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Every year during Men’s Health Week, we see more conversations around mental health, wellbeing, cancer awareness and the importance of speaking up - which of course, should absolutely be applauded. But there’s still a long way to go when it comes to helping men feel genuinely comfortable talking about their health. This is especially true when it comes to topics that feel personal, embarrassing or vulnerable - like testicular cancer.

A perfect column of khaki moves across the concrete. 300 pairs of legs marching in unison, with military precision. If not for the basketball hoops on either end of our parade square, we would be indistinguishable from professional soldiers. The occasional adolescent voice crack of the parade sergeant not withstanding, we were that good, or at least so we all believed. I am right in the centre, where everyone can see.

Let me start by dispelling the obvious– there is no such thing as a “feminazi”. There are feminists, and then there are feminists who are so unapologetic and uncompromising about their pursuit of feminism that they are derogatorily branded “feminazi” by those who are discomfited by their pursuit of a fair and equal world. It follows, therefore, that there can be no such thing as a “male feminazi”. In my opinion and experience, this is a response from men who have not been ta

With porn consumption linked to increased anxiety, depression and loneliness among men, I reveal my own porn use and what led me to stop. After being single for most of my 30’s and finding my self-esteem and body confidence at an all-time low, I decided to quit porn. I had always struggled with my use, which had morphed from an exploration of my sexuality into an unhealthy habit. As a British writer with an interest in culture and men's wellness, I share my personal journey.

I wonder when women’s health will catch up, if ever, maybe not in my lifetime, but the latest break- through for women’s health is the update in naming Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), as announced in the Lancet. A global nod to the endocrine and metabolic ramifications of the condition, and coming away from viewing it as merely a gynaecological problem. Who am I, why do I care, shall I step off my soap-box now? Well no

“Let yourself be bored” It is a statement that resonated with me as I was recently reading a Substack article . From time to time, I have been thinking about the importance of boredom and how it supports my creativity. It has helped me finding new topics to write about, new hobbies, and even drive inspiration for my paintings. Upon reflection, these moments shaped my best ideas and even the best piece of work that I produced (of course, subjective to me!).

I’m sure many of you have been following the war between the US and Iran, have seen the headlines of escalations between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Middle East, and are starting to feel some of the implications this war is having on the world. I previously wrote a piece covering my experiences at the beginning of the war in the UAE. Now, I am sharing my perspective again, but this time with a focus on my mother country, Lebanon.

My mother and I have been estranged for twenty years, with a few exceptions. I saw her at the hospital when my niece was born. We spoke on the phone once in 2013, and a few times in 2016. I stopped sending my annual “Merry Christmas” text message in 2019. When we first became estranged, it felt like I was the only person in the world who couldn’t maintain a relationship with my mom.

The golden wash of sunrise bathed the bedroom in a soft, buttery glow that made the dust motes dance. Such a soft, buttery glow, in fact, that Rosie didn’t even squint as she roused from sleep, reaching out her arms in a feline stretch and shaking the dregs of slumber from her body. A lazy smile tugged at the corners of her lips and she rolled into her boyfriend’s side of the bed, breathing his scent from the pillow and settling comfortably back into the sheets to watch the s

As a Research Assistant on the newly launched Cycle Study at KCL, I am hugely motivated to improve outcomes for people living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). PMDD is a severe mood disorder in which symptoms, like anxiety and depression, happen in the weeks leading up to the start of a period. For more about PMDD see earlier Inspire the Mind article by Dr Ellen Lambert.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to the emotional and physical changes many people experience in the days before a menstrual period, including anxiety, low mood, irritability, fatigue, and bloating. At its most severe, when symptoms are debilitating and interfere with daily life, it is known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Despite affecting an estimated 250 million people worldwide, we still do not fully understand why these symptoms occur.

I’m Kate Smith, CEO and co-founder of Hey Girls, a menstrual educator with lived experience of the issues surrounding period poverty and menstrual health inequality. Those experiences are what continue to drive my mission: leading a social enterprise built to create social good, champion women’s health, and ensure everyone can manage their period with dignity. Hey Girls CIC (Community Interest Company) is a not-for-profit social enterprise working to eradicate period poverty

There’s something that has never quite sat right with me about how we discuss women’s health. We often state that the healthcare system is failing women. But when we look more closely, we can start to question whether it was ever actually designed with women in mind. Before anything else, I was a cancer clinician. I’ve sat with women at some of the hardest points in their lives, going through treatment and trying to process diagnoses that often came too late.

