Dr Catherine Durkin is a highly experienced Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist who has been working in the NHS as a consultant for nearly 10 years. Dr Durkin is the Clinical Lead for the Women’s Service Line within Health & Justice, Central & North West London Foundation Trust.

Dr Durkin has developed her expertise and special interest in women’s mental health needs over many years working with the complex psychiatric presentations of women in prison.

Dr Durkin is the Joint Presidential Lead for Women & Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and is leading on national work to support women’s mental health.

Dr Durkin has extensive experience in managing a range of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, psychosis, neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Disorders), PTSD, Complex PTSD, OCD, bipolar and personality disorders.

Dr Durkin’s clinical interest and expertise focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD & ASD) and Complex PTSD in adult women. She is involved in research on the prevalence and impact of ADHD diagnosis amongst women in custody and helped establish the neurodevelopmental pathway for women across the women's prisons which she oversees.

Dr Durkin’s work is underpinned by being trauma informed and she takes a holistic standpoint on managing mental health. She works closely with GPs and allied health professionals to ensure underlying health conditions as well as the perimenopause and menopause are being managed.

As well as working in the NHS Dr Durkin also has significant experience of working in the private sector as well as longstanding experience acting as an expert witness. Dr Durkin has an M.A from the University of Cambridge and an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine funded by the Medical Research Council. She was awarded an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery) with distinction by St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London and undertook training in general and forensic psychiatry in South London.