Helen M. Farrell

Dr. Helen M. Farrell is a board-certified psychiatrist and forensic psychiatrist whose career spans clinical medicine, public education, and the law. Farrell has served on the Harvard Medical School faculty as a lecturer and is an instructor in psychiatry as well as a staff psychiatrist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She has published extensively in forensic psychology and has appeared as an expert witness in court. Farrell is the author of "Forensic Psychiatry: Essential Board Review," a resource for psychologists, social workers, criminologists, general psychiatrists, medical students, and attorneys or law students interested in mental health law.

Farrell's original JAMA article, "A House Built Out of Madness," addresses stereotypes of mental illness. Her TEDx Talk, "Creating Hope for Mental Health," has reached a global audience and contributes to changing perceptions of mental illness. Her TED-Ed videos on mental health, which have garnered more than 30 million views, cover topics such as depression, bipolar disorder, and electroconvulsive therapy, making complex psychiatric concepts accessible to a broad audience.

Farrell consults as an expert in both civil and criminal cases where mental health and the law intersect. She is frequently called upon by media outlets for expert commentary on news stories involving psychiatry and the law. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Psychology Today, NPR's CommonHealth Blog, Psychiatric Times, and KevinMD.com. Farrell is committed to providing credible expert commentary on mental health, forensics, and wellness.

As a keynote speaker, Farrell combines scientific expertise with narrative skill, blending storytelling with informative content. She emphasizes that good mental health is essential to performance and resilience. Her message underscores that mental illness may alter one's path but does not have to define it. Farrell continues to develop educational content, including scripts for animations about depression, to further public understanding of psychiatry and reduce stigma surrounding mental health.