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Who are the Psych Stars?
Selected by The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Psych Star ambassadors are a group of final year medical students awarded for their particular interest and commitment to psychiatry. During the year-long scheme as Psych Stars, students are nurtured in their interest in psychiatry through the assignment of mentors, by gaining access to learning resources and events, and by becoming part of a network of like-minded students.
We have decided to invite each of the Psych Stars to write a blog on how they envision the future of mental health by choosing an area in which they are passionate. We have decided to run the series as a celebration of these student’s success and to provide an outlook for each of the awardees to share their passion.
Shadowed — A Short Story
My street is dirty and chaotic, and it does not end. It just goes on and on and on, feeding into other roads and other streets that all look the same. They wrap themselves around this island, squeezing it, constricting it – sucking the life out of it.
Robert Monk
2 days ago7 min read
Can Treating Psychosis Reduce Motivation and Pleasure?
I am Martin Osugo, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist working to improve the lives of people with schizophrenia through both clinical practice and research. I first became deeply interested in schizophrenia in my first year of medical school. That interest eventually led me to a PhD at King’s College London’s Department of Psychosis Studies, two years after I qualified as a doctor. I have cared for people with psychosis in my community and inpatient settings.
Martin Osugo
3 days ago5 min read
When 'No' Is a Good Outcome: Redefining Success in Cancer Research
At the core of any healthcare or science degree, students learn the importance of numbers. Specifically, “bigger” is often synonymous with “success”. It has been viscerally etched into my brain since my undergraduate Psychology research methods and statistics courses: a larger sample size, meaning more individuals enrolled in a study, increases statistical power and overall confidence in the findings.
Valentina Muñoz
4 days ago4 min read
From Barriers to Better Research
What does it take to conduct biological mental health research with young people, and what can get in the way? My name is Camila, and I’m a Research Assistant at the Stress Psychiatry and Immunology Lab at King’s College London. Around three years ago, I first joined the team during my undergraduate placement year, working primarily on the CELEBRATE project.
Camila Ribeiro
5 days ago6 min read
The Whitening of the Nation: Erasing Identity in South America
Passionate about history and the lasting impacts of colonisation, I never imagined I’d one day be able to connect it to football, or the World Cup. Yet the 2026 World Cup final made it impossible to ignore the link. The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina was a legendary match for many fans. One that I managed to tune in to watch live. Many saw this as the Lamine Yamal vs Lionel Messi match. One to solidify the legacy of future football.
Suvi Pushpakanthan
6 days ago5 min read
Why Has Male Fertility Been Ignored for Over 2,000 Years?
I study sperm for a living, so I am used to the giggles and raised eyebrows. But here is the fact that surprises almost everyone: we understood the female reproductive system in reasonable scientific detail well before we understood the male one — and in some ways, we are still catching up. This is not an abstract interest for me. As a young and inquisitive scientist, I quickly realised how little knowledge existed around male reproductive health, which pushed me to pursue a
Daniel Marcu
Sep 255 min read
The iDoctor Revolution: Could Your Smartphone Replace Your Therapist?
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just spread loneliness and hopelessness - it pushed the already-stretched mental health services past breaking point. Mental health disorders rose by 25% in the pandemic’s first year alone. Traditional, in-person care couldn’t keep up. So, healthcare systems turned to digital interventions delivered through a patient’s phone. 85% of NHS trusts in England now offer digital mental health interventions to adult patients.
Maddalena Cipriani
Sep 246 min read
The Boys Who Lost Fatherhood Before They Understood It
A boy diagnosed with cancer at seven years old is not thinking about fatherhood. His parents are not thinking about it either, not really, not while they are absorbing a diagnosis and bracing for treatment. And yet, tucked into that first wave of decisions, is one about a future so distant it barely feels real: whether to try to preserve his fertility before treatment takes it away. I recently completed a DPhil in reproductive science, alongside a master's in clinical embryol
Rajwa Mecca
Sep 234 min read
What Nobody Tells You About the Gut-brain Axis
I have read countless articles on the gut-brain relationship, but very few go into depth about one particular concept. As a Nutrition & Lifestyle Practitioner completing an MSc in Psychology & Neuroscience of the Mind-Body Interface, a few classmates asked me to share my knowledge in this area, so I decided to write about the most important thing I’ve learned in the past several years on the gut-brain axis.
Nicole Burska
Sep 225 min read
Finding Her Voice: The Science of Singing in Motherhood
Before a baby can understand a single word, before they can even clearly focus on a face, they already know one sound better than any other: their mother’s voice, with research suggesting that infants learn to recognise this specific sound even before they are born. The maternal voice has a profound impact on the baby, playing a crucial role in their cognitive and emotional development, fostering secure attachment, and providing a sense of safety and comfort.
Brunella Govetto
Sep 215 min read
Finding Calm in the Ocean's Most Misunderstood Predator
A fun fact about me (and often my go-to ice breaker): Great White Sharks are my favourite animals. Not cats, not dogs, nothing fuzzy or cuddly or cute. And this has been the case since I was 6 or 7 years old.
Weird, isn’t it?
