31 March – 1 April, 2027 
Deadline for abstract submissions: 31 October 2026.  

Psychiatry has often been subjected to crisis talk. The persistence of such language suggests that profession’s identity may be perceived as unstable or still in formation. Moments of crisis have been identified in diverse contexts, from the overcrowding of asylums in the late nineteenth century to the expansion of psychiatric practice and its antipsychiatric critique in the late 1960s. Some have even interpreted these developments as signalling the potential “death” of the profession.  

In contrast to the idea of discrete crisis periods, some scholars argue that psychiatry has always existed in a state of crisis, framing it as a constant and inherent feature of the discipline. This raises a fundamental question: can an identity crisis persist for over a century? Despite recurrent claims of instability, patients continue to seek psychiatric care and expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. In other words, psychiatry remains a central resource even as it is repeatedly characterised as beset by crises. 

In recent years, the language of crisis has once again gained prominence in discussions of psychiatry. The field faces a range of internal and external pressures, including growing demand for services, rising prevalence of mental health problems – particularly among young people – concerns about the profession’s attractiveness, gender identity issues, challenges related to the diagnostic systems, increasing administrative burdens, the growing use of psychiatric medication, and ethical tensions. Together, these developments have renewed questions about the stability of psychiatry, while also prompting reflection on why the field is so often framed in terms of crisis. 

This workshop takes the recurring discourse of crisis as a starting point for historical inquiry. What can the language of crisis reveal about psychiatry as a profession and as a field of knowledge? Can analysing this concept help illuminate fundamental or unresolved questions within psychiatry? Is psychiatry more crisis-ridden in comparison to other fields of medicine? Examining “crisis” offers a way to understand how the field has negotiated its professional identity, authority, and scientific foundations over time.     

Focusing on the multiple meanings and uses of crisis across different historical contexts, the workshop aims to bring together scholars interested in both the internal and external challenges of psychiatric practice and mental health care.  

We invite contributions that examine crisis in relation to psychiatry as a profession. Submissions should approach the concept analytically and aim to deepen understanding of its varied meanings and uses. Participants will be asked to submit a draft paper (10–15 pages) in advance for circulation and discussion at a workshop to be held 31 March – 1 April, 2027. Our goal is to publish a thematic issue, and we are still looking for a few more contributors. 

Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

• Historical episodes described as crises in psychiatry  

• Philosophical and conceptual crises  

• Epidemiological uncertainty and the complexity of mental disorders  

• Psychiatry’s struggles over professional identity  

• Challenges in psychiatric diagnosis and knowledge production  

• Psychiatrists’ experiences of ethical dilemmas  

• Expanding social and political expectations, including identity politics, mental health activism, and patient advocacy  

• Unintended consequences of prevention and mental health awareness initiatives  

• Institutional and structural pressures (e.g. changing roles, administrative burdens, reduced time for patient care)  

• Internal and external forms of antipsychiatric thought  

• Legitimacy and public trust 

For individual paper proposals, please submit a title, 200-word abstract and contact details to Katariina Parhi (katariina.parhi@oulu.fi) by 31 October, 2026. The participants will be noted of acceptance by 15 November. We expect article drafts by 21 March, 2027.  

The workshop will be organised in Helsinki, Finland. The travel and accommodation costs of the participants will be covered. 

The workshop is hosted by Dr. Katariina Parhi (PI), Dr. Mia Pohtola (University of Oulu, Finland) and Dr. Sarah Marks (Birkbeck, University of London), and funded by Parhi’s Research Council of Finland project Crisis Ridden: Scientific Ideals and Practical Realities in Finnish Psychiatry, 1890s–2020s.