This piece was written by researchers at University College London (Havovi Khareghat and Eva Sprecher) and lived-experience advisors (Clo H, Valerie, Ace Garmodon & Alfie-James Waring) from the ReThink programme. ReThink is a UKRI-funded research project that explored what makes a difference to the mental health of care-experienced young people (who have grown up in ‘state care’ e.g., foster care or children’s homes) moving through early and late adolescence. Lived-experience advisors shaped ReThink’s study design, data collection, understanding findings and how findings are shared. Co-production (where professionals and people with lived experience work together) has become more common, and is expected as the norm by funders and research bodies. Therefore, we must keep reflecting on why co-production is important, and any facilitators and barriers to avoid co-production simply becoming a ‘tick box’ exercise. As the ReThink project comes to an end, we hear directly from care-experienced young people about why involvement in research matters. 1. Why Is It Important for Care-Experienced Young People to Be Involved In Shaping Mental Health Research? Young people are experts in their own lives and can offer insights that adults overlook. As Clo explained: We’ve been through the experience, so we know what works and doesn’t work. Our views must be taken into consideration. Valerie added: In a way, it also allows the inner child voices of care-experienced consultants to be heard, which validates past experiences. Alfie emphasised how young people’s perspectives can humanise care-experienced young people, who are too often reduced to statistics: It gives a human voice to an often-robotic data survey. It is so important because young people give data and numbers a human touch. They remind the government and others that we are people, we are humans. For some years, the things that went wrong were not heard. But this project gives my experience a space to exist and be heard, and validation to be felt. It means my entire childhood has had a purpose. And every time we make a small change, I get a little bit of justice back. Artwork by Alfie-James Waring 2. What Are the Barriers to Care-Experienced Young People Shaping Mental Health Research? Getting involved in shaping mental health research isn’t always straightforward for care-experienced people. As Valerie explained: The barriers are researchers even wanting to work with care-experienced young people. Some researchers may not acknowledge or understand the benefits of including care-experienced young people. To which Ace added: Another thing is open opportunity, I personally had to really dig for opportunities, and when I was in care especially, it was difficult to get care staff/social workers to agree to the opportunities, even when I was 16 and 17. Clo pointed out practical barriers which disproportionately affect care-experienced young people: No internet access or devices to join online meetings. If we can’t access these things, we can’t share our views or experiences. Other issues, like placement instability [moving home, caregiver or residence], can result in no stability and no safe place to take part. Age also plays a role in this, as when you hit 18, you’re often left to fend for yourself, so you’ve got to balance everything, which may result in not taking part in things. Valerie also spoke about more internal barriers that young people face, like the difficulty in having the safe space necessary when taking part: Accessing care-experienced consultants may be difficult, due to fear of re-traumatisation. Mental health discussions can be traumatising for care-experienced young people, therefore, there needs to be a way to establish safety for young people to share. This can be emotional safety and environmental safety. There is also hopelessness. You can incorporate care-experienced young people to shape research, but there is no guarantee that anything will be done with this information. Hopelessness is a barrier because what is the point of trying if it changes nothing? Clo agreed, explaining: You may have to relive the trauma in your mind to take part, and many people won’t be able to cope with that. You have to feel like you can fully trust those leading the research as well, because sharing your story is a huge thing to do. 3. What Can Help Care-Experienced Young People Get Involved in Shaping Research? Although barriers remain widespread, researchers, trusted adults, and policy change can all play a role in helping young people overcome these challenges and become meaningfully involved in shaping research. Alfie told us the small yet impactful adjustments that could be made for young people, which go a long way in not only being involved, but staying involved. She listed several useful tips: Being told about opportunities ahead of time, with a reminder a few days before, using clear and accessible language, offering different ways to take part (e.g. Online, in person, questionnaires or writing email responses), providing emotional support for difficult conversations, starting by building trust. She mentioned the value in being involved in the final product of research: Seeing or hearing how our views will make a difference or have made a difference will also encourage young people to keep coming back as it puts value in our voice and shows we can make an impact. Ace told us the difference it could make when local authorities and community organisations are involved and how encouraging them to use their networks and tools to involve young people influences awareness of such opportunities: Another thing would be pushing local authorities to properly reach out to young people in their care, as from my experience local authorities tend to be very reluctant to do big pushes for opportunities like Rethink, sadly. Another way to help young people to get involved is by reaching out directly to care-providing services [e.g., charities], so they can push for young people in their care to take part. 4. Do You Have Any Reflections You'd Like to Share About What It Was Like to Be Part of Designing, Shaping Or Sharing What We Learnt From A Mental Health Research Project Like ReThink? ReThink wouldn’t be what it is without the brilliant, impactful and essential input and perspectives of the young people involved. We asked our young advisors for any final thoughts, reflections, and feedback they had on the project, and for the future of research with care-experienced young people. Valerie said that she enjoyed her time being involved in ReThink, stating: It was also very validating seeing personal experiences being reflected in young people currently in the care system. Though sad that the same issues seem to be recurring despite leaving care many years ago. It also felt like my energy was focused somewhere that could do some good for current and future young people in the care system. I want to thank everyone involved for their time, patience and ears; it was refreshing to feel listened to, which was missing when I was a child. As Clo added: I was given plenty of opportunities to share my views without feeling pressured. It was so nice to be able to share my views and experiences in a safe space without the fear of judgement. Artwork by Clo H

Image provided by Author I'm Adam, a 28-year-old lad from Nottingham, and I'm the founder of Kick The Stigma — a male grooming brand on a mission to support men's mental health. That sentence probably sounds a bit unusual: a hair product brand and mental health support in the same breath. But stick with me, because the two are more connected than you might think. Growing Up With Adversity My journey didn’t start with products. Growing up, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of love, joy and support (even if there was the occasional misdemeanour). But at nine years old, I lost my mum to cancer. My dad raised my twin brother and me on his own. Looking back now, what he must have been going through mentally during those years is something I find hard to fully comprehend. Seeing his resilience through adversity gave me serious drive and ambition. I saw my dad sacrifice everything to ensure my brother and I had the resources available to do something with our lives despite the circumstances. I come back to his mental state because I think if things had been different, if he had lashed out now and again or perhaps lost his temper, you could probably excuse it, given the situation. He never did. Instead, he played mum and dad amazingly well – he knew when to listen, when to advise, when to be brutally honest, but everything was done with care. He made me even hungrier to succeed. Here is a man who could blame everything on the world, on its unfairness, on its cruelty and yet he stayed immensely strong for his two boys. Image provided by Author One of his greatest traits was encouraging us. Whether it was education, career or sport, he would always find the right words. To this day, he's still at it. The power of someone believing in you shouldn't be underestimated. There have been periods in my life when I didn’t feel confident in who I was, when I seriously doubted myself. It was usually Dad’s words that got me through. That's the feeling I wanted to capture with Kick The Stigma. Raisa's Barbers: More Than a Haircut After moving to London for university, I planned to pursue a career as an investment banker. Instead, I ended up working for a life-changing mentor who asked me if I would like to run his barbershop. But I wasn’t a barber, and I knew nothing about the industry. I could hear my dad on my shoulder, saying, “Go for it.” I launched Raisa's Barbers in West London in 2022 with one goal: to be more than just a barbershop. I quickly recognised what a barbershop can be for a local community. More importantly, the role a barber can play for men. In a trusted and familiar environment, men can open up about relationships, work, family and mental health. My biggest assumption was that barbers “just cut hair,” but it is so much more than that. They're actively listening, building confidence, and helping people feel better than when they walked in. What struck me most was the trust involved. We all know the ‘typical’ relationship women have with their hairdressers, yet I’d never heard it spoken about when it comes to men and their barbers. They create a safe space. But when people ask me how men open up or what the secret is, I always say, in this context, it starts with a good haircut. You aren’t going to open up to someone if you’re concerned about their ability. Again – trust. Image provided by Author The need to have safe spaces for men to open up is clear. Men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women. Suicide is the biggest cause of death for men under 35. Yet only 33% of NHS referrals for talking therapies are for men. This led us to TrimTalk, a campaign we pioneered in partnership with Westminster City Council. The council wanted to help tackle men’s mental health, and it just so happened that one of our customers was a councillor. He knew the work we were doing, and so we came up with an idea together. The idea was simple: train barbers as Mental Health First Aiders so they could recognise signs of distress, offer initial support, and point people towards help. No clinical environment. A trusted barber, but now better equipped. The campaign got picked up by BBC News and BBC Radio, which wonderfully amplified the message. Kicking the Stigma Beyond the Shop We wanted to take that energy further. So, we launched the Kick The Stigma Football Tournament, an annual event in partnership with the charity AllKind. The partnership came about because, fortuitously, at