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Psychiatric Research and Practice

I have long been interested in questions related to how knowledge is produced, and ought to be produced, in the field of psychiatry. I have written collaborative papers about the application of feminist standpoint theory to the field of psychiatry, asking whether lived experience can underlie the potential for a unique epistemic advantage within psychiatric research, as well as well as how a focus on measuring impact in participatory mental health research can obscure ethical justifications. I am part of a network committed to building service user/survivor research capacities. I welcome students with lived experience - in the classroom, as part of research projects, and as graduate students. 

 

I have also been involved in qualitative research related to programs developed to support those experiencing early psychosis. While in New York, I co-led an investigation of the experiences of participants and family members in the community-based mental health program, Parachute, and led a project exploring the themes of identity and wellbeing among youth participating in the coordinated care early intervention program, OnTrackNY.

I am also working on questions of psychedelics and psychiatry, asking what moral repair in this domain might look like and how psychosis research and psychedelic research relate. For recording of a symposium I organized in 2021 entitled 'The Psychedelic Resurgence in Psychiatry: Ethics, Epistemology, and Enthusiasm'- see presentations and the discussion here.

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Representative Papers:

·    Friesen, P. (2022) Psychosis and Psychedelics: Historical Entanglements and Contemporary Contrasts. Transcultural Psychiatry

·    Friesen, P., Goldstein, J. (2022) Standpoint Theory and the Psy Sciences: Can Marginalization and Critical Engagement Lead to an Epistemic Advantage? Hypatia.

·    Friesen, P., Lignou, S., Sheehan, M., Singh, I. (2019) Measuring the Impact of Participatory Research in Psychiatry: How the search for epistemic justifications obscures ethical considerations. Health Expectations. Special Issue: Showcasing Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement in Mental Health Research. 

·    Wusinich, C., Lindy, D., Russell, D., Pessin, N., Friesen, P. (2020) Experiences of Parachute NYC: An Integration of Open Dialogue and Intentional Peer Support, Community Mental Health Journal.

 

Recent/ Forthcoming Papers:​

·    Gagné-Julien, A-M., Friesen, P., 2026, “Why Should We Include People with Lived Experience in the DSM Revision Process? Reasons, Risks, and Recommendations” Hastings Center Report

·    Swartz, A., Friesen, P. (2024) “The First Smart Pill: Digital Revolution or Last Gasp?” Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal. 

·   Friesen, P. (2024) “Why Democratize Psychiatric Research?” Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology. 

 

Recent/ Upcoming Talks:

·    "Democratizing Psychiatry" (June 12th, 2026), Culture Mind Brain Workshop, McGill University

·   “The Ghosts of Psychedelic Science: Haunting and Moral Repair” (March 6th, 2026) at the Psychedelics Bioethics Discussion Group meeting, Johns Hopkins University

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