Dr Drona Sharma is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director for Intellectual Disability Psychiatry at Nua Healthcare, with more than 30 years’ clinical experience across India, Ireland and the UK. Since completing specialist training in 2002, he has worked exclusively with adults with intellectual disability and autism across community, residential and secure services.

His clinical work focuses on a deceptively simple question: when a person cannot reliably tell us what is wrong, what is their behaviour communicating? Distinguishing mental illness from pain, communication difficulties, environmental distress and unmet need is central to his practice.

He has a particular interest in minimising the inappropriate use of psychotropic medication for behavioural disturbance. His work emphasises functional behavioural assessment, communication, skilled multidisciplinary formulation and frequent clinical review—using medication purposefully when indicated, rather than as a substitute for understanding behaviour.

Dr Sharma also has a longstanding interest in mental health law and decision-making, particularly the balance between autonomy, self-determination and the lawful provision of safe clinical care.

His qualifications include MBBS, DPM, DCP, DPM, MCPsychI, FRCPsych, LLM (Mental Health Law) and CCST in Learning Disability/Intellectual Disability Psychiatry. He is on the relevant Specialist Registers of the Irish Medical Council and UK General Medical Council.

At the Wellness Summit, he will explore how better understanding of behaviour, an effective multidisciplinary team and carefully reviewed prescribing can move care beyond behaviour control towards genuine wellbeing and quality of life.