Lessons to be learned from the Idaho murder case Trigger warning: This blog mentions death, murder, and violence which might be upsetting to some readers. Around two months ago, I watched the show “Only Murders in the Building”, a fictional series about ‘true crime’ enthusiasts who create a podcast to find the culprit behind a murder in their building. When I got to thinking and reading more about true crime, I fell down the rabbit hole of social media accounts dedicated solely to this topic, specifically on TikTok. Real murders were being ‘investigated’ by accounts claiming to be experts about what “truly went on the night of...” When it came to the devastating case of Madeline McCann, for example, people shared ‘conspiracy theories’ about suspects, often pointing fingers at the girl’s parents. During the investigation of the murder of Gabby Petito last year, theories emerged on social media about the reasons behind her disappearance, with followers trying to help the search by examining details of Gabby’s Instagram account. To understand the impact of true crime videos on TikTok, I decided to dig a little deeper, and tried to understand how many people truly watch these videos. The numbers shocked me. As of January 16th, 2023, the hashtag “#truecrimetiktok” has 7.2 billion views. That’s right, not a million, a billion. This begs the question, what about true crime makes it such a highly viewed genre on social media, and why? The glaring problem is that, unlike the show I watched, this is not fiction. These are very real victims, who fell prey to heinous crimes; they are devastated families trying to fight for justice and find the truth. The last thing they need are accounts claiming to know even what the police and investigators, by profession, didn’t know. And following the events on November 13th, 2022 in Moscow, Idaho, this became even more problematic. On November 13th, 2022, four students of the university of Idaho were brutally murdered in the home they shared off campus. Three victims were flatmates, while the fourth was sleeping over the night of the crime. Two other roommates were asleep elsewhere in the house and survived the murder. What followed this terrible quadruple killing was a flurry of TikTok videos being created, with theories being circulated, along with detailed photos, and videos of the home where the murders took place. Arguably paying little attention to the grief of their parents and families, some true crime enthusiasts described their theories on whom they thought the murderer was. When I typed the keywords “Idaho murder case” on TikTok, I could see multiple videos of the case, each more disturbing than the last. As of January 10th 2023, “#idahomurder” has 355.3 million views, and “#idahomurdertheory” has 143.5 million views. Numerous videos were released where people claimed that the ex-boyfriend of one of the deceased was “suspicious” and somehow involved, even though law enforcement had made no mention of it. Questions were raised about why the two surviving roommates escaped unharmed, and videos began to speculate whether they were perhaps involved in the murder. Without paying heed to the fact that the survivors were going through a life-changing traumatic experience, they were put “on trial” by baseless accounts on social media. What’s even worse, after a suspect was arrested on December 30th, 2022, people created fake profiles, pretending to be him on Instagram. These fake profiles then followed the Instagram accounts of the deceased, and numerous videos published this information, without fact-checking the validity of these accounts, and claiming that perhaps the suspect knew the victims, and could have been stalking them online. In some of the instances I have come across, it feels as though certain accounts have paid no attention to what the parents and families might have been going through during this incredibly hard time in the investigation. Some accounts have gone on to share any information they can — regardless of how disturbing or insensitive it is. At this point, I’d like to say that I don’t mean to bash each and every #truecrime account. Some purely state the facts and updates of the case, as they are released by the press; they are unbiased and don’t speculate, but rather report. They seemingly do this to increase awareness about the case, rather than to go viral on social media. Getting fact-checked information from these accounts is fine, though I would recommend also visiting official and reputable sources, to cross-check the validity of news. Being interested in true crime and current affairs is extremely common. In fact, a 2010 study found that women tend to be more interested in true crime, especially relating to cases that described how victims escaped, and those that provided