Season’s Greetings from the Critical Psychiatry Network
Dear Friends, Colleagues, Service Users, and Supporters, As the holiday season gently unfolds and we pause to reflect on the year that’s winding down, all of us at the Critical
Resisting the Pill: A Critical Psychiatrist’s Alternative Approach to Adult ADHD Requests
By Omar Kawam This is the second part of the essay; read Part 1 for the introduction to the patient’s perspective and the critical psychiatrist’s moral view. The critical psychiatrist
ADHD: Are We Medicalising the Strains of Neoliberal Work? A Critical Psychiatry Perspective
By Omar Kawam We are pleased to introduce this thought-provoking series by medical student Omar Kawam. In Part 1, he lays the theoretical groundwork, critiquing the socio-economic forces behind ADHD
The Double-Edged Sword of ADHD Awareness: How Campaigns Fuel False Diagnoses – And How to Fix It
By Evgeny Legedin In an era where mental health awareness campaigns proliferate across social media and educational platforms, a recent study has cast light on the potential pitfalls of such
The Overdiagnosis Epidemic: Unmasking Psychiatric Madness
By Peter C. Gøtzsche In this provocative piece, Professor emeritus Peter C. Gøtzsche, a leading critic of biological psychiatry, dissects the epidemic of overdiagnosis in conditions like ADHD. Drawing on
New Meta-Analysis on Depression Pills Deprescribing: Promises and Pitfalls
By Evgeny Legedin The recent publication in The Lancet Psychiatry (2026; 13: 24-36)1 of a systematic review and network meta-analysis by Debora Zaccolotti and colleagues has sparked interest in the
“Chemical Imbalance” in 2025: The Revision Guide That Hasn’t Revised (Yet)
By Evgeny Legedin Last week a bright final-year student asked me to look over the University of Glasgow “Psychiatry Revision Guide” that everyone still uses for finals and OSCE preparation.
Beyond Clinics: Co-Creating Italy’s Mental Health Future with Law 180
By Pino PINI Having worked in English psychiatric services for over ten years, after working in Italy for several decades and experiencing the transition from psychiatric hospital to community, reading
Unconventional Views on ADHD “Treatment”: A Calm Look at Cochrane’s Evidence on Stimulants
The dominant narrative - reinforced by clinical guidelines, public campaigns, and a strained NHS - presents stimulants like Methylphenidate and amphetamines as the cornerstone of evidence-based ADHD care. Yet when
Rethinking Mental Health Diagnoses in Children with Dr. Sami Timimi
In this interview with Lianne Castelino on the Where Parents Talk TV platform, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Sami Timimi critiques the rising tide of mental health diagnoses in