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For a moment, I stop taking notes. My office melts away in my periphery and the participant’s voice echoes in my head.

Imagine watching your favourite film and feeling emotionally disconnected, as if your brain was struggling to engage with what’s on the...

Lessons Learned for Successful School Collaborations It’s 8:30 am. The morning bell rings, signalling the start of another busy school day. Students shuffle in, some bleary-eyed from oversleeping, and others won’t make school today due to illness. My key school contact—essential to the day’s research activities—has been pulled away to manage a student crisis. The room we were scheduled to use has been taken over by a teacher in need of extra space. To top it off, exam season

This article has been co-written by Jemima Dooley, Florence Sargent, and Jay Bate Sometimes when I walk across my university campus, I stop and think: what on earth is this place? I’m in a place of learning and teaching, but it’s also a place where tens of thousands of people live, shop, eat, work out, and socialise. It’s a huge employer, there’s an on-site nursery, an award-winning grounds team, an open-air swimming pool, bars, laundry and transportation services. It’s a cit

There are worrying signs that public attitudes to mental health in England may be going backwords. Indeed, a recent study from our...

How Working with Experts by Experience Transforms Academics' Perspectives Photo by Syed Ali on Unsplash Researchers working with “experts by experience” often talk about the benefits of this for research outputs, such as results that are more relevant for the people the research intended to help. I am a research assistant on a programme pioneering a new model for participatory research on autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Participatory research ensur

Key takeaways from organising a science communication workshop series When we think about research, we often imagine a clean laboratory with people in white coats who work with fancy equipment. While some research might actually look like this, research in the field of mental health is sometimes harder to picture and more complicated to explain. There are many ways we can collect information and engage with the topic we are studying, and we are continuously trying to improve

What is music? Is it a form of art, an expressive masterpiece, or a therapeutic treatment? For a long time, I saw music as purely performative — a way to entertain and express. But over time, I realised that my dedication to music went deeper than just for show; it was a form of escape, an unrecognised tool for maintaining my mental health. My interest in this field truly ignited when I met a woman with schizophrenia, a condition that impacts thoughts, emotions, and behavi

Note from the Editor: It is my pleasure to present the final Psych Star blog of the Psych Star Series, a collection of articles written by the 2023-2024 cohort of Psych Stars on their visions for the future of mental health research and care, each of whom chose an area in which they are especially passionate. After you read today's article, be sure to check out the previous blogs written this year by the 2023-2024 Psych Stars! Dr Declan Hyland, Lead Clinician for the scheme,

Whilst most children grew up watching CBBC or Disney Channel on the TV, my dinners were often spent immersed in shows like Criminal Minds...

The SHAPER dissemination event held on 19th November 2024.

Authors Note: If you are interested in taking part in the CODA study, please visit our CODA study page or email coda@kcl.ac.uk . For...

As a third-year psychology student, I’ve felt the stress of juggling assignments and staying focused in classes, especially during exam...

On a busy road, when the traffic rushes like water breaking through a dam and the lights refuse to turn red, the decision you may make to run across when there is a small break between cars, is a conscious one. Our ability to make informed decisions is what allows us to take responsibility for our actions. Every choice we make, every action we take is a result of neuronal pathways firing in a particular sequence in various areas of the brain. An area called the pre-frontal

The lecture theatre is abuzz with voices. I see a group of girls hunched over a laptop, laughing. The professor is standing by the...

Dr Annabel Sowemimo is a senior clinician in sexual and reproductive health, a part-time PhD student, founder of a charity Reproductive...

My name is Kat Frere-Smith, and I am a third-year National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Kent

When perimenopause hit, it triggered a perfect storm , which led to me discovering I was Autistic, aged 58. After my autism...

As a researcher working in the field of perinatal psychiatry, I am part of a team that focuses on two key periods, pregnancy, and the postpa

A Journey from Ancient Infections to Modern Mental Health The notion that 8% of our genome is derived from ancient viruses sounds like a...

During my clinical training as a psychiatrist, I had access to the emotional worlds of my patients in every aspect. This could be...

It is ADHD Awareness Month, and I often find myself reflecting on my own diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the challenges and strengths it's brought to my life. However, what I have frequently found is ADHD is often discussed in terms of its impairments. Struggling to concentrate. Forgetfulness. Emotional dysregulation, and a predisposition to depression. Problems with sleep. Difficulties meeting potential at school, work and beyond. The l

German-Kenyan collaboration to encourage brain awareness in Kisumu “Afya ya akili” means “mental health” in Swahili. The approach to...

The Hidden Key to Beating Depression? Ketamine, a well-known sedative , has gained a lot of attention in the world of neuroscience and...