I gave a presentation at ISEMPH 2024 in Durham UK. I also helped organise the conference a bit in my role as communications officer for the society. It all went fabulously.
My abstract was as follows:
Evolutionary explanations of psychiatric conditions exist, but rarely suggest novel treatments, which is the core aim of clinical psychology and psychiatry. However, various proponents and practitioners of evolutionary psychiatry suggest that understanding evolutionary perspectives on disorders provides them with benefits as clinicians, with possible benefits for patients. Here we report the results of a focus group study with psychiatric trainees recently introduced to evolutionary psychiatry. Four focus groups were asked questions about the roles of evolutionary perspectives in psychiatric training, key concepts, and practical benefits. Several themes emerge from the qualitative analysis, including improvements in psychiatric nosology, positive effects on self-stigmatisation of patients, and positive effects on theoretical and scientific understanding for the psychiatrists. Limitations of uncertainty of explanations and poor background education in evolutionary theory were noted. We suggest that these focus groups indicate directions for researchers in evolutionary psychiatry to conduct further research, and point towards useful strategies for education of psychiatric trainees. Evolutionary psychiatry may not offer novel treatments in the forms of pharmaceuticals and novel therapies, but improve clinician understanding and clinician-patient dynamics in ways which are positive, and potentially even therapeutic.
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