an awards event we were randomly sat next to Allkind, formerly West Central London Mind. Allkind is a London mental health charity supporting thousands of people through services including talking therapies, peer and community support, suicide prevention and bereavement services, housing support, children and young people’s services, and mental health training. Having seen first-hand how often barbers become trusted confidants for their clients, we wanted to do more to support mental health beyond the four walls of the shop. Sport gave us another non-clinical way into the conversation. No one feels like they're going to a mental health-inspired event when they're lacing up their boots. The football tournament created opportunities to raise awareness and encourage communal conversations that might not otherwise happen. But here's the thing I kept coming back to: we could support men for an hour in the chair every few weeks. The football tournament happens once a year. If mental health is 24/7, how do we support men every day? Image provided by Author Bringing Positive Messages to the Daily Grooming Routine That question is what created the male grooming brand Kick The Stigma. Every man has a daily grooming routine. Washing their hair, styling it, getting themselves ready to face the day. That moment happens most days. And it hit me: that's where we can show up and try to impact confidence. When you feel better about how you look, it affects how you feel inside. We all know the feeling. Grooming has lost its vanity stigma. Men are investing in themselves, and that's a good thing. Instead of trying to engage men with traditional mental health campaigns, we created a brand that meets them where they already are. We include messages on our packaging like, "keep going", "trust yourself", and "keep making them proud." It’s a small thing. But I know from my dad how much a few words of encouragement can mean. For me, every day, I’m trying to make my mum and dad proud. What I Want People to Take Away Self-care is often one of the first things to disappear when someone is struggling. Small habits, like styling your hair and getting yourself ready, can feel insignificant. But they're acts of rebuilding confidence and routine. I saw Dean Windass, a former Premier League footballer and Hull City legend, talk about his "Make Your Bed" campaign once. After retiring, Windass spoke openly about his struggles with depression, alcohol and two suicide attempts, and has since become a prominent advocate for men talking more openly about their mental health. His “Make Your Bed” campaign grew from his own experience of poor mental health and the importance of taking small, achievable steps when life feels overwhelming. The idea is deliberately simple: get out of bed, make it, and take that first positive action of the day. Windass has repeatedly used his platform to encourage people who are struggling to get up, keep moving and, crucially, talk to somebody rather than suffering alone. Making your bed might seem trivial. But anyone who's done it knows it makes a difference mentally. Of course, if someone is struggling significantly, I will always recommend professional support. It is why we signpost these organisations on our website. If Kick The Stigma can help even a few men feel more confident or more comfortable speaking openly, then we're doing what we set out to do. Funnily enough, 30% of our customers so far have been women. It tells me everyone feels a responsibility to encourage change when it comes to men’s mental health.

Image Source: eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels “Drama Queen” “Forever a victim” “She’s doing the ‘woe is me’ act again” “She’s having another hissy fit” These were just some of the things I grew up hearing about myself – and continue to. In hindsight, remarks like these were thinly veiled commentary that people saw me as too sensitive, too emotional, too moody - and too easily hurt by the things they did or said. It is little wonder then, that as a full-grown woman, I now find it hard to trust myself, because I have been led to believe that I am inherently the problem – that if I react, become defensive or try to stick up for myself against a perceived transgression, I am overreacting or taking things too personally. For better or for worse, I have always cared far too much about what others have thought of me. Being scolded by authority figures felt excruciating. Seeing that I had one less friend on Facebook would induce heart-stopping, panic-attack-levels of anxiety. Being told that something nasty had been said about me once again would cause me to implode. Well-intentioned advice such as “Just ignore them” or “Don’t let them get to you” had little effect on me. No matter how much I pretended that something didn’t bother me, I would still end up ruminating on it for days, even weeks. Was I just much more sensitive than others? Probably. Was it because I was exposed to much more interpersonal cruelty and trauma? Depends on who you ask. Image Source: Anete Lusina on Pexels Was I Born This Way? As ADHD and Autism diagnoses continue to increase, particularly amongst women, non-diagnostic terms such as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) are increasingly drawing public attention. As a 34-year-old woman currently awaiting the results of my own Autism and ADHD assessment and who has spent years grappling with numerous mental health diagnoses that didn’t seem to quite ‘fit’ (e.g. depression, anxiety, bipolar II), RSD was certainly not a term that I had ever come across until a few years before – but it has completely transformed how I view both myself and my ‘touchy’ temperament. Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is an intense emotional response to the perception (or anticipation) of rejection, criticism, failure, or teasing. The word ‘dysphoria’, which comes from the Greek for ‘unbearable’, is an apt term for describing the almost unbearable emotional pain that is triggered in someone when they are on the receiving end of judgment, disappointment or humiliation. Of course, no one particularly enjoys rejection or criticism, but for those with RSD, it can be particularly devastating. The term was first coined by psychiatrist Dr William Dodson, who refers to it as a type of emotional dysregulation, primarily associated with ADHD. From this perspective, RSD is framed as a neurological disposition, with the brain’s emotional regulation systems, such as the amygdala and the frontal cortex, wired to produce not only heightened emotional responses but also difficulties in regulating those emotions. It is a trait thought to be present from early life, independent of experience, and linked to the same dopamine dysregulation that drives other ADHD symptoms. Through this lens, RSD is not about someone being ‘too sensitive’ but reflects a genuine neurological difference in how the neurodivergent brain processes emotional pain compared to neurotypical ones. Image Source: Anete Lusina on Pexels Was It Unresolved Trauma? It is also proposed that those with ADHD may be more vulnerable to developing RSD, because they are much more likely to experience a history of negative feedback growing up. Numerous studies have found that children with ADHD are much more likely to be victims of bullying – more than double the rate experienced by their neurotypical peers. This is thought to be due to a variety of reasons: exhibiting differences not deemed socially desirable by their typically developing peers, their emotional reactivity being a desirable target for perpetrators, and being perceived as ‘intense’ or ‘weird’. Rejection sensitivity can therefore develop because of exposure to repeated experiences of negative interpersonal trauma - bullying, criticism, social exclusion and invalidation. The nervous system learns that rejection signals danger, and it starts firing protective responses even to ambiguous cues. In these circumstances, rejection sensitivity is a learned adaptation, not just a wiring difference. For somebody who desperately yearned for the approval and respect of their peers, I know being on the receiving end of bullying was completely soul-destroying. Any confidence or sociability I might have had as a child was completely eradicated by the time I got to secondary school. I spent most of my adolescence being on the receiving end of degrading treatment, for simply existing: I was shoved into doors and lockers, pinned down by my hair, slapped and punched in the face numerous times, had wood glue and Tipp-Ex thrown over me, my belongings stamped on and vandalised, pencils jabbed into my eye, and compasses slashed across my neck. Everything about me seemed to be up for scrutiny and ridicule: my body, my weight, my hair, my teeth, my clothing, how I walked - even my surname. I had death threats made about my family and my pets. Outside of school, I still felt like I couldn’t escape – I would be hounded in the street, have stones thrown at me, and we even had our garden fence torn down and vandalised. My survival strategy was to keep my head down and make myself as ‘invisible’ as possible, but it did little to protect me. Throw into the mix your other typical teenage experiences of crushes, heartbreaks and friendship fallouts (and probable undiagnosed AuDHD), and my teenage years became the perfect breeding ground for crippling mental illness, with the effects stretching far into adulthood. Image Source: Eleanor Jane on Pexels The Chicken or The Egg? So, is RSD caused by trauma or is it a neurological trait that trauma then amplifies? Some researchers suggest that the relationship between neurodivergence, rejection sensitivity and trauma is likely to be reciprocal rather than a simple cause-and-effect. A neurological predisposition may make experiences of rejection feel more intense, while repeated experiences of bullying or social exclusion may further reinforce those responses over time. I had hoped my sensitivity would have improved with age, but in many ways, I feel it has only gotten worse. Every new criticism or disparaging comment feels like it adds to a growing backlog of evidence accumulated over a lifetime that further proves that I’m unlikeable, a loser, not good enough, and frankly, pathetic. Life seems to have only made me more bitter and fragile, not stronger. I am covered in metaphorical scars that I will probably never truly recover from, no matter how much counselling I receive or ‘work’ I do on myself. I am still psychologically frozen in time as that broken 14-year-old child, emotionally stunted and living with the consequences of what went on two decades ago, whereas my peers have long moved on with their lives. Discovering RSD and knowing there is a legitimate reason as to why other people’s words and actions deeply affect me has provided some much-needed validation and relief. Whether or not RSD will ever be fully embraced by the medical world remains to be seen, but it has offered people like me, the sensitive souls of the world, a lifeline and a much-needed opportunity to re-examine the relationship with ourselves, with others and with our pasts. Prior to this, I always saw my sensitivity as being a personality flaw that desperately needed to be eradicated - rather than something I was inherently born with and couldn’t help. This insight is at least one small step in being able to finally move forward with my life. Image Source: Tara Winstead on Pexels This article has been sponsored by the Psychiatry Research Trust, who are dedicated to supporting young scientists in their groundbreaking research efforts within the field of mental health. If you wish to support their work, please consider donating.

