Freedom, Counter Terrorism & Psychiatry

On Friday 25th September 2015 at the Royal College of Psychiatrists a group of psychiatrists, ethicists & delegates will use the third day of the UK Psychiatry & Philosophy Conference to discuss freedom, counter terrorism and psychiatry. We will scrutinise the challenges of Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy's observation from TheTimes 'that mental health difficulties had been identified as a factor that made people vulnerable to recruitment into organisations linked to terrorism'. On the same front page of that edition of The Times Chief Reporter Sean O'Neill announced that as well as '3000 terror suspects plotting to attack the UK', 'the NHS now has full-time staff attached to the anti-extremism Prevent programme who try to identify signs of extremist behaviour'.

September 25th will begin with writer, broadcaster & journalist Tazeen Ahmad building on her Guardian Live Psychology of Terror discussion by interviewing Co-Founder and Chairman of Quilliam Maajid Nawaz about the psychological factors that contributed to his radicalisation.

There seems to be no illusions about the dangers inherent in medicalising political activism or terrorism. The lessons from the past will be brought to the forefront by psychiatrist, writer and philosopher of religion Dr Alexandru Popescu, and the former Anglican priest in Bucharest Revd James Ramsay. They will utilise their experiences of the impact of Soviet re-education, primarily in Romania. 

The morning will end with a panel discussion with the audience asking how we should respond to six contemporary equivalents of Daniel McNaughton. He was a 19th century 'lone wolf' who killed a senior politician in London under the influence of a psychiatric disorder. His actions triggered the reform of judicial approaches throughout the world. These reforms addressed the criminal accountability of offenders whose psychiatric disorders are judged to impair their capacity to understand the nature or immorality of their criminal act, often referred to as the 'insanity defence'.

The panel will include:

Lord Carlile of Berriew C.B.E., Q.C. Between 2001-2011, he was the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation; the Independent Reviewer of the Government’s new PREVENT policy and remains the independent reviewer of National Security policy in Northern Ireland.

DAC Helen Ball QPM, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism. DAC Helen Ball was appointed as Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing in August 2013. This role encompassed line management of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command (SO15).

Dr Herjeet Marway a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. Her research interests include global ethics, relational autonomy, feminist theory, and race. She has written on female suicide bombers, commodification, commercial surrogacy, and feminist bioethics.

Dr Simon Wilson is a consultant forensic psychiatrist at the North London Forensic Service, working in the area of public figure threat assessment. He is also an honorary senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience. He trained in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital in London, and has interests in criminal justice mental health, psychiatric interfaces, and philosophical aspects of psychiatry. He has an MA in philosophy.


This discussion is timely. In the last week MI5 Chief Andrew Parker appeared on the flagship current affairs Radio 4 Today Programme and advised that the Prime Minister sought a 'whole society' response to counter extremism. Psychiatry & Mental Health Services are just one part of society, and the acts of the National Union of Students face greater media attention, but what is the role for psychiatrists? How can they carry this out whilst retaining high standards of medical ethics including a respect for autonomy and a vow to do no harm?

Preventing tragic acts of terrorism and alleviating suffering associated with psychiatric disorders are both worthy goals that are hard to oppose, but do they combine easilly? Last week, in his Annual Report, the current Terror Watchdog David Anderson QC raised 15 questions that are also relevant to this discussions about achieving those worthy goals when they interesect (as well as any forthcoming new legislation). Key questions that his review raises include:

How does a psychiatric role in countering extremism impact on the political, religious and other fundamental choices, and the mental health, of both their patients, and the wider public?

What are the risks associated with the civil sections of the Mental Health Act 1983 which can enable the lifelong detention of patients to protect the public without a jury?