Is psychopathology dead? Reclaiming the foundations of clinical practice

Date: Wednesday 17 June
Time: 12.25pm - 1.40pm

Overview

Recent discourse in psychiatry and clinical psychology has increasingly questioned the relevance of traditional psychopathology, with some declaring it obsolete in the face of neuroscientific advances and data-driven diagnostics. This symposium aims to challenge the narrative of the "death of psychopathology" and reassert its foundational role in clinical understanding, diagnosis, and treatment.

Psychopathology, the structured study of mental symptoms and syndromes, is often conflated with phenomenology—the exploration of subjective experience. While overlapping, these domains are distinct. Phenomenology emphasises the first-person perspective, often prioritising lived experience over nosological categorisation. Psychopathology, however, integrates both subjective and objective dimensions, allowing clinicians to contextualise symptoms within broader diagnostic and functional frameworks.

The erosion of psychopathological literacy has led to an over-reliance on checklists and standardised interviews, often at the expense of nuanced clinical judgment. As a result, common pitfalls—misdiagnosis, reductionism, and the overlooking of comorbid or atypical presentations—are increasingly prevalent. By restoring psychopathology as a central pillar of clinical training and practice, we can better recognise patterns, refine differential diagnoses, and appreciate the depth and complexity of mental suffering.

In this session, you will explore:

  • The current state and critiques of psychopathology
  • Its divergence and complementarity with phenomenological approaches
  • The practical consequences of neglecting psychopathological knowledge in modern mental health care
  • Case studies, theoretical analysis, and educational strategies, they will argue for a reinvigorated psychopathological lens as essential to ethical, effective, and person-centred practice

Speakers

  • Chair: Dr Stefania Bonaccorso, North London NHS Foundation Trust, London
  • The demise of psychopathology as unintended consequence
    • Professor Gareth Owen, Professor of Psychological Medicine, Ethics and Law, King's College London, London
  • Embedding lived experience in education in mental health: insights from a scoping review and narrative synthesis using normalisation process theory
    • Dr Leila Sharda, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Lancaster
  • Psychopathology or phenomenology?
    • Professor Matthew Broome, University of Birmingham, Birmingham
  • Common pitfalls in clinical practice when we forget psychopathology
    • Professor Femi Oyebode, University of Birmingham, Birmingham
    Register for Congress 2026

    Please email congress@rcpsych.ac.uk or call 020 8618 4120 with any enquiries.