Cystic fibrosis is a rare, autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by mutations in the CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator) gene, located on one of the 22 pairs of non-sex chromosomes. An affected child inherits two mutated copies of the gene, one from each parent, who possess only a single defective copy and are asymptomatic “healthy carriers”. This mutation causes the production of abnormally thick, viscous mucus, resulting in severe respiratory and digestive dysfunctions. I am a pharmacist driven by a deep passion for the pharmaceutical world, mental health, and healthcare communication. As I noted in my previous article on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), I firmly believe that true healing begins in the mind. Today, I wish to address a topic that is equally silent and complex: the psychological side of cystic fibrosis, especially as new treatments improve the duration and quality of life of affected people. For decades, cystic fibrosis was defined solely by its drastically reduced life expectancy and physical symptoms: persistent cough with mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, recurrent lung infections, abdominal pain, and bulky, greasy, sticky stools. However, behind these frequent respiratory and digestive dysfunctions lies a significant psychological reality. Scientific literature is clear: symptoms of anxiety and depression are two to three times more frequent in adolescents and adults affected by cystic fibrosis, as well as in their caregivers, compared to the general population. Thirty-five-year-old Marco is a typical person with cystic fibrosis. He has structured his life around hours of daily treatments. He uses chest physiotherapy (physical techniques and breathing exercises) to loosen mucus from airway walls to cough it out, and a nebuliser to inhale hypertonic saline or antibiotics as a fine mist. Since thick mucus blocks his pancreatic ducts, he takes capsules of lipase, protease, and amylase to digest food and absorb nutrients. Although Marco appears as a resilient “warrior”, he confessed that the hardest part is no longer just breathing or digesting, but the uncertainty of tomorrow. Photo by Freepik on Freepik The Era of CFTR Modulators: A bittersweet revolution? At a cellular level, the CFTR gene codes for a channel in the membrane of cells that produce mucus. In healthy individuals, this channel draws sodium into the cells, thus keeping mucus thin, to lubricate organs and clear pathogens. In cystic fibrosis, mutations disrupt this process, halting water flow. Consequently, the mucus becomes thick and sticky: in the lungs, it plugs airways, trapping bacteria and causing chronic infections and tissue scarring; in the pancreas, it blocks ducts, preventing essential digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines and impairing digestion. Recent medications that target CFTR (so-called modulators) have radically changed the disease’s trajectory by restoring water transport, so that the mucus becomes thinner and less viscous. These drugs reduce hospitalisations, lighten the daily therapeutic burden, and decrease the need for supplemental oxygen, overall improving the quality of life. However, this medical revolution introduces entirely new psychosocial challenges: many patients, accustomed to seeing themselves as “chronically ill”, suddenly face a long-term future they never dared to plan for. Without the Weight of Illness: Who is Marco today? Paradoxically, adapting to wellness can be as difficult as adapting to illness. Despite an improved quality of life after starting CFTR modulators, many cystic fibrosis patients, who share a strong identity with peers, report a sense of lost identity and must rediscover who they are. Though at odds with the positive expectations of families and healthcare providers, behavioural changes like dietary adjustments and increasing school or work demands can prove difficult, highlighting the importance of discussing the transition to their new social status with sensitivity. Marco’s turning point came at the age of thirty-three, when he was first prescribed the new combination of CFTR modulators, having spent over three decades strictly managing his declining health. Within just a few weeks of starting the treatment, his lung function improved dramatically, his chronic cough nearly vanished, and he began gaining weight without the constant, exhausting effort of the past. Now, at thirty-five, having lived with this new physical reality for two years, the psychological aftershocks have surfaced. Suddenly, Marco feels expected to build a brilliant career or start a family because “now that you’re well, you have no excuses”: an overwhelming psychological burden. Furthermore, strong community bonds can fuel survivor’s guilt, as many individuals feel guilty toward friends who are ineligible for, or did not receive, the new drugs. Brain Fog and Anxiety About the Future Another aspect that requires attention is the potential neuropsychiatric adverse effects of CFTR protein modulators. Although the physical benefits are indisputable, a minority of patients report mood disorders, anxiety, brain fog, sleep disturbances, fatigue and, in rarer cases, suicidal ideation or psychosis. Parents also frequently report concerns regarding changes in their children’s behaviour and sleep patterns. Scientific literature highlights a growing need for psychiatric pharmacological support alongside these therapies, while also documenting an improvement in mental state following dosage adjustments or the discontinuation of the modulators. Added to this clinical picture is a psychological and economic component: the constant anxiety linked to the possibility that access to these extremely expensive drugs could be cut off, or that their effectiveness might fade over time. Mental health is also shaped by the social determinants of health. Financial stress from care costs, insurance difficulties, food insecurity, and geographical isolation, exacerbate psychological problems. Furthermore, cystic fibrosis patients from ethnic minorities or disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds face greater barriers to care and psychosocial support. These inequalities erode hope, fuelling devastating feelings of abandonment and anger that impact mental well-being. Photo by yanalya on Freepik Caring For the Mind to Care For the Lungs Cystic fibrosis requires a systemic, multidisciplinary approach to treat the whole person and prevent complications: pulmonologists monitor lung function and prescribe therapies; nutritionists manage enzyme dosages and vitamins; physiotherapists program exercises to loosen mucus and strengthen muscles; psychologists and psychiatrists deliver emotional or pharmacological support for anxiety/depression; and social workers secure financial aid, benefits, and medication coverage. Recent research shows that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) promotes psychological flexibility and acceptance of complex thoughts and feelings in people with cystic fibrosis. This helps patients manage symptoms, treatment burdens, and future uncertainties, reducing anxiety and depression. Beyond emotional support, ACT enhances self-efficacy and motivation, vital tools for mindfully managing therapeutic regimens and confidently navigating complex healthcare systems. In parallel, mindfulness and relaxation techniques (MRT) are increasingly valued integrative interventions that provide concrete strategies for daily stress. These tools are fundamental because the psychological distress of chronic conditions like cystic fibrosis can be a barrier to treatment adherence and compromise quality of life. Research confirms mindfulness improves emotional regulation, directly reducing anxiety and depression. Studies show that strong social networks, from family, friends, and healthcare providers, are associated with better health outcomes, including reduced symptom severity and treatment burden, while alleviating psychological tension and enhancing overall well-being. Conclusion: Beyond the breath Cystic fibrosis challenges both body and soul. While CFTR modulators improve lung function and reduce daily burdens, they introduce psychological barriers like survivor’s guilt and adapting to an unplanned, long-term future. Marco’s experience proves that true healing must encompass mental health, making a multidisciplinary approach indispensable to help patients not just breathe better, but fully live their rediscovered identity.

