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When someone receives a cancer diagnosis, the emotional and psychological toll can be just as profound as the physical journey ahead....

Let’s begin with good news. Young people in general are taking fewer drugs:  around 17% of 16–24-year-olds took drugs in 2022–23, compared to 21% in 2019–20. However, such activities may be catastrophic for some teenagers, whose developing adolescent brains may never recover from taking toxic substances.

Recently, I have started a great job in communications, set up a decent writing business, and earned a journalism degree. I am also dating the most beautiful woman in the world, who has all three: the cheekiest smile, hair that smells like black castor oil, and my full commitment to becoming her husband. I'm absolutely terrified.

It is in our human nature to forget details of the past, especially as we grow older; memories from our childhood become less vivid. Many...

Image source: Bhautik Patel on Unsplash On most Monday mornings, the parking lots buzzed with a certain vigor. They chattered about all...

How I reclaimed my dreams, redefined success, and found myself again 25/5/25 - A date so precise it feels like destiny carved it into the calendar just for me. Not merely for its symmetry, but because it marks the beginning of a life I chose, a life I built, a self I reclaimed.   But let’s rewind.   On my 29th birthday, I had a startling realisation: for nearly a decade, I had been drifting - floating through my twenties on autopilot, letting life happen to me instead

Trigger Warning: The following article contains references to suicide and grief, which some readers may find distressing The text came...

Scientists often dive into research driven by two magic ingredients: caffeine and curiosity. Caffeine keeps us awake, and curiosity motivates us to solve complex questions and to push the boundaries of human knowledge. Locked away in labs, scientists work tirelessly to test hypotheses in all different areas of science. Unfortunately, many discoveries feel like they stay confined to publications, adding lines to a CV or increasing a citation index, rarely making it beyond

For decades, the concept of ‘Mum Brain’ has been synonymous with the experience of motherhood. It’s almost a rite of passage to experience the memory loss and brain fog of pregnancy and the postpartum period (also called Pregnancy Brain, Baby Brain, Mummy Brain, Mumnesia). But what if Mum Brain had more to do with the mental load of motherhood, namely the cognitive and emotional labour that primarily falls on mothers, and less to do with mum brains? I’m a neuroscientist wh

I’m on hold to the local police; I don’t know what I’m going to say this time. It’s the third time I’ve rung them this week, and I know that it’s not going to go well. But I also know that however painful and embarrassing this call is, it won’t be worse than living with the guilt of letting someone die.

This is the day I died.   Not literally, but it marked the end of life I knew it. My body was no longer mine. My sense of self was shattered. In its place came a new reality: epilepsy, PPTSD, and postnatal depression became my daily companions. To make it harder, my husband changed jobs during my pregnancy. His new role meant being away from home, making it even harder to navigate everything alone. Tauma alters how memory works. Studies show that when people experience

Of all the topics that concern parents, teachers, and caretakers of teenagers right now, I have found that the most worrying is how to reduce their phone use.

Before Covid forced many of us into pyjamas and endless Zoom calls, I was already working remotely and had been since 2017. In fact, I ran a successful blog about it and felt confident telling people how to manage their freelance time and stay productive at home. The problem was, over time, my social skills were taking a nosedive. Back then I had no idea what working from home so often was doing to me, but slowly, it was chipping away at my confidence and my ability to be aro

As a movie enthusiast, I love a film with powerful themes, and the recently released horror film ‘Sinners’ doesn’t fall short. With all the talk around the movie, I went in blind and don’t regret it one bit. 

She served too “I didn’t see anyone who looked like me in the brochures. I didn’t feel like I belonged.”said the veteran sitting across...

Moving to a new city, country, or even continent is exhilarating—until one uncomfortable reality sets in: suddenly, your support network is a hundred miles away, and the comfort of familiar friendships around the corner is replaced by the daunting task of building new ones from scratch.

In my opinion, pregnancy and motherhood can be a profound and beautiful experience. The ability to nurture and bring a new life into the...

Callum sighed as he pulled open another stiff drawer to be greeted by another cloud of dust. ‘More personal belongings…’ he muttered to...

I am a professor of Developmental Psychology in Portugal and Chile. About thirty years ago, I did my PhD research on the quality of an...

If you feel like dating is a Sisyphean task, you’re not alone. As a neurodivergent woman, I’m probably (definitely) considered an...

When the toy company Mattel launched the first-ever doll with scoliosis and a removable back brace a couple of years ago, I must admit I was genuinely and positively surprised. I was even more impressed when the global fashion retailer ASOS featured models with scoliosis in their e-commerce photos, boldly showcasing their visibly curved spines and post-surgery back scars. Although my own journey with scoliosis — including years in a back brace and a spinal surgery — is now

Not all connections are built to last, and when they break, the effects can be profound. Whether it’s a personal relationship or a biological one, disruptions can leave lasting marks. During pregnancy, the mother and baby are connected through the placenta, a temporary yet vital organ that acts as the bridge, facilitating the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste, ensuring the baby’s development. The placenta contains two distinct areas (i.e., vascular compartments) wher

In the modern day, everyone has heard about the push to “destigmatise mental illness” – a perfectly noble goal. Nonetheless, I find that when many people are pressed to explain what this truly means, little explanation is offered beyond being understanding.

“What are your hobbies?” This is quite a common icebreaker when having a conversation. For quite a few years, when someone asked me that, I actually had to think about it, and didn’t quite have an answer. After all, scrolling endlessly on social media in the evenings isn’t really a hobby, is it?   As a part-time PhD student and a full-time researcher, finding new hobbies over the past 2 years has been a great way for me to unwind and find a suitable work-life balance.