From: Dr Peter Gordon
Sent: 18 September 2020
To: Professor Robert Howard
Dear Rob,
Thank you for this. I am grateful.
I felt that I needed to reply because I do not agree with your summary. My concern was with behaviour by professionals that departed from the Core Values of the College and GMC Guidance on Doctors Use of Social Media. It is entirely legitimate to raise concerns about this and I want to give you one last prompt to reflect on this.
I shared your own words and set the context of the extant guidance. Meantime you have described me on social media in unpleasant terms and questioned my mental health having diagnosed me by a BINGO card.
I have not read your Tweets nor those of Dr Mark Swinton as I have found the language you used to describe me as unnecessarily derogatory and some weeks ago decided not to look at Twitter again. Other people have also experienced distress as a result of your use of language on social media and at least one individual was left suicidal as a result.
Telling truth to power is not easy and sometimes may require persistence. The intention is not to cause upset but to facilitate understanding.
I feel liberated having made the difficult decision to retire from psychiatry but can reflect warmly on the good working relationships I had with my colleagues. I will also miss the insight into the lives of others that comes from contact with patients.
I do not intend to write to you further and wish you well.
Peter
In sharing the following material, all from the public domain, the intention is to provide an opportunity to reflect on why the collective values of an organisation, such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists, really do matter. Core Values for Psychiatrists as set out by the College are: Communication, Dignity, Empathy, Fairness, Honesty, Humility, Respect and Trust.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has always been determined to ‘combat’ stigma. One of the initiatives set up by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to address stigma is this educational module. The module, in its introduction, states: “Attitudes held by health professionals, including those who work in and outside of mental health, can have positive and negative impacts upon patient quality of care.” A whole section of this module explores this question: What can people including psychiatrists do to reduce stigma?
The advent of social media has created a new environment where health professionals are at risk of increasing rather than reducing stigma. The balance of power between psychiatrists and patients [members of the public] has always been unequal because of the legal authority to detain. This imbalance also includes the application of diagnostic categories to others. It is disappointing to see any misuse of this power, for this will only perpetuate stigma. It is a real challenge for the Royal College of Psychiatrists to ensure that the values that the organisation has set out are followed by its members in all settings, including social media.
Prof Howard on “fellow mental health professionals” who have expressed concern about his unprofessional behaviour and language on social media:
1 May 2025, on X:
What is shared on this page is simply a record of what has been said by Prof Rob Howard on social media accessed easily via Google. There is only one purpose: to provide evidence of language and behaviour that fails to respect guidelines on the use of social media by doctors.
21-09-2025:
Prof Rob Howard’s website includes his manifesto as a candidate for the Presidency of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
21-08-2025:
12-08-2025:
12-08-2025:
09-08-2025:
08-08-2025:
08-08-2025:
30-07-2025:
22-07-2025:
10-07-2025:
23-08-2024:
23-08-2024:
25-07-2022:
22-06-2022:
12-06-2022:
08-04-2022:
08-04-2022:
08-04-2022 [in response to the Akathisia advertisement, as shared by Prof Tony David]:
08-06-2022:
03-04-2022:
08-03-2022:
16-02-2022:
10-02-2022:
26-01-2022:
02-01-2021:
14-02-2021:
21-03-2021:
25-12-2021:
15-06-2020:
18-07-2019:
Prof Rob Howard: “Keep it up Samei. You are patient, lucid and professional in your tweets. The threats you receive indicate only that these people know they are losing the argument”
Dr Samei Huda, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, has since been given a warning by the GMC for unprofessional behaviour on social media.
If an organisation such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists wishes to aspire to being the arbiter of professionalism, and to assume the position of power that comes with this role, then that organisation and its representatives must be willing to be held publicly accountable when they are perceived to depart from the values they collectively espouse.
14 October 2025: Letter to the current President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists:
“This is a ‘professional’ who, in all honesty, is nasty”.
“I find Professor Howard’s remarks offensive and insulting “
“[the] mocking by this person [Prof Howard] [has continued] for days.”
