President's lectures from 2024

Comorbidity, collaboration and compassion

Date: 6 December, 2024

Synopsis

We were delighted that Professor Owen Bowden-Jones agreed to give a President's lecture on a report he had been leading on during 2024, which was due to be published in 2025, on substance use and co-occurring mental illness.

During the lecture, titled Comorbidity, collaboration and compassion, Professor Bowden Jones spoke about co-morbidity and new evidence-based recommendations for clinicians and service providers.

The talk included a case study on cannabis use and its link to mental illness, and was followed by a panel discussion with plenty of opportunity for the audience to ask questions.

Joining Owen on the panel were Dr Emily Finch, chair of the Addictions Faculty, and Dr Jonathan Dewhurst, clinical lead for addiction services at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, as well as expert by experience Melinda King, who has contributed to the report.

This President’s lecture took place on Friday 6 December at Warwick University, as part of the Trent and West Midlands Divisions' Winter Conference, which was themed around addictions.

Assisted dying and assisted suicide: President's debate

Date: 15 October 2024

Synopsis

To launch Dr Lade Smith's series of prestigious President's lectures, the College hosted a debate on the hugely topical and important subject of assisted dying and assisted suicide.

Denis Campbell, health policy editor for the Guardian and the Observer, chaired the debate, which took place at our London headquarters.

Professor Patricia Casey and Professor Julian Hughes argued the case for the motion, which was ‘This House believes Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide should not be available to people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.’

Professor Casey is an Irish psychiatrist, with a regular column with the Irish Independent newspaper, who has spoken against bringing in assisted dying legislation in Ireland.  Professor Hughes was co-editor of ‘The Reality of Assisted Dying: Understanding the issues’ alongside Baroness Finlay. He was formerly Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Bristol and Honorary Professor of Philosophy of Ageing at Newcastle University.

Dr Kirsten Catthoor, the President of the Flemish Association of Psychiatry, was joined by Professor Erik Thys to contest the motion. Both practise in Belgium, where assisted dying has already been brought in.