"How to talk policy and influence people": a Law and Justice interview with Dr Pat Bracken

In this 11th Law and Justice interview in the special "How to talk policy and influence people" series, I speak with Dr Pat Bracken, a critical psychiatrist who previously worked in Uganda, the UK and West Cork. We address his dual interests in psychiatry and philosophy and how the latter has ensured that he has always had an inquiry mind, suspicious of certainties and "grand narratives" aiming to have all the answers about mental illness. We talk about his time in Uganda working with torture survivors and the importance of attending to the cultural and ecological context of people's lives. We explore the impact of trauma, whether it is transmitted across generations and the limitations of the dominant biomedical model, which has become the "bio-bio-bio", due to over-reliance on pharmaceutical solutions. We also examine the significance of relationships, including the "therapeutic alliance" in healing and recovery from emotional distress, the value of curiosity in the meaning-making process, the rise of the survivor movement and novel approaches such as Open Dialogue and Hearing Voices. Dr Bracken also provides some concrete examples of need mental health reform in Ireland, including substantial boosting of the "Authorised Officer" role and that all admissions to psychiatric beds would be made through them, but alternatives to hospitalisation would be explored first.