“The more he [Prof Howard] tweets, the worse he looks. Unsympathetic, huge lack of understanding, unwillingness to listen, zero empathy. Pretty much the main traits you wouldn’t want in a Mental health professional”
“Prof Rob Howard has already left two people expressing serious distress being in danger as a result. I’m worried he is harming people. So many good folks out there, let’s focus our attention on them and start virtuous cycle of genuine change?”
“What I have read this last 2 weeks from Prof Howard on Twitter WAS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS I needed support early hours from 111 services the other night. I am still recuperating now. He [Prof Howard] did much harm to me psychologically this week. I was soooo triggered about my harm and He [Prof Howard] let it be known where people like me belong. Cruel man . . . no compassion or empathy at all” [capitalisation and emphasis as written by the social media contributor]
“Prof Howard, its honestly its not like that. My wish is to see real change and an abandonment of damaging psychiatric myths for those that come after me. I’m not a “these people” I’m a Dad who thinks the way we were misled has no place within regulated medicine. They nearly took my boy.”
“Prof Howard treats harmed patients with disdain”
“Prof Howard has a vested interest in discrediting harmed patient safety campaigners on this platform who are challenging the authority of psychiatry”
“Prof Howard [makes clear] that the *only* patients worth listening to are the patients who support his worldview.”
“You can see the utter contempt in the way Prof Howard addresses those who he does not agree with.”
“Only person that I have ever blocked, his content always upsets me.”
“Who is it?”
“Prof Rob Howard”
“Prof Howard, please feel free to correct my grammar, laugh at my profile pic or pity my confusion in a typical ad hominem response.”
“It is disturbing and unbecoming of an academic to use ad hominem attacks and label [those he does not agree with] as ‘destructive individuals’. “
“Comments like these [by Professor Rob Howard] are intended to cause pain and distress. That’s not acceptable and not in accordance with College values.”
“Labeling accurate information as ‘misinformation’ is terrible and reduces trust even further. Someone should have a word with Professor Rob Howard about the long term impacts of his denialist propaganda.”
“I see you are denigrating harmed patients again, Prof Howard, shame on you, you bring your profession into disrepute.”
“That you [Prof Howard] belittle and try to silence us is callous and cruel.”
“I have come to the conclusion that Prof Howard is incapable of engaging in any form of discussion at all, he rarely if ever responds to harmed patients in a constructive manner”
“I know it would be different if I was lauding and applauding the profession of psychiatry, if I had a mental illness and said I was benefitting from my treatment, then Prof Howard would fall over himself to say how brave I was to speak out.”
“Prof Howard likes to portray harmed patients as the villains compared to the heroes who take their meds and describe their benefits, he is one of the most divisive professionals I have come across.”
“Your cruelness as a professional is beyond words”
“I have grave concerns about Professor Rob Howard and his constant need to harm and invalidate people”
“I’ve seen plenty of nastiness in the past, but this is off the scale. It’s very disturbing behaviour by Professor Rob Howard”
“I think that you should report him to the police because he is targeting you because of your disability and that is a hate crime”
“He’s been doing this oh so unpleasant cyber bullying to a great many of us patients. He shames his whole profession”
“Prof Howard you are so cruel and unnecessarily hurtful”
“I found your comments really upsetting. For someone who calls themself a professional to have this attitude is disgusting”
“I have no idea how he is allowed to practice given his views”
“What a nasty man this is”
“Having never met [this person], and sitting behind the comfort of your keyboard, you are re-diagnosing her? Is this how you usually diagnose your patients? As I said, these comments are defamatory”
“This is defamation, and your targeted harassment of someone with a disability is extremely upsetting. I think [your employers] should be very concerned about this.”
“I’m too tired to call out Prof Rob Howard but I really am surprised the GMC doesn’t step in.”
“An offensive individual, well known for his unprofessional behaviour”.
“Do you not think it is important to uphold college values Prof Howard? What is the point of [the Royal College of Psychiatrists] having them on [their] website then?”
01/05/2025:
