Sowerby Project 10 Year Anniversary Public Lecture: Joanna Moncrieff

We are delighted to be welcoming renowned British Psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff at King’s College London on the 3rd June where she will be giving the Sowerby Project 10-year Anniversary Lecture. This lecture, preceded by a two-day international academic conference, celebrates 10 years of thinking at the intersection of Philosophy & Medicine at King’s College London. The lecture, followed by a Celebratory Drinks Reception on Bush House Terrrace, with views of London, is open to the public and free to attend.

Professor Moncrieff will speak on Changing our minds: how we have been misled about the nature of depression and mental disorder, an abstract follows:

In the 1980s, people thought depression was a reaction to life events, such as unemployment and divorce. They thought that taking pills for emotional problems only numbed the feelings and wasn’t a good idea. By the 2000s, however, most people viewed depression as consisting of a brain condition that was specifically targeted by antidepressants. I tell the story of how people’s minds were deliberately changed by pharmaceutical industry campaigns, supported by the medical profession, and motivated by profit and professional concerns rather than science. I look at the practical consequences of this situation (the explosion of use of antidepressants) and explore its effects on how we understand the nature of mental disorders, emotions and what it is to be human.

About the Sowerby Project

The Sowerby Project is a joint venture between King’s Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, and The Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. Generously funded by the Peter Sowerby Foundation It works to promote all teaching, research and public engagement at the intersection of philosophy & medicine. This includes introducing philosophy into the curricula that train clinicians, hosting a range of public lectures and research activities to encourage dialogue and collaborative research across these disciplines, and training the next generations of teachers and researchers in this field.

We look forward to seeing you in London!

For questions: PhilAndMed@kcl.ac.uk