War, Guilt, and Moral Injury in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Spoiler warning: this article discusses scenes and themes from The Odyssey and Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey contains all the elements of an epic: gods, monsters, storms, shipwrecks, and spectacular battles. Yet the part that stayed with me was much quieter. It was Odysseus’s growing recognition that victory in war may be an illusion, and that even a victorious soldier can return carrying profound psychological wounds. Matt Damon’s Odysseus is celebrated as the brilliant strategist who conceived the Trojan Horse and brought a ten-year war to an end. But Nolan gradually dismantles the idea that this was an uncomplicated triumph. Odysseus comes to understand not only the suffering inflicted upon the people of Troy, but also the cost paid by his own soldiers. One by one, the comrades who survived the war with him are lost during the journey home. He alone remains. Matt Damon as Odysseus in The Odyssey (2026), written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Image copyright Universal Pictures. Reproduced for criticism and review. The result is not the homecoming of a conquering hero. It is the return of a haunted man. This reminded me strongly of Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer. J. Robert Oppenheimer becomes absorbed by an extraordinary scientific challenge: can an atomic bomb be built before Nazi Germany develops one? The urgency of the problem narrows his attention. The bomb becomes a puzzle to solve, a race to win, and a demonstration of human ingenuity. Only after Hiroshima does the human meaning of that achievement break through. At Los Alamos, Oppenheimer faces an ecstatic crowd but imagines burned bodies beneath their feet. His triumph has become inseparable from mass death. Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023) written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Image copyright Universal Pictures. Reproduced for criticism and review. Odysseus follows a similar path. The Trojan Horse is initially an ingenious solution to an apparently insoluble military problem. But ingenuity does not remove responsibility. The deception enables the destruction of an entire city. Odysseus eventually recognises that his greatest strategic success was also a profound moral failure. Both men focus intensely on the task before them. Both discover that success cannot protect them from its moral consequences. It is tempting to describe Odysseus simply as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He has endured years of violence, danger, bereavement, and displacement. He appears haunted by memory, unable to settle, and estranged from the person he once was. But another concept may fit even more closely: moral injury. Moral injury can occur when someone perpetrates, witnesses, or fails to prevent actions that violate their deeply held moral beliefs. It is not identical to PTSD. Whereas PTSD is often associated with fear, threat, and intrusive memories, moral injury is particularly associated with guilt, shame, anger, betrayal, and an inability to forgive oneself. The two can coexist. Odysseus is not haunted only by what was done to him. He is haunted by what he did, what he ordered, and what happened to those who trusted him. His suffering raises a difficult question: how does someone continue living when their actions no longer fit with their understanding of who they are? The heroic identity offers him little help. A warrior is expected to speak of courage and honour, not grief or remorse. Odysseus survives the war physically, but remains psychologically trapped within it. He also carries the burden of being the only one to return. Survival may appear a gift, but can generate torment. Why did I live when others died? Could I have saved them? Did my decisions cause their deaths? Do I deserve to go home when they cannot? These questions are characteristic of survivor guilt, which can accompany PTSD after traumatic events in which others have died. For Odysseus, that guilt is seemingly especially acute because those who died were not only his comrades, but men he had led and for whose safety he felt responsible. As commander, Odysseus’s grief is complicated by responsibility: his men followed his judgement. Even the film’s monsters can be understood psychologically as well as literally. Each encounter exposes the limits of Odysseus’s cleverness and control, while the loss of more of his men gradually undermines his identity as the confident and successful warrior-leader he once believed himself to be. The qualities that made him effective in war i.e., cunning, control and violence, do not necessarily help him to grieve or reconnect. Skills needed to survive war may become obstacles in ordinary life. The homecoming also belongs to Penelope and Telemachus. They have spent twenty years living with uncertainty. They do not know whether Odysseus is alive or dead, whether to hope or mourn, or whether the man they remember still exists. Psychologists sometimes describe this as ambiguous loss: a person is physically absent but remains psychologically present, leaving loved ones unable to achieve either reunion or closure. Penelope has preserved a household and kingdom under threat, while Telemachus has grown up in the shadow of a missing father. When Odysseus returns, “home” cannot simply mean restoring the past. Time has changed all three of them. Trauma rarely remains confined to the person directly exposed to danger. Families adapt around absence, secrecy, and grief. The returning person may discover that neither they nor those waiting are the same. Throughout the story, Odysseus encounters opportunities to stop travelling; to forget, become distracted or remain somewhere outside ordinary time. Viewed through a mental-health lens, these episodes resemble avoidance. Work, substances, fantasy, or emotional numbness may offer temporary relief, but avoiding pain is not the same as processing it. Recovery can begin only when Odysseus turns towards his memories, acknowledges his responsibility, and reconnects with the values his actions violated. Approaches to moral injury similarly emphasise telling the story in a non-judgemental setting, examining responsibility realistically, making amends where possible, and developing self-compassion. This means accepting responsibility without concluding that one is permanently beyond forgiveness or repair. Matt Damon as Odysseus in The Odyssey (2026), written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Image copyright Universal Pictures. Reproduced for criticism and review. There is, however, a troubling contradiction at the centre of The Odyssey. Odysseus longs to escape the moral consequences of war, yet his return to Ithaca culminates in further violence. Has he truly returned from war, or has he brought the war home with him? Trauma recovery is rarely a simple transition from damaged to healed. Odysseus can recognise war’s futility while remaining shaped by it; he can love his family while still being capable of violence. Mental health does not divide people neatly into heroes and villains. Understanding how trauma may influence someone’s behaviour does not remove their responsibility for what they do, but it can help us understand how they might begin to change and recover. Perhaps the film’s most powerful idea is that returning home is not primarily a geographical act. Odysseus spends years travelling towards Ithaca, but the more difficult journey is internal. To come home, he must relinquish the comforting story of himself as an uncomplicated hero. He must acknowledge the suffering of his enemies, mourn his companions and face the damage caused by his own ingenuity. Oppenheimer’s tragedy is similar. He solves the problem he has been given, only to discover that the solution has altered both the world and his understanding of himself. Neither scientific brilliance nor military genius provides immunity from conscience. Both films ask what happens when human beings become so focused on whether something can be done that they stop asking what doing it will mean. War encourages distance: enemies become targets, casualties become numbers, and moral questions are postponed until after victory. But the mind does not always accept that postponement. Guilt, grief, and shame may arrive later, when the cheering stops and the individual is left alone with what happened. The Odyssey may inhabit a world of gods and monsters, but its questions are modern. What does war do to those who fight it? How do people live after violating their own values? Can responsibility be accepted without being destroyed by shame? Odysseus’s story suggests that survival is not the end of the journey. Sometimes the longest distance is the one between returning home and feeling that we deserve to be there.

Take one look at me, and you can probably tell I had an emo phase (“it was never a phase mom”). To this day, I’m still allergic to wearing colour and can be found listening to the 2000s emo and pop punk bands that brought me comfort in my teens. But, at this point, I’m starting to run out of bands to listen to that haven’t had serious allegations made against them. I’m only 30, but so much has progressed since my school days - gay marriage has been legalised, Black Lives Matter and the Me Too movement have pushed society forward and made the world a better place (even if there is still much work to be done). Now, as I look back at the musicians and celebrities I idolised as a teen, I’m seeing them through a very different lens. Experiences and stories that once made me feel uncomfortable are now accompanied by very real allegations against many of the musicians I once adored. Me in the emo section of HMV in 2016 In years gone by, male movie stars, singers and other influential men could get away with a lot under the guise of being the “Bad Boy” - questionable behaviour, controversial views, and a tendency to surround themselves with young (sometimes alarmingly so) women. Men who were seen as players were celebrated, even encouraged, while behaviour that made women uncomfortable, or actively harmed them, was too often dismissed as simply part of the persona. A prime example of this is Russell Brand, whose persona throughout his career played into the Bad Boy trope, and is currently undergoing litigation for sexual assault charges. The fact that he played the bad boy in the film St Trinians (2007), in which his 30-something character dates one of the schoolgirls, feels particularly uncomfortable in hindsight. His character was meant to be the love interest that young girls watching would idolise. This type of persona was so normalised in the early to mid 2000s that it didn’t even seem that out of place. And it wasn’t just actors and fictional characters; many other influential men who played the Bad Boy were seen not just as normal, but as aspirational and are only now, years later, finally being questioned. This is true of many of the bands and artists I once turned to as a teenager, the most recent being Jared Leto, frontman of 30 Seconds to Mars. Like many young people, I found school a challenging time. The transition from child to adult is not easy for anyone, and combined with being given a hard time by some of your peers, it can feel very isolating. I turned to music to help me feel less alone, to give words to the emotions I was experiencing, and to soothe me on a bad day. In fact, I remember vividly the first day I heard 30 Seconds to Mars. It was around 2008; I was about 12 or 13, at an after-school activity, and a friend was playing one of their songs - The Kill (from the album of the same name). I remember feeling this new emotion I hadn’t experienced before (spoiler alert, it was teenage angst). I went home, searched the lyrics online and found the song on YouTube, and that was that - an emo kid was born. Fast forward through copious amounts of eyeliner, black hair dye and piercings (sorry mum) to now, The Kill is still one of my favourite albums of all time, and yet I’ve not felt comfortable listening to it for a long time. The reason being that, for years, I’ve read stories of frontman Jared Leto being accused of various inappropriate behaviour towards women without any real consequences. Those stories go back as far as 2005 (although I only became aware of them about a decade later). Whether it was him sending used condoms to co-stars under the guise of “method acting”, or messaging teenage models, the news would just move on, and nothing would be done about it. He was seen as being a bit of an eccentric, a Bad Boy, and the alarming behaviour was brushed off. But now, several women have come forward in a BBC investigation to say he behaved inappropriately towards them when they were teenagers. And I believe these women without a doubt. I’ve witnessed this behaviour from Leto firsthand. Back in 2013, I felt disgust and betrayal when witnessing Leto (then in his 40s) bring a young girl on stage. The girl had removed her shirt while in the crowd, and Leto leered and made comments about her while showing her off to the crowd. He then asked her how old she was; she replied 16. This was not enough to make him stop. That was the day I stopped following the band and could no longer bring myself to listen to their music. The fact that this happened on stage in front of thousands of people without any consequence was deeply disturbing. Bands like 30 Seconds to Mars and the music they made were my and many others’ safe haven. For members to take advantage of their young fans felt like such a betrayal and abuse of power. Author's own image Author's own image This issue is not just isolated to Leto, there is a list as long as my arm of emo and pop-punk bands with allegations against them, even if many of them have never been charged with anything. And this extends into other genres too. The music industry has been rife with abuse for far too long. From R Kelly, P-Diddy, Ian Watkins (frontman of Lost Profits), and many, many other names. Things that were swept under the rug for years have been gradually coming to light, and while some have faced consequences such as jail time, others have had continued careers with few or no consequences. One example being Chris Brown, who so savagely beat his at-the-time girlfriend Rihanna that he nearly killed her, and is currently on a massive co-headline North America Stadium tour with Usher. Image Source: Filip Andrejevic on Unsplash But things are changing. The Me Too movement has empowered more and more women to come forward in the hopes that they might just be taken seriously. And while the conviction for rape is still shockingly low (only 3% are charged, let alone convicted in the UK), I am glad to see that things do appear to be getting better, albeit far too slowly. The BBC report seems to be being taken seriously, with Leto reportedly losing a major role in response to the allegations. But, while sports players can still play despite ongoing cases of assault against them, men like Leto can still go on tour, or worse, rapists can be President of one of the most powerful countries in the world, more work needs to be done to ensure women and young girls, and also other men no longer have to fear influential men from taking advantage of them and hiding behind their power. There is hope. Women are no longer accepting silence as the only option, many men are changing the narrative and becoming better allies, and slowly but surely more is being spoken about past wrongs that have yet to be righted. The Bad Boy is finally getting his comeuppance.

