Jessica Taylor and Jaimi Shrive believe psychiatry has it wrong.

Dr Taylor is a chartered psychologist, while Ms Shrive is a PhD candidate in politics and criminal justice. They’re also best-selling authors.

They have just released a new book, ‘The Indicative Trauma Impact Manual’ (ITIM), which they say is an alternative to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the traditional text psychiatrists use to diagnose patients.

The two women say they want to abolish the pathologisation, drugging and locking up of people who are simply responding normally to trauma.

Based in the UK, they run VictimFocus, an international training, research and consultancy organisation tackling prejudice and stereotyping of people subjected to crime, violence, abuse and trauma.

They are currently touring New Zealand and Australia, running workshops around the countries.

Image: Ms Jaimi Shrive and Dr Jessica Taylor at their Brisbane workshop. (Photo: Netta Finney)

Produced By: Netta Finney

Featured In Story: Dr Jessica Taylor – Chartered Psychologist, CEO of VictimFocus, Author, and Ms Jaimi Shrive – Director of VictimFocus, Phd Candidate at Kings College London, Author

First aired on The Wire, Thursday 21 September 2023