The term hysteria has earned a bad rap for good reasons. Originally coined as a diagnosis to refer to physical symptoms without an identifiable cause, it was soon reframed as a female malady caused by a “wandering uterus”. Although hysteria ultimately became a dismissive and misogynistic label used to pathologise women’s emotional experiences, the original diagnosis behind this popular term – now known as conversion disorder or functional neurological disorder - is far more

We have an extraordinary ability to imagine. Our imagination lets us revisit the past, rehearse the future, create entirely new experiences and worlds... all within our minds. But are we always in control of what we see in our minds?My name is Eman, I’m a PhD candidate at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at the Imagine Better Lab. My research explores why young people with low mood and depression might experience upsetting images playing in their minds

Language is at the heart of mental health. It is how clinicians describe what they observe, and how people express what they feel. But what happens when we ask AI to read it? I am a clinical informatician at the CAMHS Digital Lab, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. My work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence and child and adolescent mental health.

It was Saturday, the 25th of April 2026, The Day Before My Marathon. The London marathon, obviously. I thought I was chill about running it, but in reality, I was just in denial. It is easier to pretend that something is not true or is not happening; it gives us the time to adapt to the distressing/upsetting/anxious thoughts or events, either in anticipation (like me) or after they have happened. Denial is one of the defence mechanisms, so-called by psychoanalysts because the

It seems that my social media feed is full of the word ‘whimsy’ at the moment. Move over nonchalance, welcome whimsy. It’s being covered on Instagram and Tiktok. It’s being picked up by podcasters. But what is it really? According to the Cambridge English dictionary, the word whimsy refers to ‘unusual, funny, and pleasant ideas or qualities.’ It ties in well with imaginative, playful ideas that aren’t particularly serious or profound.

There are stories one hears at the gym that are impossible to forget. I am Giovanna, a passionate pharmacist with a deep commitment to pharmaceutical care, mental health, and healthcare communication. As a former athlete and dedicated “gym rat”, I translate the discipline and resilience gained from competitive sports (I was in the Italian kayak Olympic team in 2010-2012) into my professional practice, and I have learnt that the deepest wounds are frequently the invisible one

In all our homes, we all have dining tables to serve our everyday needs, but if you know South Asians, we often have more than the selected number of people who can sit at the table. So, what do we do? A Dastarkhān, or dastarkhwān is the name used to refer to a dining spread on the ground, on top of gorgeous tablecloths, laid out with many different dishes. Found across Asia, this concept allows for many people to sit comfortably; ideal for when the gathering is large and spa

One in two of us in the UK will be directly affected by dementia in our lifetime, either by caring for someone with dementia, developing it ourselves, or both. But compared to other major health conditions, like cancer, effective treatments aren’t readily available, and there is very little support following a diagnosis. I’m Natalie, a Research Assistant at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, King’s College London, working on the DETERMIND study.

In my career as a researcher, I have heard the phrases “BPD patients are a hassle” and “don’t touch borderline with a bargepole”. They’re throwaway remarks, but they often are said from the mouths of people who I would otherwise describe as intelligent and deeply empathetic. As a researcher at King’s with roots in community mental health projects, documentary filmmaking and getting almost to the end of a sudoku then realising I’ve made a mistake a long time ago, I’m used to

In 2019, my father was given a mixed diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. I didn’t know much about the illness, despite three of my four grandparents also having had it. Stepping in to be the main caregiver has taken me on a seven-year journey of discovery. Whilst sad, it’s been a transformational experience. Each day, I’ve been exposed to how the mind we take for granted interacts with a body we also often take for granted.

My brother’s seventh birthday party was a responsibility that fell squarely on my shoulders that year. Mine and Faye-Marie’s. Mom had started a new job and she was desperate for help, so could Faye-Marie and I please take charge of the decorations and games, for twenty bucks each, while she provided the cake and Jell-O? She didn’t have to say please. Of course Faye-Marie and I would do it... for twenty bucks each.