an insight into the criminal’s motives. I myself have watched docuseries on Netflix from this genre. What sets these shows, books, and podcasts apart is the fact that numerous professionals are behind their creation. Journalists and investigators have worked on these cases for years and hence have provided accurate and unbiased opinions. They’ve all gone through adequate checks and approvals to make sure sensitive topics such as these are released in an appropriate manner. In contrast, the accounts I am referring to here share conspiracy theories of what they believe went on, pointing fingers at people not mentioned by law enforcement, and putting them through a media trial. It is these accounts that make the genre of true crime problematic and overshadow the accounts that want to put out genuine, accurate information. Unfortunately, anyone has a platform to share information very quickly and widely, and it is sometimes difficult to unearth what is accredited and what is not. As consumers of this content, it’s important that we don’t inadvertently promote problematic accounts by sharing their content with our friends. It’s our responsibility to not become part of the speculation in a terribly tough time like this. While everyone deserves to know the truth, it’s important that this is actually fact-checked, and accurate, and not simply a theory from a TikTok account. Most importantly, we must remember that these are very real victims, who suffered a horrific crime. These are very real parents of the victims, wanting to make sure their child gets the justice they deserve. These are very real survivors who, every day, are trying to heal from the trauma they have faced. If you feel affected by this case or have been a victim of a violent crime, please consider reaching out for professional support. List of resources: Getting support as a victim of a crime Confidential support after crime

I’m going to let you into an open secret — social status determines the likelihood of having a mental illness, accessing mental healthcare, your experience of it and how well you recover (or not). Poverty makes you mentally ill and so does being from a minoritised group — there, the cat’s out of the bag. I’m Clinical Director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Clinical Director for Forensic Services at the Maudsley and a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. In the 30 years I’ve worked as a psychiatrist, it has become inescapable that inequality and deprivation make people ill, prolongs their illness and causes them to relapse, again and again. And like Marmot says, we have been treating people only to return them to the very conditions that made them ill in the first place. Some years ago, I realised that addressing mental health inequality was not only ethically, morally and clinically the right thing to do, but it was economically the best thing to do too. As RCPsych Presidential Candidate, addressing inequality is one of my main priorities and I’ve developed and started implementing systems to do this. The nature of mental health inequality We all know money doesn’t buy happiness, but it certainly helps…poorer people have more than twice the rate of mental health problems than richer people (Advancing Mental Health Equality, AHME, resource, 2018). If you are lower down the social hierarchy scale, you’re more likely to be discriminated against and the evidence indicates that experiences of discrimination are associated with developing mental illness — anxiety, depression are 2–4 times more common in those who report experiencing racial discrimination; suicidal behaviour is increased in those who have experienced homophobia and even psychotic symptoms are higher in those who report more discrimination. Yet we rarely cite poverty or discrimination as risk factors for mental disorder, other than to say a particular condition is more prevalent amongst the poor, or amongst Black people or South Asian people — as though there is something inherently problematic with those who are poor or Black or South Asian, which means they are more likely to attract disease. Until recently, poverty or discrimination as risk factors, were missing from our medical curricula and even our research. In Victorian Britain there was a notion, based on a distortion of the thinking of writers such as Samuel Smiles, that poverty was, for some, a “lifestyle choice,” and that there was a mass of “undeserving poor” who simply by exercising some willpower could pull themselves out of poverty, the corollary being that they therefore wilfully put themselves in that position. Flash forward 200 years and this attitude is echoed by our modern debate around “skivers and strivers”. For psychiatrists the main issue is this, if you work in an area with