Image Source: Cottonbro Studio on Pexels Before many women even know who they are, they already know what it feels like to long for love. Girls grow up consuming love stories long before they ever experience love itself. Five-year-old me already dreamed about my future wedding and the white princess dress I would wear. Many of us spent our early teens creating Pinterest wedding boards, singing along to Taylor Swift heartbreak anthems, watching Snow White and Aurora being kissed awake by their true love, and imagining our own Mr Darcy. "Oh, what a curse it is to be a lover girl," laments singer-songwriter Laufey on her latest album. Judging by the millions of women who immediately understood what she meant, she may have touched on something surprisingly universal. What she is describing is a particular way of moving through the world: romanticising people, replaying conversations, imagining future scenarios, and searching for meaning in the smallest gestures. A way of relating to romance that many women seem to recognise instinctively. But where does this longing come from? As a Psychology and Neuroscience graduate - and a self-proclaimed lover girl myself - I am deeply interested in the psychology behind all this. And just like Carrie Bradshaw, I couldn’t help but wonder… why does romantic love occupy such a powerful place in so many women's inner worlds? Image Source: Pinterest The fantasy of finding "the one" is older than TikTok's recent lover girl trend. In fact, psychologists Sprecher and Metts found in 1989 that beliefs in soulmates, love at first sight, and the transformative power of love are deeply embedded in many people's understanding of romance. Add a few Disney princesses, 90’s Hugh Grant, and today’s Conrad Fisher, and it becomes easier to understand why so many women grow up expecting love to feel not only exciting, but destined. Psychologists Hazan and Shaver (1987) proposed that romantic love is, at its core, an attachment process. In early life, our primary attachment figure is usually a caregiver, providing safety, comfort, and a secure base from which to explore the world. As we grow older, romantic partners often take on a similar role. In other words, falling in love is not only about attraction but also about seeking safety, connection, and emotional security. From an attachment perspective, the longing to be chosen makes perfect sense: romantic relationships often become one of our primary sources of comfort, reassurance, and belonging. It is not necessarily about searching for a perfect partner, but for the emotional experience of being deeply and permanently chosen. Whether it is the slow burn, enemies to lovers, or the now-famous “Conrad Fisher yearning”, many of our favourite romance tropes revolve around anticipation as much as fulfilment. And to be chosen is not simply to be loved. It is to be seen. To be prioritised. To have someone say: out of everyone in the world, I choose you. Perhaps this is why the fantasy remains so powerful. Beneath all the wedding Pinterest boards and rom coms lie something fundamentally human: the desire to matter deeply to another person. Before many girls ever experience romantic love themselves, they are introduced to stories that quietly teach them what femininity, happiness, and relationships are supposed to look like. England and colleagues (2011) argue that Disney Princess films (especially the older ones) remain a powerful source of gendered messages, shaping ideas about both womanhood and romance. This means that children's media may contribute to the development of ideas about gender roles and relationships from a remarkably young age. Image Source: Parade After all, once the prince arrives, the problem is usually solved, the future is secured, and the credits roll. Of course, men dream about love too. Yet for women, love has historically carried a different symbolic weight. For generations, women were socialised to see romantic partnership and family as the central milestone of a successful life, while men were more often encouraged to pursue achievement, status, and independence first - the love of their life could always come later. For much of history, marriage was not simply romantic, but determined a woman's economic security, social status, and future. Although these societal expectations have on average shifted dramatically, their cultural echoes remain. Many of us still grow up surrounded by messages suggesting that finding love is one of life's greatest accomplishments. And still, somewhere between Disney princesses, Taylor Swift bridges, and late-night conversations with friends, love quietly becomes part of the stories we tell ourselves about the future. Image Source: Yahoo!movies Image Source: Reddit The same phenomenon can be observed in romantic comedies, a genre that has traditionally been associated with the female gaze. In their analysis of 40 popular romantic comedies, Johnson and Holmes (2009) found that love is typically portrayed as uniquely special, life-changing, emotionally transformative, destined to last, and worth prioritising above almost everything else. Perhaps this is also why “men written by women” have become such a cultural phenomenon. So many female romantic fantasies are not centred around hyper-masculinity, but around emotional attentiveness: the emotionally awkward yet funny, secretly soft, intelligent, slightly unavailable but deeply loving man many women were taught to dream about. The fantasy of a man who notices small details, communicates vulnerability, remembers what you said three months ago, and chooses you with certainty. Through these stories, many women develop an internal blueprint of love that is deeply emotional, narrative-driven, and intensely personal. I know this because I, too, grew up obsessing over Mr Darcy, Hugh Grant in Notting Hill, and all the awkward yet lovable men in Love Actually - part of the reason I romanticised London itself long before I ever moved there. In many ways, these early 2000s romcoms shaped not only my ideas about love, but also my longing for a place and the version of myself I imagined I could become there, embodying the slightly chaotic yet deeply caring romcom heroine I had grown up admiring. A study by Hefner and Wilson (2013) showed that women are often raised not only around romance, but inside romance narratives. Those who watched romantic comedies for the purpose of learning about relationships were more likely to endorse romantic ideals. It turns out that many women are socialised not only into romanticising people, but entire emotional worlds. Bridget Jones is basically the blueprint for this: “someone will love me fully despite all my perceived flaws”. Image Source: Pinterest And yet, maybe romanticising love is not purely a weakness, after all. Maybe love is beautiful precisely because humans long for connection. Maybe it simply reflects how deeply humans long to be seen, understood, and emotionally safe with another person. And maybe it’s beautiful that many women dare to dream about it. Maybe, in the end, it’s even bold to believe in it. Perhaps the curse of being a lover girl was never loving too much. Perhaps it was growing up believing that love would be the most important story of our lives. Love has never really been the problem - the question is whether we can learn to dream about ourselves as vividly as we dream about being loved.