I’ve made it a habit of weaving my personal interests and hobbies into my Inspire the Mind articles, beyond the work I do as a Trial Manager in Perinatal Psychiatric Research. I’ve previously written about baking sourdough bread, the importance of
Riddhi Laijawala
Sep 185 min read
The Shape of a Single Moment
When we imagine our lives through the years, it might be easier to imagine a linear, gradual transformation. We were children, now we're adults, and the story continues across a medium of existence, too flux and too holistic for singularities. But when we tell our stories, we often refer to these singularities: moments that became dividing lines between older and newer versions of ourselves. In fact, research shows that people often define their lives around turning points an
Tezor Dedam
Sep 175 min read
What Do Schizophrenia and ALS Have In Common?
In an era of increasing need for understanding mental health and neurodegenerative conditions, identifying links between the two could revolutionise our approach towards clinical care.
My name is Lili, and I am a stem cell biologist working at King’s College London in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. I am part of a research group that uses cellular and molecular biology, as well as bioinformatics.
Lili Bako
Sep 164 min read
From Daughter to Researcher: Transforming Parkinson’s Through AI
Like many researchers, my journey into Parkinson’s disease began with a personal connection. Growing up with a father with Parkinson’s, I learned early that a diagnosis is only the beginning of the story.
Linda Bryant
Sep 155 min read
The Joy of an Unlikeable Woman: Why FURIOUS Made Me Feel Exhilarated
Disney+ has just released FURIOUS, a gripping new crime drama following FBI agent Alice Black as she becomes consumed by the hunt for Catherine Grace, a female serial killer. But FURIOUS is far from a simple game of cat and mouse. Alice and Catherine are both driven by their own ideas of justice, operating on opposite sides of the law while pursuing a similar purpose. As their lives become increasingly intertwined, the boundaries between justice and revenge begin to blur.
Camila Ribeiro
Sep 146 min read
The Fear of Clowns and a Smile We Cannot Trust
Like many who heard the news on the evening of Wednesday 26th August about the passing of actor Tim Curry, grief presented itself in me as reminiscing about his iconic roles throughout my childhood. Although Curry’s Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990s adaptation of Stephen King’s IT may have helped cement the sinister killer-clown trope in the mainstream since, the fear of clowns long precedes his performance.
Melisa Kose
Sep 115 min read
What Does Inflammatory Depression Look Like, and How Can We Assess It?
When we think about depression, we often think first about sadness, hopelessness, or losing interest in things we once enjoyed. But depression is much more diverse than that. Two people can receive the same diagnosis and experience very different combinations of depressive symptoms. For example, even the same symptomatologic areas can be affected in opposite ways: some people may sleep much more than usual, while others struggle with insomnia and have difficulty sleeping.
Benedetta Vai
Sep 105 min read
Postpartum Psychosis Is More Complex Than the Lindsay Clancy Trial
I have been watching the Lindsay Clancy trial unfold over the past few weeks, with growing unease. Now, after weeks of testimony and intense public scrutiny, the proceedings have ended in a mistrial. Before I started my PhD, I knew very little about postpartum psychosis (PPP). I had briefly studied it during my Neuroscience and Psychiatric research bachelor’s and master’s degrees. But it wasn’t until I co-led the PRAM-P cohort study.
Sorcha Alford
Sep 96 min read
Young People Want to Talk About Social Media. Are We Listening?
As a Senior Research Fellow in Digital Health at King's College London, I've spent the past few years speaking with young adults about social media and mental health. As the UK moves towards restrictions on social media use for under-16s, alongside other countries taking a similar approach, public discussion often comes down to a simple question: is social media good or bad for young people's mental health? To explore this topic, my colleagues and I interviewed 28 young adult
Ruth Plackett
Sep 85 min read
Sexual Health is Mental Health: Developing ACCESS-MH
We need to talk about sex in mental health settings. In recent years, it has become widely recognised that people living with psychiatric disorders experience a disproportionate burden of preventable physical illness. Research suggests that people with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) die 15-20 years earlier than the general population, with physical health conditions contributing substantially to this mortality gap. Growing recognition of this inequality has driven efforts to imp
Sorcha Alford
Sep 76 min read
Could Low Brain Iron Levels Help Explain Schizophrenia?
I have always wanted to understand how the brain works. When I was 6, my grandfather had a serious stroke. This always witty, happy, active man became quiet, sad, and unable to move the left side of his body. He stopped eating to try to end his life several times but was kept alive with feeding tubes until he passed 5 years later. Soon after, I came across the author Oliver Sacks. His books taught me that the brain doesn't just support who we are; it is who we are.
Luke Vano
Sep 45 min read
What Actually Helps: Evidence-Based Strategies for Managing ADHD
ADHD diagnoses in England have risen sharply since 2020, though diagnosis still lags behind estimated prevalence. But for many, diagnosis is just the beginning. While finally having an explanation for years of challenges can bring relief, a new question follows: What now?
Understanding you have ADHD is one thing; learning how to manage it is another. I’m a therapist for ADHD, with ADHD. Before specialising in ADHD therapy, I experienced many of the challenges I now help clie
Laura Huddart
Sep 35 min read
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