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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.

“My name is Robyn, and I am a nurse.”The first time I said those words as I walked through the door of my first job, after qualifying in December 2023, they felt strange. I remember thinking, I’m not a real nurse. I’m just a student Apparently that part was over. I had the qualification, the responsibility, and the title. But that isn’t what I’m here to talk about today. I want to talk about the journey of being a student nurse.

Two Kashmirs live on the same valley’s soil: one in its streets, the other in the memory of those who fled. Indian-administered Kashmir valley, once remembered for its breathtaking location, physical beauty and distinct culture, is now more often defined by politics, borders and history, while far less focus is given to the mental state of Kashmiris. The land of mystical poets, now entangled in geopolitical debates, highlights how geography shapes mental states differently ac

Our minds are built to react quickly and loudly to signs of danger, even when the real solution lies in addressing the underlying cause rather than the noise it creates. We panic at the symptoms and overlook the structure that produced them. And this is exactly where we find ourselves in the UK today. Crime and personal safety feel like growing concerns, yet the policies shaping our justice system are moving in the opposite direction of what communities may actually need.

With misinformation spreading through the rise of fake news and pseudoscience, the public is often left confused about science and research. This makes it even more important for scientists to share their work with the public in an accessible way, so we can learn directly from the source. Now, when I refer to scientists, this should also include future scientists or those studying the sciences. And it starts early. As students, we are constantly writing reports and essays.

They say everything you ever wanted to know about yourself, you can learn in 42km. This may sound dramatic, however as it turns out the road really is a brutal teacher, as well as a mirror. For most of my life, I would have rolled my eyes at this. If someone had told little me that I would go on to cross three marathon finish lines before the age of thirty-two, I would never have believed them, probably laughed, and definitely presumed they were talking about someone the

Research increasingly shows that our mental and physical health are intertwined, influencing each other in complex and often surprising ways. One such example is the relationship between chronic illnesses and mental health disorders, where conditions like metabolic disease and depression can shape and reinforce one another over time. This connection becomes particularly evident when examining specific conditions in which mental and physical health interact in measurable and i

Back in 2023, we published a scientific article, along with a blog version, showing that the body’s immune response is linked to adolescent depression, and that these biological signals look different in boys and girls. We ended by asking whether bringing together what we know about adolescents’ backgrounds and their biology could help us identify who is at risk of developing depression. And here we are today, trying to answer that very question.

For some people, the days before a period bring mild irritability or low mood. For others, the emotional shift is so intense it can feel like becoming a different person entirely. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is far more than the occasional premenstrual mood swing. It is a severe, cyclical mood disorder that can disrupt relationships, work, social life, and a person’s sense of self.

Years of navigating a body that was misunderstood by the medical system, and inevitably missed by me, sparked a deep curiosity about the relationship between the physical and psychological experience. I now have the privilege to study that relationship formally, because I believe that science and lived experience should inform one another. I was in my early teens when my body began raising alarms – over and over again – alarms no one else could hear.

On April 15, we celebrate the birthday and legacy of Leonardo da Vinci, a true Renaissance master whose boundless curiosity bridged art, science, and invention. With an extraordinary talent for observation, he redefined creativity, leaving a timeless imprint as both an artist and a scientist, inspiring generations to come. In his research projects he showed us that creativity is born from infinite curiosity, from observing the world closely, and from being a good friend of ti

‘She’s a right little madam.’ You might think that was quite a mean thing for a parent to say about their child, wouldn’t you? Now imagine there is a little more context, that the parent said: ‘Oh Zoë’s a lovely little girl. She’s funny, sweet… except when she doesn’t get a lolly before bed, then she’s a right little madam!’ We can go a little further. Imagine the parent laughed after they said that. Suddenly not quite so bad, huh?

For me, OCD has always been about cycles, contradiction, and chaos. I’ve had OCD for as long as I can remember, but the first time anyone picked up on it properly, I was taken to the doctor for rashes on my hands around the age of eight. I remember trying to pass it off as something else. Dry skin, a reaction, anything but what it actually was. The doctor hardly even glanced at my hands before they said, quite plainly, that my cracked, oozing hands were likely from excessive

The last time I saw my grandfather, he didn't look like himself. Or maybe, he looked like a version of himself I hadn't been given enough time to get used to. That's the strange tax of distance. He lived in Bangalore, and I grew up in Texas, which meant I didn't watch his Parkinson's disease progress the way my cousins did: steadily, incrementally, in the daily way that allows you to adjust. I saw him in intervals. Years apart, sometimes.

It was November 2004 when I received my comorbid diagnosis: Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia and Major Depressive Disorder. At age 14, this had been a huge relief and also the first time I encountered what the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) were. For the first time, I had a valid explanation for my feelings of impending doom, my breathlessness and dizziness, and my rapid heart rate.

Throughout life, women often experience a series of shared transitions. From menstruation and reproductive health to pregnancy and motherhood, and later life stages such as menopause, quietly creating forms of connection and community. My own experience with menstruation was one of the first times I noticed how these unspoken communities began to form. When I got my first period, it felt like a secret I was embarrassed to carry.

As I approach the end of my master’s degree and find myself once again confronted by the question of what comes next, I am reminded of Sylvia Plath’s 1963 semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. In this book, Plath beautifully illustrates indecision and future possibilities through her fig tree analogy. “I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked."