Suman Fernando

Dr Suman Fernando is one of the key figures in the Critical Psychiatry movement, a movement in which consultant psychiatrists themselves question the very basis on which psychiatric practice and assumptions are predicated. This may, for example, be to do with diagnosis, use of medication (and the relationship of the pharmaceutical industry with psychiatric practice), consent and coercion in treatment, or the western cultural assumptions at the root of psychiatry which may be inappropriate at best and institutionally racist at worst.

Dr Fernando was born and raised in Sri Lanka but came to this country to study at Cambridge and had a distinguished career as a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS before retiring to focus on academic work. His 1988 book, 'Race and Culture in Psychiatry' has been hugely influential and, in 2007, he refused an OBE for "services to black and minority ethnic mental healthcare" on the grounds that the government at the time was doing nothing to address the disproportionate Sectioning of Black people, mostly men. Plus ça change.

I first met him last year through work but wasn't expecting to see him again today! However, I found myself sitting next to him at a reading by Prof Phil Thomas as part of the current 'Group Therapy: Mental Distress in a Digital Age' season at FACT. We both joined in a discussion about race, class and cultural 'norms' and how they impact on what behaviours are judged to be normal or abnormal, sane or insane in different contexts and societies. Invigorating and infuriating issues!

He's a quiet, thoughtful and wise man who wears his wisdom lightly and with good humour and it was a pleasure to spend some time in his company. I was thrilled that he was gracious enough to let me take his picture!


PS I'm back-blipping this after the election results are in and I'm feeling pretty bleak... It seems inexplicable to me that so many people who've spent the last five years getting a good kicking would opt to get kicked longer and harder. I'm seriously worried.