Can our brain be treated separately from our body? The current piece is written by Dr Naghmeh Nikkheslat, who together with Professor Paola Dazzan, leads the Therapeutic Approaches of Mind-Body Interface Module as part of the newly established MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface at King's College London. As part of a series of ITM pieces on our new MSc, this blog aims to take you through the question of whether our brain can be treated separately from our body. ITM has already published four pieces: two provided by the MSc lead, Dr Alessandra Borsini, on how this knowledge can support the clinical and academic career of students, and on the many mechanisms connecting the brain, the mind, and the body; the third by the co-lead of the Neuroscience Module, Professor Carmine Pariante on the role of blood and hormones in the mind and body interface; and the fourth by Dr Giulia Lombardo, the co-lead of the Psychology Module, on integrating mental and physical health as a complete picture. Image source from Unsplash+ As a senior research scientist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, I am co-leading the ‘Therapeutic Approached to Mind-Body Interface’ module on the new MSc. This module aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the range, availability, and effectiveness of pharmacological, psychological, behavioural, and nutritional interventions in the treatment of mental health problems where there is comorbidity with physical conditions and/or evidence of the involvement of bodily impairments including immune system dysregulation, inflammation, and stress related effects on the brain. For a long time, it was believed that our brain is enclosed by what is called a “blood brain barrier”, to protect it from any harmful substances entering from the rest of the body. However more recently, this view has been challenged by scientists who investigated the passage of tiny bodily substances across the barrier and found them to be present in the brain. This perfectly symbolyses the permeability and cross-communication between the brain and the body that is occurring in a variety of different ways. Some people may still see the brain as a separate entity from the body, especially when it comes to the concept of ‘mind’, which is the conscious product of the brain’s activity, and refers to our ability to think, feel, and perform. However, we now know that our body and brain are tightly connected, and both can influence our mind and mental well-being. For example, individuals who suffer from depression, which is generally known as a condition affecting our ability to feel happy, often complain of physical symptoms, such as pain or extreme tiredness. When investigating both the brain and body of depressed patients, there is evidence of inappropriate activation of the immune system and inflammation in some individuals. The immune system consists of various types of immune cells, which are developed to defend our body against infections caused by viruses and bacteria. Upon activation of the immune system in response to such foreign invaders, inflammatory substances, called ‘cytokines’, are produced to further help fight the infection, and this is how the body presents an elevated inflammatory response or ‘inflammation’. Immune and inflammatory responses are regulated by our stress system, which is governed by parts of the brain and leads to the production of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol in the body. Cortisol is not only produced in response to stress but also as an anti-inflammatory, meaning that it can bring the activation of the immune and inflammatory responses back to normal. This is because too much inflammation can be damaging to the body. Unfortunately, this regulatory system can be dysfunctional in some patients, so cortisol becomes less effective in bringing the inflammation down. The production of an inflammatory response can be triggered by stress because our brain perceives and responds to psychological threats, such as stress, in the same way as it does to physical threats, such as infections, and tries to protect us from these various stressful environmental factors throughout life. For example, experiencing childhood adversities and traumatic events can lead to activation of our immune and inflammatory responses, making us vulnerable to the development of depression later in life. Excessive levels of cytokines in the body for a long period of time can potentially affect the brain and its structure and function. One of the mechanisms through which inflammation can affect the brain is by crossing the blood brain barrier. The presence of inflammation in the brain is known as ‘neuroinflammation’. This is an important example of the mind-body interface, as depression is linked to inflammation both in the body and the brain. Photo by Natasha Connell on Unsplash Inflammation in the body can lead to various physiological conditions such as heart disease and chronic fatigue syndrome. Inflammation in the brain can lead to various psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. So, inflammation may play a role in the comorbidity of these conditions, that is, the observation that patients with one of these disorders are at greater risk of developing another one at the same time. All these relationships are often bidirectional. From what has been discussed so far regarding inappropriate activation of the immune system and inflammatory responses that can impact both the body and the brain, can we even think that our brain can be treated separately from our body? Indeed, when considering therapeutic interventions for mental health problems, it is crucial to understand what is happening in the body and to address the mechanisms responsible. Considering depression again as an example, this is particularly important since not all the patients with depression respond to available antidepressants. When scientists investigated this lack of response, they discovered that individuals with high inflammation were indeed the ones less responsive to the effects of antidepressants. Interestingly, using a combination of anti-inflammatory and antidepressant medications may improve the depressive symptoms in these patients. Additionally, there is evidence that the effective antidepressants are those that alongside balancing the brain chemicals, also have an effect in resolving the immune and inflammatory systems dysregulation. Investigating the mechanism of action of antidepressants is an important line of research, since it provides insights for developing new effective antidepressant medications. Reducing inflammation in relation to overall improvement in physical and mental wellbeing is also studied through the benefits that a healthy diet, exercise, mindfulness, and psychological interventions can bring for our mind and body. The ultimate goal of these studies is to develop personalised treatments that specifically target the mechanisms responsible, and which play key roles in connecting the body and the brain. Photo by Caju Gomes on Unsplash

Our new MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface offered by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London aims to offer knowledge on the interaction between mind and body in psychiatric and physical conditions. This article has been written by Dr Giulia Lombardo and Professor Valeria Mondelli, co-leads of the Psychology module. Image source from Unsplash+ For a long time, people have been anchored to the mind-body dualism, a concept partly introduced in the 17th century by the philosopher Rene Descartes viewing the mind and the body as separate entities. This has unfortunately partly contributed to an “unbalanced” clinical approach, trying to resolve either physical or mental health issues without recognising the influence they have on each other. We are now entering a new era, where we are becoming increasingly aware that there is no real separation between the mind and the body, and that mental and physical health conditions are often interconnected. This blog is part of a series of ITM pieces on our MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface at King's College London starting in October 2024. We already have three pieces: two by the MSc lead, Dr Alessandra Borsini, on how this knowledge can project the clinical and academic career of students, and on the many mechanisms connecting the brain, the mind, and the body, and a third one by the co-lead of the Neuroscience Module, Professor Carmine Pariante on the role of blood in the mind and body interface. Here, we want to take a step back and give an overview of the importance of studying the co-occurrence of psychiatric and somatic symptoms (that is bodily symptoms) in physical health and psychiatric conditions respectively. This interdisciplinary and integrated approach views the individual as a whole, considering both mental and physical health. Such an approach is of primary importance, whether you study to become a researcher or a clinician. As part of the Psychology Module, we will also discuss some examples of how understanding the interaction between mind and body can aid in advancing clinical care and research framework, bringing insights into the development of new therapeutic approaches. Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash Understanding the shared biological mechanisms To understand the relationship between mental and physical health, we need to understand the shared biological mechanisms, that is the changes in the body and the brain that are common between two or more conditions. This is one of the best approaches we can use to ultimately find new ways to improve patients’ well-being. One clear example is obesity, a condition characterised by metabolic dysfunctions (such as type 2 diabetes) and is highly associated with depression. The co-occurrence of these two disorders is a major public health issue but the biology behind this comorbidity (that is, having two or more health-related disorders at the same time) is still unclear. Therefore, it’s important to investigate the link between metabolic dysregulation and depressive symptoms. A shared biological mechanism between obesity and depression is the dysregulation of the immune system. The immune system is the system that fights infections and other threats in our body, and of course, it is helpful and protects us in the short term. However, when its activation becomes chronic, the body is affected by this maladjustment. Interestingly, both obesity and depression can be associated with increased body inflammation, indicating an over-activation of this biological mechanism. The immune system is quite complex and there is no straightforward answer as to where exactly the dysfunction comes from and how we could act to improve clinical symptoms. However, the study of immunometabolic abnormalities (problems in how the immune system and metabolism work together) will help in informing targeted treatments (which are treatments targeting specific mechanisms in the body) for individuals with obesity and depression. A united front in investigating the interaction between the two aspects in individuals with obesity and depression will help in ultimately managing the care of these patients and improving the overall quality of life. Taking care of both physical and mental health Generally, it is important to consider psychological wellbeing in individuals with medical conditions when providing traditional health care. A striking example of this integration can be seen in the case of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The interface between mind and body is extremely relevant to this diagnosis, as mental health can increase the risk of developing CVDs. Stress, anxiety, and depression can greatly impact the cardiovascular system (that is the heart and blood vessels), by triggering body responses such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, and the presence of inflammation. In turn, this can contribute to the development and aggravation of heart conditions, highlighting the intricate connection between psychological factors and cardiovascular health. On the other hand, the chronicity of CVDs can induce mental health problems, creating a scenario that can make difficult both treatment and recovery. A practical delivery of this clinical approach in the healthcare system is through a discipline called “liaison psychiatry”. This is an essential branch of psychiatry that fills the gap between physical and mental health. The multidisciplinary team is usually made up of various professional figures such as psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, and of course, the lead liaison psychiatrist. This approach offers an opportunity for joint physical and psychiatric care to patients with physical conditions. This is important as improving mental wellbeing can also have some positive effects on the prognosis of patients with physical comorbidity. Indeed, the co-occurring of both psychiatric and physical symptoms could hide the primary medical or psychiatric problem of an individual, and thus the need for a holistic approach. In conclusion, this approach recognises the intricate interplay between mental and physical health, which is crucial for advancing both clinical care and research. The interdisciplinary approach of the MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface aims to offer the knowledge to fill the gap between mind and body, emphasising the necessity of viewing individuals in a more integrated way rather than an assembly of separate fragments. Picture by Europeana on Unsplash

