Towards a feminist psychiatry

AI Summary

Acknowledge and own psychiatry's troubled history with women, confronting past harms to rebuild trust and ethical practice.
Press for gender-sensitive mental healthcare through policies, training, research, and service design that recognise intersecting inequalities and diverse needs.
Promote trauma-informed care prioritising collaborative therapeutic relationships, active listening, survivor empowerment, and attention to power dynamics in clinical encounters.

BJPsych Bull. 2026 Jun 11:1-4. doi: 10.1192/bjb.2026.10259. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

What can we learn from the principles of feminism that might improve care for our patients – of any gender? How can psychiatry address its historically difficult relationship with women, and what can we, as mental health professionals, consider doing differently in our everyday work? We discuss what psychiatrists might learn from the work of feminist theorists, and what we can do as a profession to create a feminist psychiatry. This includes acknowledging and owning our troubled history, pressing for gender-sensitive mental healthcare, promoting trauma-informed care that is focused on the importance of developing collaborative therapeutic relationships and improving our ability to listen.

PMID:42273796 | DOI:10.1192/bjb.2026.10259

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