high levels of deprivation, or higher numbers of minoritised people (minoritised ethnic groups; LGBTQ; women), then it is likely that there will be twice as much or more mental illness in that area compared with a more affluent or less diverse area. But unlike Victorian times, we now have the welfare state and the ability to understand how resources can be shared that mitigate against the ravages of being poor, and we have laws against discrimination. So why are we seeing levels of mental illness that are higher than ever before? Why is it still the case that care varies inversely according to need and what can we do about it? Understanding Structural Discrimination and Mental Health Inequality Structural discrimination is seen when there is differential access to goods, services and opportunities by race/ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or gender. It manifests as “inherited disadvantage” and is “codified” into our customs and practices — “it’s just how it is”. We’re all so used to the status quo, that we don’t notice it. There’s often no active perpetrator, we just fail to notice when there is a need, and that need is not being addressed. Galtung described “Social structures and institutions harming the health of populations by creating barriers to resources that enable individuals to meet their fundamental developmental needs”. Unlike individually-mediated discrimination (i.e. the name-calling and violence, perpetrated by racists, misogynists, homophobes, anti-semites and Islamophobes), structural discrimination is something we are all involved with and so, for the most part, don’t notice. The institutional and structural factors that discriminate against others are so ingrained into our way of living, that we tend not to recognise that these factors may well be disadvantaging other people (or even ourselves). For example, how affronted might you have been in 1870 if the doctor you went to see was a woman, knowing that women should not be educated to degree level as it was really bad for their health, caused them to become infertile and would lead to the degradation of society? Women becoming doctors was unthinkable, laughable, so they didn’t try and certainly weren’t encouraged, because everyone knew it couldn’t and shouldn’t be attempted, yet there was a need for female doctors and women’s health suffered because they could not always access the healthcare they needed. Structural and institutional “norms” disadvantaged women, not always deliberately so, but they too often resulted in inaction in the face of very obvious need. Women’s health needs are still not recognised adequately and hence they have poorer outcomes. To reduce the health burden, we must tackle the causes of the causes, which means influencing governments to fundamentally tackle inequality (Marmot 2017). Until then, we must work to better address the needs of the most marginalised. Tackling Mental Health Inequality Good news — there’s a system and guidance we can use to re-design the delivery of care so it better meets the needs of those who need it, the Advancing Mental Health Equality (AMHE) system. We developed this at the NCCMH, it has been adopted nationally and Trusts across the country have joined up to address inequality in their local area. The programme supports them through four stages;- (1) Identify the Inequality; (2) Design a different way of providing care with the people who need it; (3) Deliver the new idea; and (4) Evaluate and improve. We must acknowledge that the services we offer don’t cater for the needs of some groups of patients we care for — particularly those from more marginalised and impoverished groups. We must recognise and accept that these groups may have greater need and then we must involve them in designing services — the AMHE approach. In Conclusion We know what causes mental illness: genetics; familial inheritance; perinatal factors; early trauma (Adverse Childhood Experiences); late trauma (in adulthood); substance use; life events. We have assiduously searched for and researched genetic factors and underlying biological mechanisms, but they interact with and are often shaped by social determinants. The magic bullet cure evades us because mental disorder arises from the complex interplay between our biology, sociology, psychology and the environment within which we were born, raised and live — how we see ourselves and how society sees us. It takes a special kind of clinician to appreciate this complexity; and that’s what we do as psychiatrists. We all know that inequality causes mental illness. Now we have the tools to tackle it. Time to step up to the challenge of our profession and lead the way in delivering equitable mental healthcare. As I have always said, there can be “No Quality without Equality”.

