critical psychiatry’
Venue: Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL

Programme

 09:00 Tea/Coffee
 09:30 – 09:35 Chair’s Welcome

Session 1

 09:35 – 10:20
 Martin Plöderl
 Ketamine and Esketamine: Breakthrough or Hype?
 10:20 – 11:05
 Michael Hengartner
 Creeping Depression: The Expansion of The Concept of Depression
 11:05 – 11:30 Coffee
 11:30 – 12:00
 Josef Witt-Doerring
 Lessons I’ve Learned from Tapering over 300 Patients over the Last 5 Years
 12:00 – 12:30
 Mark Horowitz & Adele Framer
 The Art and Science of Deprescribing
 12:30 – 13:00 Discussion
 13:00 – 14:15 Lunch

Session 2

 14:15 – 15:00
 Rosemary McCabe
 Epistemic injustice in emergency psychiatric care and how to overcome it
 15:00 – 15:45
 David Bell
 Psychiatric Diagnosis: an essentialist error – highlighted by the case of gender distress in children and adolescents
 15:45 – 16:15 Coffee
 16:15 – 17:00 Discussion
 17:00 Close
A symposium organised by the UK Critical Psychiatry Network
For further information or registration, please contact the organisers via the Critical Psychiatry Network website.