CATHERINE MCAULEY SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY

SCHOOL OF APPLIED SOCIAL STUDIES

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK, IRELAND
AND
CRITICAL VOICES NETWORK IRELAND

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
AND
CALL FOR WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS

‘MEDICATING HUMAN DISTRESS: CONCERNS, CRITIQUES AND SOLUTIONS’

16 AND 17 NOVEMBER 2011, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK, IRELAND

This critical perspectives conference, now in its 3rd year, has as its focus the over-reliance of psychopharmacology
as the main response to human distress. The conference offers opportunities to consider:
 the use of medication as the dominant response to distress in mental health care
 medication withdrawal concerns, strategies and solutions
 creative and enabling non-medicated ways of working.

This two-day conference is unique as it is free for all participants and involves people from diverse backgrounds
(self experience, survivors, professionals, academics, carers) presenting, discussing and debating critical and
creative perspectives on and beyond the dominant bio-medical approach. Last year’s conference saw the launch of
the Critical Voices Network Ireland (CVNI), a network of people interested in considering and developing
responses to human distress, which are creative, enabling, respectful and firmly grounded in human rights. The
conference will include an open forum to discuss the ongoing work of the CVNI.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
Jacqui Dillon (who will give the opening address) Anna Emmanouilidou: Clinical Psychologist, PhD, MsC,
Writer, national Chair of the Hearing Voices Network, Hellenic Mental Health and Research Centre, Greek
Director of Intervoice, Honorary Lecturer in Clinical Observatory for human rights in the mental health
Psychology, University of East London, voice hearer, field, Greece
author of Experiencing Psychosis, England
Peter Lehmann: Publisher, author of Coming off Eleanor Longden: Voice hearer, PhD research student,
psychiatric drugs and Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry, coordinator of the Intervoice Scientific Committee,
social scientist, Honorary Doctor (Thessaloniki, Greece), England
survivor of psychiatry, Germany
Terry Lynch: Medical doctor and psychotherapist, Sami Timimi: Consultant Child and Adolescent
specialist in mental health Recovery, author of Selfhood, Psychiatrist, Visiting Professor, University of Lincoln,
Beyond Prozac, and the forthcoming Mental Wellness founder of the International Critical Psychiatry
Book Series, Ireland Network and of the 'No More Psychiatric Labels'
Campaign, author of A Straight-talking Introduction to
Children’s Mental Health Problems, England
Call for Workshop Presentations:
We are now inviting workshop presenters to submit an abstract (in Word) of 250 words max, broadly related to
the conference focus, outlining the aims of and intentions for the workshop. keynote addresses and workshop
presentations are of 45 minutes’ duration. The deadline for abstract submission is 16 September 2010. The
conference programme and registration details will follow. Please email abstracts to l.sapouna@ucc.ie. Queries to
h.gijbels@ucc.ie or l.sapouna@ucc.ie. We look forward to hear from you.

The Conference organisers are Harry Gijbels, Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, and
Lydia Sapouna, School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, Ireland.