Mind & BrainNovember 17, 2014
Why We Need to Abandon the Disease-Model of Mental Health Care
The idea that our more distressing emotions such as grief and anger can best be understood as symptoms of physical illnesses is pervasive and seductive.
Stories by Peter Kinderman
Peter Kinderman is professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, and is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist. He is Head of the Institute of Psychology, Health and Society at the University of Liverpool. His research interests are in psychological processes underpinning well-being and mental health, and in particular psychotic phenomena such as delusions and hallucinations. In 2000, he received the British Psychological Society's Division of Clinical Psychology 'May Davidson Award', an annual award for outstanding contributions to the field of clinical psychology, in the first ten years after qualifying. He was twice elected Chair of the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology; from 2004 to 2005, and again from 2010-2011. In that role, he worked with the UK Department of Health, the BBC, the Health Professions Council, the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency and the UK Office for National Statistics, amongst others. He has recently launched a free, online, open-access course exploring our understanding of mental health and well-being.