There are numerous treatment guidelines for psychiatric disorders. However, these guidelines tend to be lengthy and rarely provide precise recommendations for common clinical scenarios. As such, there is a risk that guidelines are not useful in day-to-day practice. This is in direct contrast to physical health guidelines, which often distil recommendations into simple stepwise algorithms. Furthermore, the views of people with lived experience are rarely incorporated into psychiatric treatment guidelines, meaning that recommendations may not be acceptable to patients. Finally, guidelines are typically out of date, lack a global perspective, and often fail to provide tailored advice for at-risk demographic groups. This means that recommendations may not be universally feasible or effective.
The current symposium will describe solutions to these problems. Professor Rob McCutcheon (Oxford, UK), will describe the process for developing digital global guidelines for schizophrenia, incorporating evidence with the input of experts from over 30 countries including the global south. Dr Maria Kapi (London, UK) will reflect on the importance of listening to people with lived experience when devising pharmacological treatment guidelines in psychiatry, and approaches to ensure that this is achieved. Dr Kate Womersley (Edinburgh, UK), will reflect on the importance of considering demographic groups when developing pharmacological treatment guidelines, with a focus on sex and gender. Together, the symposium will provide a full understanding of optimal methods for translating psychopharmacological evidence into best clinical practice.
Learning objectives
In this session you will:
- Understand the importance of incorporating lived experience opinions into clinical guidelines
- Understand how clinical guidelines should consider at-risk demographic groups, rather than adopting a 'one size fits all' approach
- Understand how clinical guidelines should reflect the needs of a global population.
Speakers
Chair: Dr Toby Pillinger, King's College London, London Dr Maria Kapi, King's College London, London Professor Robert McCutcheon, University of Oxford, Oxford Dr Kate Womersley, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress webinar 2025 package. If you attended all four days of Congress, you will have access to these as part of your Congress package. Otherwise the Congress webinar 2025 package can be purchased below.