What are my career prospects after finishing an MSc course in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface? The new MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface offered by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London offers clinical and research placements to provide you with practical experience to enhance your current career or to prepare you for clinical roles, academia, or industry. I am Alessandra Borsini, a senior research scientist based at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), who has been investigating the intersection between the Mind and the Body in the context of mental health disorders for more than 15 years, and who will have the privilege to lead this new MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface. In brief, our course integrates theoretical and practical knowledge on both the psychology and the neuroscience underlying brain/mind processes, and their connection with physical symptoms. As you may know, I have already written a piece for the Inspire the Mind magazine, describing the course structure and content, so instead let’s focus on the many career opportunities this course has to offer. So, follow me through this journey! You may wonder, what if I already have a clinical or biological background? Well, if you're joining us from a clinical background, you’ll graduate with additional clinical expertise, as well as a better understanding of the biological mechanisms that underly clinical symptoms. If you instead have a biological background, you’ll boost your core science knowledge while exploring clinical symptoms and treatment approaches. And then you may ask, how will I be able to achieve both clinical and biological understanding of the complexity of Mind-Body Interface? The answer is through real-life clinical and research experiences. Image by Socra, 2019 As part of the course you’ll have the chance to complete clinical placements across a variety of of mind-body interface clinics within King’s College Hospital (KCH), King’s Health Partners - South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). Completing a clinical placement will allow you to: Work in practice with patients experiencing neuropsychiatric symptoms with systemic multi-morbidities or psycho-somatic disorders. Develop skills in patients’ engagement and assessment. Observe clinician’s delivery of a range of therapeutic strategies, including pharmacological, psychological and behavioural interventions. Assess aspects relevant to the delivery of protocolised interventions and deliver the interventions themselves. Develop theoretical understanding of clinical applications of interventions and the limitations of and obstacles to application and change in practice. Become aware and considerate about patients’ integrity and ethics. Understand patients’ needs and become confident in supporting them. If instead you are interested in research placements, these will run across mind-body interface research laboratories within the whole IoPPN. Completing a research (clinical and/or laboratory) placement will allow you to: Participate in the recruitment process of ongoing research studies in patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms and systemic multi-morbidities or psycho-somatic disorders. Assess aspects relevant to the delivery of protocolised interventions in clinical trials. Understand the use of several diagnostics techniques, including ultrasound, PET, MRI and fMRI approaches. Develop expertise in handling and processing of human samples. Develop expertise in designing and performing experiments both in cells and animal tissues. Develop the ability to reflect upon and learn from different research approaches (clinical versus pre-clinical investigation approaches). Become aware and considerate about research method integrity and ethics. What if instead you are interested in scientific writing? The editorial team of the Inspire The Mind magazine and its associated podcast At The Back of Your Mind, both based at the IoPPN, also offer placements. Led by a team of media-experienced clinicians, researchers and psychiatrists, the magazine focuses on the intersection between mental and physical health, science, and society. Completing an editorial placement will allow you to: Learn and practice scientific and lay writing under the guidance of expert scientific editors in the field of psychology and neuroscience of mind-body interface. Develop advanced skills in scientific and lay oral communication, in the form of presentations, talks and conferences. Acquire expertise in editing articles for the lay public from a wide range of diverse writers across various topics. Critically evaluate diverse theoretical, conceptual, and empirical developments in research on media and communications in the context of mental health disorders with physical multimorbidities. Establish a network with journalists, press officers and media-experienced scientists within and outside KCL. Participate and develop podcast episodes focusing on the intersection between mental and physical health, science and society. Photo by The Writing Craft, 2019 So, what next? How about future career opportunities? After you finish the course, you will be able to apply your skills in your career as a clinician. For example, you will be able to work within the KCH or King’s Health Partners-SLaM NHS Foundation Trust, or any other Trust nationally or internationally. Alternatively, if you are interested in pursuing an academic career you may decide to remain in an academic research environment, for example applying for a PhD, or a taught clinical course - this MSc will provide you with the fundamental background for a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Instead, you may decide to work within a clinical or pharmaceutical organisation, or a research funding body. You may apply to become manager of a clinical study/trial or work as senior scientist in an international pharmaceutical company. You may also consider working for major funding bodies, like the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council or the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). If, however, working in a clinical, research or industry environment does not particularly suit you, you may enter scientific publishing, by applying for a position as science editor for a major national or international media outlets (like The Times, The Guardian, National Geographic) or TV broadcasters (like BBC, CNN). So, what are you waiting for? Join us to unravel how the mind and body interact in powerful ways that affect our health, while gaining invaluable real-life clinical, research and editorial experiences, which will further enhance your future career! Photo by Eshna Verma, 2023 Applications open in December 2023!!! Find more here If you would like to ask for more details about the course please do get in touch with me! (Dr Alessandra Borsini, Course Leader: alessandra.borsini@kcl.ac.uk)

Our new MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface offered by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London aims to answer this question. Photo from Next Wave Therapy I am Alessandra Borsini, a senior research scientist based at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), who has been investigating the intersection between the Mind and the Body in the context of mental health disorders for more than 15 years. I will have the privilege of leading this new MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface, but before I delve into the details of the course, let me explain why studying Mind-Body interaction is so important... Why do we need to study the Mind? The mind is what we often associate with phenomena like sensation, perception, thinking, reasoning, memory, belief, desire, emotion, and motivation. The French philosopher René Descartes defined minds as “thinking substances”. Nowadays, we know that the mind is characterised by a complex biology, which we refer to as the brain, that is the main organ of the mind. We need to study the brain if we want to understand the mind. We can learn about the mind when observing how neurons interact via generation of new synapses and neurotransmitters production, or when studying how astrocytes and microglia regulate immune and metabolic brain processes. The Power of the Mind by Live Wise Project Why do we need to study the Body? On the other hand, the mind alone is not able to sustain life. The body comprises several organs, and peripheral systems, such as the digestive and cardiovascular systems, which overall regulate the survival of the organism via intricate biological processes. Studying the body will allow to assess, evaluate, diagnose, and track the person’s health. But, do Mind and Body interact? The answer is: yes. They talk to each other constantly… The mind and body interact in powerful ways that affect a person's health. The digestive system is regulated by the mind (brain), and symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and fear can dramatically affect the function of this system. Emotions can also affect other body functions. Stress can trigger anxiety or exacerbate many diseases and disorders, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, leading to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Stress can also cause muscle tension, leading to physical pain, including in the neck, back, or head, and ultimately contribute to the development of chronic fatigue symptoms, or fibromyalgia. Remarkably, the brain can also alter the immune response. For example, depression can affect the way the immune system reacts to challenges, and make a person more susceptible to infections such as the common cold. However, the Mind-Body interaction is a two-way relationship Not only can psychologic factors contribute to the onset or worsening of a wide variety of physical disorders, but also physical symptoms and diseases can affect a person's psychological state. People with recurring or chronic physical disorders are more vulnerable to develop mental health symptoms, such as depression or anxiety. Depression may then worsen the effects of the physical symptoms and add to a person's low quality of live. Therefore, understanding how mind and body communicate and what they say to each other have