Department of Psychological Medicine

Holly
War & Psychiatry MSc

I loved every second of this course and couldn't recommend it enough to anyone wanting to develop an interest in the field of military psychiatry under expert guidance. Every lecture and seminar covered a unique fascinating topic, following the development of combat-related psychiatry from its inception to the present day. The small numbers allowed me to feel confident in sharing my thoughts and questions and nothing was ever too much trouble for my long-suffering supervisor! Whilst the course was certainly challenging, I felt inspired and supported every step of the way and encouraged to develop my own areas of interest; something which I have taken away with me and continue to use today.

Having graduated in psychology a few years previously, the MSc gave me specialised insight into this fascinating, much needed and increasingly expanding area of mental health. As a direct result of the MSc I was offered an Assistant Psychologist position at Combat Stress (The Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society) and am thoroughly enjoying being able to apply what I learned and researched in practice.

Edgar Jones
War & Psychiatry MSc

At King's, two of our 5* departments, the Institute of Psychiatry and War Studies, have come together to create a novel and innovative master's in War & Psychiatry. It is probably the only programme of its kind in the world.
Originally trained as a historian, I studied for a doctorate in clinical psychopathology at Guy's Hospital and spent 10 years in the Department of Psychological Medicine there. My current research projects include the psychological effects of chemical weapons on soldiers in the First World War. I am also interested in the resilience shown by civilians subjected to air-raids as a way of understanding current responses to terrorist attacks.
For the MSc in War & Psychiatry, we welcome students from different backgrounds and cultures as a way of enriching our understanding of human responses to psychological trauma. This multidisciplinary programme is designed to challenge our perceptions of how people behave in extreme adversity or when they are subjected to intense or prolonged stress.

Robin Murray
Psychological Medicine MPhil/PhD

I trained in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital and was formerly Dean of the Institute of Psychiatry before taking my current post as Professor and Head of the Division of Psychological Medicine & Psychiatry. I also run a clinical unit, part of the National Psychosis Unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital; people from across the UK come to this specialist unit for both outpatient and inpatient care.
My research focuses on finding the causes of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and on using this knowledge to develop better treatment methods. For example, my colleagues and I study twins where one has schizophrenia and the other doesn't and examine molecular genetics and brain changes in people with schizophrenia. We are very interested in the questions of how cannabis can induce psychosis, and why schizophrenia is especially common in London and in immigrants. Consequently, I am the most widely cited international researcher in the field of schizophrenia.
Teaching is one of my greatest pleasures and research students join a community of over 100 PhD students in the Department of Psychological Medicine & Psychiatry alone, with diverse projects covering topics such as addiction, Alzheimer's disease, eating disorders and psychosis. Researchers from the department have gone on to pursue a range of careers as consultant psychiatrists, research fellows and lecturers amongst others.