Digby Tantam

Digby Tantam is a British psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist, and author, known for his contributions to psychotherapy, autism research, and mental health policy. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sheffield and visiting professor at Middlesex University. He is also known for formulating the concept of the interbrain, which describes a subliminal neurological connection enabling humans to understand others' emotions, intentions, and attention without explicit communication.

Education Tantam was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he received a BA in Animal Physiology in 1969, followed by an MA and BM, BCh in 1972. He trained as a psychiatrist in London and the United States, earning a Master of Public Health in Behavioral Sciences from Harvard University in 1977. In 1986, he completed a PhD at the University of London for a study focused on adult autism and eccentricity. His academic journey also includes studies at Yale, Stanford, Makerere University, and the Open University, where he earned a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy in 1984.

Career In clinical psychiatry, Tantam has served in numerous senior roles in both the UK and abroad. He was Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester and Professor of Psychotherapy at the University of Warwick, where he also served as Consultant Psychiatrist.

He was Chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and founding Chair of the Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Service. He created the Sheffield Asperger Assessment Service in 1995 when he moved to Sheffield from the University of Warwick, where he had been appointed to the first chair in psychotherapy in the UK.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a Chartered Psychologist, and has received fellowships from the Higher Education Academy, the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, among others. the University of Sheffield Senate Teaching Award, and lifetime honorary memberships from professional psychotherapy associations.

Tantam is an honorary life member of the Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association, treasurer of the Existential Movement, chair of the Society of Psychotherapy, former registrar of the European Association of Psychotherapy, and former chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy.

Research Tantam’s research focused on the understanding of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the lifespan, integrating clinical insight with theoretical and neuroscientific frameworks.

Tantam’s theoretical contributions extend to the study of non-verbal communication and affective neuroscience. His 2014 book, The Interbrain, explores the idea that humans are connected by a background neurological process that allows for emotional resonance and interpersonal intuition. He has argued that disruptions in this system help explain the communicative and relational challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals.

Tantam emphasizes the heterogeneity and developmental variability of ASD symptoms, highlighting how manifestations of the disorder evolve and interact with age. His analysis distinguishes the nuanced clinical presentations of Kanner syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome, and atypical Asperger’s syndrome across infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

Throughout his career, Tantam has combined empirical investigation with clinical practice, publishing nearly 200 articles and books.

Selected bibliography Journals

Books Goldberg, D.P. & Tantam, D. (eds.) (1990) The Public Health Impact of Mental Disorder, Hogrefe and Huber, Bern, 238pp Greenberg, M., Shergill, S., Szmukler, G., Tantam, D. (2002) Narratives in Psychiatry, Jessica Kingsley Greenberg, M., Szmukler, G & Tantam, D. (1986) Making Sense of Psychiatric Cases, Oxford: Oxford University Press Strang, J., Donmall, M., Webster, A., Abbey, J., Tantam, D. (1991) A Bridge Not Far Enough: Community Drug Teams and Doctors in the North Western Region, ISDD Research Monograph 3. London: Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence Tantam, D. (1988, 1991, 2000) A Mind of One's Own; National Autistic Society: London, 35pp, 1988. Polish translation 1996 in Autistic Child 4, 1, 4-19 and 4,2, 4-13, Japanese translation, Arabic translation 2005 Tantam, D. and Birchwood, M. (eds. 1994) College Seminars in Psychology and Social Sciences, London: Gaskell Press Tantam, D., Duncan, A. and Appleby, L. (eds. 1996) Psychiatry for the Developing World, Gaskell Press Tantam, D. (ed. 1998) Clinical Topics in Psychotherapy, Gaskell Press Tantam, D. (2002) Psychotherapy and Counselling in Practice, Cambridge University Press Tantam, D. (2012) Autism Spectrum Disorders Through the Life Span, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 550pp Tantam, D. (2014) Emotional Well-being and Mental Health: A Guide for Counsellors & Psychotherapists, SAGE Publications Ltd