become fundamental questions both in the scientific community, as well as among clinicians. The Mind-Body Connection by Biotics Research Our new MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface aims to address these questions. Our programme will educate and inspire students in a unique way that integrates theoretical and practical knowledge on both the psychology and the neuroscience underlying brain/mind processes, and their connection with physical symptoms. The course has been developed so that you will gain both a theoretical and practical understanding of the interaction between psychological processes, the nervous system, and the stress and immune system. It will focus on both the clinical and molecular mechanisms of the brain and the mind in the context of mental health disorders, as well as on their interaction with body disorders and their underlying mechanisms, which in turn influence and are influenced by the brain/mind. If you choose this course, you will be primarily based at the IoPPN, a flourishing and expanding faculty within King’s College London. The IoPPN is ranked 2nd in the world for psychology and psychiatry (US News, Best Global Universities), and it is home to one of the world's largest centres for mental health and neuroscience research. IoPPN, King's College London During the course you will be able to learn from some of the world most prominent scientists and clinicians in the field of psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience with an interest in Mind-Body interface, and work with them for your thesis project. Our research and clinical partners’ laboratories are located across the entire IoPPN, within the Department of Psychological Medicine, Psychosis, Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, and The Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre. You may wonder which modules the MSc consists of… We will offer both clinical modules — Psychology of Mind-Body Interface, Therapeutic Approaches of Mind-Body Interface — and basic science modules — Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface. If you have a clinical background, this MSc will provide you with additional clinical expertise, as well as a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying clinical symptoms. On the other hand, if you have a biological background, you will be able to expand your basic science knowledge, while having the opportunity to learn about clinical symptoms and treatment approaches. And, what about real-life clinical and research experiences? As part of the course, we will be offering both clinical and research placements, which are aimed to provide you with practical experiences. Clinical placements will run across a variety of mind-body interface clinics within King’s College Hospital (KCH), King’s Health Partners-South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), including: the Neurology/Movement and Neuropsychiatry clinic, led by Professor K Ray Chaudhuri, and located in KCH, the Persistent Physical Symptoms Research and Treatment Unit, led by Professor Trudie Chalder, and located in Mapother House, the Neuropsychiatry Clinic, and the Neurology and Psychiatry Clinic for Long Covid patients, led by Dr Timothy Nicholson, and located in KCH. These clinics are directly adjacent to the IoPPN and Maudsley Hospital. If you choose this placement, you will have the opportunity to be part of real-life clinical research environments and activities, including shadowing other clinicians during their sessions and conducting interviews for clinical diagnosis yourself! The Maudsley Hospital If instead you are interested in research placements, these will run across mind-body interface research laboratories within the IoPPN, including: the Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Lab (SPI-Lab), led by Professor Pariante, and located in the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, the Psychoimmunometabolix and Interaction with the Environment (PIXIE) Lab, led by Professor Mondelli, and located in the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, the Selection of Imaging Neurobiology and Psychosis (SINaPs), led by Professor Dazzan, and located in the IoPPN. During the placement, you will be involved in the recruitment of patients for ongoing research studies, in handling and processing human samples, or in designing and performing experiments on cells! The Denmark Hill Campus But what if you are more interested in science writing rather than in a clinical or research placement? Well, as part of the course we will also be offering placements within the editorial team of the Inspire the Mind magazine! This magazine focuses on the intersection between mental health, science, and society. You will also be able to contribute to their associated podcast, At The Back of Your Mind. During the placement you will work closely with the magazine editorial board, which includes clinicians, researchers, psychiatrists, and marketing specialists from King's College London, who are experts and passionate about mental health, and the intersection between mind and body. Overall, acquiring clinical, research and editorial skills will be of extreme value for employers across both the academic and the industry sector Career Path Ahead Warning Sign by Jim Vallee Due to the wide range of content taught, and the variety of placements opportunities, this MSc will generate endless career paths. You may go on to enhanced careers in mental health as clinicians and/or policy makers, conduct further full-time study in an academic research environment (i.e., PhD) or in taught clinical courses (i.e., Doctorate in Clinical Psychology), gain employment in an academic, clinical, or pharmaceutical organisation, or across research funding bodies. You may also enter scientific publishing! If you are curious to learn more about how Mind and Body interact, join our new MSc course in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface starting next September 2024. Applications open in December 2023 !! Find more here If you would like to ask for more details about the course please do get in touch with me! (Dr Alessandra Borsini, Course Leader: alessandra.borsini@kcl.ac.uk)

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, has written this final piece, discussing what sparked his passion for psychiatry, and how this led him to lead the Psych Star Scheme. I am delighted to have been asked to contribute to Inspire the Mind. I am Dr Declan Hyland, and I am the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych’s) appointed Associate Dean for Choose Psychiatry. As part of that role, I lead on the RCPsych’s Psych Star scheme, which is now in its fifth year of existence. Photo of Dr. Hyland My own interest in psychiatry as a career choice was sparked by my psychiatry placement at Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop, as a third-year medical student at the University of Sheffield. I remember being on the ward speaking to a young man, probably around 18 or 19 years of age, who was telling me about his voice-hearing experiences. He was a cannabis smoker and speaking to him introduced me to the condition of “psychosis.” Psychosis is when people lose some contact with reality. This might involve seeing or hearing things that other people cannot see or hear (hallucinations) and believing things that are not actually true (delusions). This sparked my interest in mental illness, and I quickly realised how challenging of a specialty psychiatry was to work in and fell in love with it. I did an optional clinical placement at Rampton High Secure Hospital, and my overseas elective placement at a forensic psychiatric hospital in Port Coquitlam, Vancouver. I thought I was set for a career in forensic psychiatry at that point! Unfortunately, I was not able to do a psychiatry post in my Foundation Training (the first 2 years as a Doctor) in Liverpool, but this did not dampen my enthusiasm for psychiatry, nor my determination to apply for Core Training. Core Training is the first 3 years of psychiatry training, which you do after completing your Foundation Years. I made sure to do a taster week in Psychiatry in both my first and second year as a doctor (Foundation Year 1 and Foundation Year 2). I was really keen to stay in the Mersey region and therefore applied for the three-year Core Training in Psychiatry scheme offered in this region. I did six-month placements in general adult inpatients, general adult community, older adult psychiatry (mixed community and inpatient), forensic psychiatry (at Ashworth High Secure Hospital), psychiatry of intellectual disability and, finally, on a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. I realised that general adult psychiatry was the subspecialty I enjoyed the most. That was my decision made - Higher Training in general adult psychiatry here I come! General Adult Psychiatrists normally treat people who are ‘working age’ with a wide range of disorders, including manifestations of ‘organic’ brain disorders, psychoses, depressive illness and personality disorders. After completing my three years of Higher Training in general adult psychiatry I knew that what I really enjoyed was working on the ward. I enjoyed the variety of patient presentations, the acuity of patients I was looking after, the satisfaction of overseeing and helping patients transition from their lowest ebb to feeling sufficiently recovered to continue their recovery in the community. I achieved that “holy grail” of the Certificate of Completion of Training in August 2016 and was appointed to my first Consultant post in August 2016. To this day, I continue to work as a Consultant in inpatient general adult psychiatry. I have moved to a new inpatient unit on a couple of occasions over the last eight-and-half years (after spending seven years in my first Consultant post) but am still working in the same Trust I started in back in August 2016. I have always been passionate about psychiatry as a career choice and hoping to inspire medical students to consider working in the speciality in the future. It is what drove me to seek appointment as the RCPsych’s Associate Dean for Choose Psychiatry. Photo from the Royal College of Psychiatrists The Psych Stars scheme is a scheme provided by the RCPsych that forms an integral part of its ongoing recruitment strategy. I have been involved with the scheme since its inception in 2019 - I even came up with the name for the scheme! The scheme is a one-year scheme that aims to nurture the interest of those medical students fortunate enough to be appointed to it. Psych Stars are allocated a significant sum of money (£525 for the current cohort) to spend on psychiatry-related activities, e.g. attending conferences or courses, or purchasing textbooks, or towards a psychiatry elective. Psych Stars are also given free access to online learning resources provided for psychiatric trainees and to online psychiatric journals. But what is perhaps valued the most is the allocation of and access to a senior psychiatrist as a specific mentor who is aligned to the individual Psych Star’s areas of interest(s). The Psych Stars not only act as ambassadors for the RCPsych, but for psychiatry as a specialty. When it started, the Psych Stars scheme comprised of 10 College Psych Stars. Within a couple of years, the Faculty of Intellectual Disability Psychiatry saw the scheme as a great initiative for getting medical students interested in their subspeciality. Within the next three years, another 11 of the other College Faculties followed suit. The current cohort of Psych Stars comprises of 10 College Psych Stars and 14 Faculty-specific Psych Stars. The scheme offers a great opportunity to learn more about a subspecialty of psychiatry perhaps not encountered or barely experienced during one’s undergraduate psychiatry placement(s). The Psych Stars scheme continues to grow year on year, both in terms of number and level of interest. Long may that continue!