The political and social mission of psychiatry

Abstract

Psychiatry is based on values and scientific evidence. The presentation will argue that both bases come with a social and political mission.

The values require a commitment to help those in need of support, which cannot be fully achieved without social and political action. The scientific evidence points to the central role of societal factors, such as inequality and poverty, for the development of mental disorders. Influencing these factors requires political decisions.

It will be concluded that taking up the social and political mission is a moral imperative for both psychiatrists as a professional group and individual psychiatrists, and may make the profession more relevant in society, more attractive to medical students, and more effective in helping patients with mental distress.

The discussion will address the challenges and practical options for such a mission.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.