The latest episode of Psych Matters podcast, titled ‘What story should psychiatry tell?’ was
released on 27 March. It features an interview with Creative Writing PhD candidate Bianca Millroy,
alongside psychiatrist, writer, and philosopher A/Prof Warren Ward, moderated by psychiatrist Dr Rory Hutchinson.
This conversation explores the impact of storytelling in psychiatry, emphasising how narratives shape identity and influence recovery. Dr Rory Hutchinson, Ms Bianca Millroy and A/Prof Warren Ward discuss their personal experiences with functional neurological disorder, the role of the medical gaze, and the importance of lived experience in understanding mental health. They delve into narrative medicine as a framework for enhancing patient care and the therapeutic value of reframing narratives. The discussion highlights the need for empathy, curiosity, and the power of stories in the healing process.
Dr Rory Hutchinson is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Jacaranda Place, Queensland Adolescent Extended Treatment Centre. He also works in private practice and is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University. His clinical and academic work is strongly informed by an interest in the medical humanities, particularly the intersection between humanities and psychiatric clinical practice.
A/Prof Warren Ward is Director of the Eating Disorders Program at Ramsay Clinic New Farm. He has published more than 30 articles and 2 book chapters on eating disorders. He also writes on philosophy and cultural history, and his first book was Lovers of Philosophy: How the Intimate Lives of Seven Philosophers Shaped Modern Thought. In 2025, his second book, Renourish: How to Recover From an Eating Disorder, co-authored with Lexi Crouch, was released by Pan Macmillan.
Bianca Millroy (she/her) is a writer, editor, and podcaster with a passion for science-informed storytelling. She is undertaking a PhD at The University of Queensland where her practice-led thesis Caput Nebula (Head of Fog) combines Creative Nonfiction, Narrative Medicine and neuroscience to "rewrite" the narrative of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), based on her own lived experience. Bianca has worked for Science Write Now as a podcaster, recording an eight-part series titled ‘Cognitive Conversations’.
