Newsletters

Here you can read past and present issues of News and Notes, the College's History of Psychiatry Special Interest Group (HoPSIG) newsletter.

Latest issue

In this edition of the HoPSIG Newsletter there are six high quality articles. There are two fascinating accounts of links between Psychiatry and Neurology in the C19, one examining the US neurologist Hammond as his promotion of the condition of “cerebral hyperaemia”, the other examining the career of the English neurologist Laycock who has been dubbed “the father of neuropsychiatry”.

Two articles look at the interface between literature and psychiatry; one examines how the late Scottish author Alistair Gray reflects the interest of post war Glasgow medicine in psychosomatics in his novel Lanark and the other the interesting insights to be gleaned from translating a book about a journalist’s encounters with 1920s asylums in France.

There is also a thought-provoking account of attempting to teach the History of Psychiatry to US psychiatric trainees and a personal reflection on the history of Social Psychiatry in the US along with some stimulating thoughts for the future.

Read Issue 17 - Autumn 2023

Past issues

Contributing to the newsletter

If you would like to contribute to our newsletter, please contact Nicol Ferrier.

We welcome contributions including:

  • articles: relating to the history of psychiatry and its study. 500-1500 words is about right for the newsletter. Please follow BJPsych referencing format or any other system as long as it is internally consistent.
  • reflections and memories: inspiring, interesting or even shocking, ideas, people, or places of historical interest
  • reviews: old or new books, exhibitions, conferences or websites, etc.
  • puzzle corner questions
  • letters
  • pictures, provided that there are no copyright issues
  • favourite items in the archives.

Please include a two-line autobiographical note.

Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry