About us

1. Raise awareness of the value of understanding the contribution of evolutionary theory to psychiatry
2. Encourage research into the evolutionary psychiatry
3. Provide a forum for psychiatrists and others to discuss evolutionary models, research ideas and data with fellow evolutionists
4. Facilitate networking with academic institutions and evolutionary scientists, biologists, psychotherapists, psychologists and other disciplines such as philosophy
5. Keep members and supporters of the SIG informed via our webpage and newsletter
6. Organise workshops, symposia and conferences on evolutionary psychiatry and related subjects
7. Organise sessions at the WPA and the College's International Congress, as well as with Faculties and Devolved Nations and Divisions.

For more information about aims and objectives for this year please see our Annual Plan 2022.

The EPSIG Executive Committee comprises:

We are keen to recruit new SIG members and people to become members of the core executive committee.

If you would like to join, please email us, or fill in our online sign up via our website. 

• What we do poster
• See our glossary of terms.
• Annual Report December 2018
• The work of the late Dr John Scott Price, a pioneer of evolutionary psychiatry

Increasing trainee involvement

The Evolutionary Psychiatry SIG (EPSIG) aims to increase trainee involvement in its activities to help raise awareness of the importance of evolutionary science to the understanding of mental disorder among trainees in the UK.

We are therefore reaching out to our members to invite expressions of interest from psychiatric trainees at all levels and in all specialties in the UK to join a group of evolutionary-minded trainees to form an EPSIG Trainee Executive Committee (that will work alongside the current EPSIG executive committee). Any psychiatric trainee in the UK is welcome to apply but our aim is to have representation from across the country as far as possible. The only requirements are an interest in understanding the implications of evolution to psychiatry and mental health and an enthusiasm to promote awareness of this among trainees within their Deaneries/regions.

We held a successful whole-day workshop for trainees at the college HQ in London (27 January 2023). Our 2nd Trainee Workshop will take place on Friday 1 March 2024. More details can be found here. 

For further info please contact Tom Carpenter (CT2, trainee member on the executive committee of EPSIG): carpenter.te@gmail.com

What you can win

1. Invitation to give a 10-min oral presentation at the EPSIG International conference for the core and speciality winners (and posters for highly commended other entrants)
2. £100 prize money and a certificate for the winner in each category, certificates for the runners up
3. Essays printed in the EPSIG Newsletter that is distributed to all EPSIG members (currently around 2,800 psychiatrists and other professionals worldwide)

What you need to do

Write a 1500 - 2000 word essay (excluding references) relevant to Evolutionary Psychiatry.

The essay should be supported by a review of relevant literature and should be your own work. Suggested titles are "Major mismatches which cause mental disorder"; "The gap between evolutionary explanations and clinical applications" and "What are the most important contributions evolution has made to the understanding of mental disorder?".

You may also pick your own title or topic if something particularly interests you. You may want to visit the EPSIG YouTube channel at Youtube.com/EPSIGUK, listen to the 'Evolving Psychiatry' podcast (on all major platforms), or read our published newsletters at epsig.org for inspiration and information.

Email your submission to sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk with “Entry for EPSIG Essay prize” as the title by the deadline. (The 2024 competition is now closed for entries).

Eligibility

There are five categories: medical student, foundation doctor, core trainee, speciality trainee, staff grade doctor. You have to be working in the UK in order to be eligible to enter.

What we will do

Entries will be judged by a panel of three EPSIG Executive Committee members. Criteria for judging will include: clarity of expression, understanding of the evolutionary literature and evidence, testability of hypotheses or ideas, critical thinking and the overall ability to convey enthusiasm and originality.

The committee reserves the right not to award the prize if no entry reaching the agreed minimum standard is received.

We look forward to receiving your entry.