Feeling sad, apathetic, deflated, or irritable is not uncommon after a holiday period, especially Christmas. And of course, there are many reasons which contribute to post-holiday blues such as emotional tiredness, coming back to “grey reality” in contrast with holiday festivities, and different diets. Before Christmas, we also engage in goal-oriented behaviours which boost our mood and motivation and which, inevitably, leave us feeling empty once the goal has been achieved. In almost all of the above, there is an element of loss, change and the new beginning. And this is what I am going to talk about in this article— the psychology of endings and new beginnings. I am a mental health scientist and in my previous article on tradition and rituals, I talked about the Christmas/winter holidays being part of the universal celebration of the winter solstice. It is the time of the year when days are the shortest and through the festivities of this period, we can celebrate the end of the dark days and the “return of the sun” and the longer days — the new year awakening. But why do I bring this up? It is because the rituals help us deal with change. From an anthropological point of view, ceremonies and rituals help acknowledge changes in a structured and less threatening way. They facilitate the transition between what is gone and what is ahead. Changes and transitions Endings can be painful as they bring about feelings of loss and grief, in particular when we lose someone close to us. In this context, prolonged grief (lasting over a year) is currently considered a new psychiatric diagnosis from which we might need time and professional help to recover. Livia Dyring writes about the grieving process when losing a loved one in her recent piece for Inspire the Mind. However, in this article, I would like to focus on loss in a slightly different context. Isca Salzberger-Wittenberg, a psychotherapist, in her book Experiencing endings and beginnings talks about how important it is to acknowledge and work through the loss, to be able to embrace the here and now. What I found interesting is that she talks about the loss being ever present at different stages of our lives and it doesn’t always mean the loss of a person. It can mean the loss of a concept or a belief, e.g., loss of childhood, loss associated with changing schools, jobs, cities, and countries, or in the context of our article — the loss of the holiday period and all the perks that come with it. The author talks about such losses more in the context of change — the end of one thing and the beginning of another. Drawing on anthropology research, William Bridges, proposed “Bridges Transition Model” which breaks down the stages of each transition into an ending, a neutral zone, and a new beginning. Each stage brings its own challenges. As we experience an ending, we might feel shocked, sad, yearning for what is lost, or angry, just as we do when grieving, until eventually we come to terms with the loss and accept it. Then comes the neutral zone, and according to Bridges, it is a breeding ground stage for creativity before embracing the “new”. It is also the stage when we experience confusion and anxiety about the unknown at its most. This is followed by the last stage — a new beginning, which involves identifying “new roles” and setting them into motion. This stage can bring a mix of feelings from excitement to anxiety about the new, and unknown. Making space for new beginnings Although it is in human nature to experience discomfort and anxiety in letting go and opening ourselves to the new and unknown, research has shown that allowing ourselves to experience endings makes us happier and more engaged with what’s happening around us in that moment. Kristin Layous, in her study, asked participants to live their lives as if it was their last month in the cities they lived in. She then measured their well-being in comparison with the control group — a group without any intervention. Participants who imagined this was their last month in the city, reported improvements in their well-being as the month progressed. They were engaging in meaningful and satisfactory interactions with others and were more effective in making plans and choices compared with the control group. By acknowledging the approaching ending, they were more open to embracing the here and now. According to Laura Carstensen’s “socioemotional selectivity theory”, when we are faced with endings, we opt out for activities that feel good and are meaningful to us in the present moment, as Kira M. Newman says in her article. It helps us focus on the here and now. Of course, in real life, we need to find the balance between the short-term (the here and now) and long-term rewards, and these studies highlight that we might need a little “push” to find that balance. Sad is not bad Staying in touch with our feelings, and acknowledging them are the pillars of mental well-being. I think it’s very important to highlight the fact that we all sometimes feel sad and that’s a normal and adaptive response to the environment around us. It’s ok to feel sad or anxious when we face changes. And apparently, sometimes, we can even find comfort in sad endings (and not because we are all secretly monsters)! Studies show that watching sad movies increases endorphin levels — a hormone that makes us feel happy and makes us want to bond with others more. The authors talk about the power of shared experience, whether that would be laughing or crying, that brings us closer. This makes sense in the evolutionary context where increasing our support network in difficult times might help us survive. Watching sad movies also increases a sense of involvement, which can then lead to a joyful experience. Bringing it all together, any change, even if it seems trivial, just like what we experience once our holiday is over, can bring about feelings of sadness and anxiety, and that’s normal and expected. Just like trees shedding their leaves for winter, so that they can blossom in spring, accepting feeling sad in response to loss can open the door to grow afterwards. However, sometimes, we might “get stuck” in feeling low and anxious for a prolonged period of time, for different reasons. And if that is the case for you, it is always good to check in with your GP or any other mental health professional, and ask for support.

