Birkbeck’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Mental Health fosters multi-perspectival collaboration across the Arts, Humanities, Social and Psychological Sciences.
Our work aims to enable a better understanding of the experiences and treatment of mental ill health and intellectual disability; the social, political and philosophical debates surrounding them; and their representations in literature and culture, past and present. We place different perspectives on mental health research in dialogue with one another in ways which challenge boundaries and create new collaborations and hybrid approaches. In so doing, we also seek to strengthen connections and solidarities across research, practitioner and lived experience communities. Our view is that this type of collaborative approach is fundamental to improving mental health in its cultural context, challenging stigma, and to the delivery of therapeutic interventions and services.
CIRMH has members from across all five of Birkbeck’s schools, and we have a strong commitment to supporting the research and career development of graduate students and early career researchers, through tailored training and facilitation of student-led initiatives. We also frequently partner with other institutions for events and activities, including the Centre for Global Mental Health at LSHTM, the ESRC Centre for Mental Health and Society at KCL, UCL Health Humanities Centre, Goldsmiths Art Psychotherapy Programme, and the Department of History & Philosophy of Science at University of Cambridge.