About

Dr Catherine Durkin

Consultant Psychiatrist

GMC No. 6155920

Dr Catherine Durkin

National Lead for Women’s Mental Health for the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Clinical Lead for the female service line in Central & North West London Foundation Trust
GMC Registered No 6155920
Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Catherine Durkin

Dr Durkin is a highly experienced consultant psychiatrist. She is employed as the clinical lead for the female service line within Health & Justice services, Central & North West London Foundation Trust. She has clinical oversight of three busy female prisons and lead on patient quality and safety. She has previously worked as both a community and inpatient consultant forensic psychiatrist for South West London & St George’s NHS Trust.

She has particular expertise working with women with a range of psychiatric and physical health comorbidities having gained extensive experience of managing the highly complex mental and physical health presentations of women in custody. She has developed a holistic viewpoint when managing women’s mental health presentations, which incorporates a detailed assessment of their physical wellbeing, neurodevelopmental histories, past experiences (including adversity and trauma) and interpersonal relationships, in order to fully understand their mental health presentations.

She gained her specialist registration as a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2015. She undertook her specialist training as part of the South London Forensic Training Rotation and she received training at the Institute of Psychiatry, part of South London & the Maudsley.

She was awarded an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery) with distinction by St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Cambridge and her MSc at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, funded by a scholarship from the Medical Research Council.

She has particular expertise in the recognition and treatment of ADHD and ASD amongst women and also PTSD and complex PTSD. She also works extensively with personality disorders. She has gained additional training and expertise in neurodevelopmental disorders and has completed training in the DIVA, ADOS and ADI. She is the lead clinician establishing a neurodiversity pathway within Health & Justice services and is undertaking research into ADHD amongst women in prison. She has an interest and in depth understanding of the role of trauma in women’s mental health presentations and is highly experienced in the areas of PTSD and Complex PTSD She also focuses on interpersonal relationship and dynamics as a core part of understanding mental health presentations.

Dr Durkin has been selected as the National Lead for Women’s Mental Health for the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Hobbies and Interests

Publications

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Specialisms

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Adult ASD

ADHD

Complex PTSD

Bipolar Mood Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Eating Disorders

Anxiety

Depression

Psychosis


Trust pilot 5 star rated excellent
Excellent, professional and friendly! My last psychiatrist assessment was not a very pleasant experience, so I was quite intimidated at first, but Dr. Durkin was professional and friendly, very understanding of my situation, precise in the pacing and timing of the evaluation process, and professional. Highly recommended!
Yan Luvian
Trust pilot 5 star rated excellent
Dr Durkin clearly knows her stuff. She puts you at ease straight away and treats you like a knowledgeable adult, unlike many medical practitioners I have encountered (I work with them on a daily basis). After my consultation and diagnosis my whole life finally makes sense!!!
Jo O.
Trust pilot 5 star rated excellent
Dr Catherine Durkin was extremely professional and understanding when conducting my ADHD assessment. I sought out Dr Durkin due to her experience with ADHD in women and impressive portfolio. She explained my ADHD traits and also traits that I didn't have that are typical of ADHD but also explained that it's a spectrum. At the end of the assessment Dr Durkin explained the benefits and risks of medication to ensure I understood them.
Anonymous
Trust pilot 5 star rated excellent
After struggling with ADHD symptoms for years I finally plucked up the courage to get an assessment. Dr Catherine Durkin made me feel so at ease, the conversation flowed and I was made to feel very relaxed about the whole procedure. Dr Durkin talked me through the next steps clearly and left me feeling pure relief that I was going to be helped! Can’t thank you enough!
Jessica Cooper