Trigger Warning: This blog discusses sexual violence, rape and self-harm, which some readers may find distressing. My name is Lindsay and I am from Los Angeles, California. I am a third year Marriage, Family, and Couples Therapy Trainee. I sought my own therapy when I was 18 years old as a result of a sexual assault that I experienced in high school. I turned to disordered eating and self-harming behaviors to cope with the trauma after the rape. I am writing this blog to share my journey from a small, scared, and dark-minded teenager to now a successful therapist in training. I like to believe that I made it. When you are a teenager and already struggling with self-esteem and creating an identity, experiencing a trauma is the last thing an adolescent girl wants to face. Unfortunately, I turned my anger, my guilt, and my shame internally rather than coping with the distress in a healthy way. I began restricting my calories as a defence mechanism against the trauma and horror that I experienced during the rape. At that time, I believed that if I was small enough no guy would ever come close to me. As a young girl, I felt my innocence was taken away from me. I began asking myself, “What is the point?” “What do I do from here?” I wish that I reached out to my mom and siblings, but I knew that I couldn’t. I had so much shame and guilt that the idea of talking about it made my blood boil. I used my eating disordered thoughts and behaviors as a mechanism to control my reality when I felt powerless and out of control. In fact, research shows that these behaviours that I was exhibiting may be connected to the experience of sexual violence. Because I was an adult, I decided to take control of the betterment of my own mental health. I am not going to say that therapy is easy. It’s not! Therapy is multifaceted and requires hard work and dedication from an individual. Some sessions were great and I felt empowered, and other sessions were rough. I believe that is the entirety of the therapeutic experience. I think I was lucky because I got sick when I was 17 years old and sought therapy at age 18. I already had adult responsibilities and roles that I had to fulfil. The idea of neglecting my mental health was not an option. I am also not going to say that following the sexual assault I only battled an eating disorder. Absolutely not! It is typical for sexual assault survivors to struggle with other comorbidities, and believe me, I did. Although the thought of giving up my defences and surrendering to therapy was scary, I was tired of being tired. After many sessions of being resistant, I just wanted to go back to my old ways because I felt stripped away of my power and control. My therapist asked me, “What do you want to do in your life?” I replied, “Well I want to help teenagers who are struggling with this ugly disease.” That was the moment I knew that I found my purpose in life. The healthy relationship that I cultivated with my therapist was the ultimate game changer in my recovery. Sure, I had my ups and downs over the years. I mean, who wouldn’t? Recovery is not a linear process. As a therapist in training, I do not believe that the process of therapy determines success. I believe that the collaboration and therapeutic alliance between the client and therapist is the key factor in rebuilding a life worth living. Today, I work in a hospital setting helping teenagers who are struggling with the dark and eerie disease of Anorexia. Resources If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual violence or sexual harassment, help is available. Feel free to reach out to Rape Crisis at 0808 802 9999 to receive help from a licensed professional. You may also use the online chat at https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/want-to-talk/.

As scientists, we stand on the shoulders of giants, so I think it’s the least we can do to acknowledge them. Many of those who impacted our lives the most are omitted from history lessons, and this is especially true for those who lived outside of Europe. I’m passionate about shining a light on those who are often left out of the narrative. I am an undergraduate neuroscience researcher, but in this three-part mini-series, I want to shine a light on a few of the great Islamic thinkers and the ways that their work impacted modern medicine and psychology. I believe that a comprehensive and informed knowledge of history can prevent us from making the mistakes of the past, remind us of the potential of the future, and honour those who paved the way for us. A Bit of Background: A forgotten golden age The Islamic Golden Age generally refers to the period after the 8th century until the 14th. Depending on how you define it, the Golden Age of Islamic Science coincides with the period historians refer to as “The Dark Ages,” marked by a reduction in intellectual development and a lack of understanding of diseases, such as the Bubonic plague. History classes tend to gloss over the Renaissance that was occurring in the Middle East in favour of discussing Europe. However, this era was marked by astounding developments in the fields of science, mathematics, and medicine. Many of the most significant works of this time period were translated into Latin, which allowed Islamic knowledge to spread across Europe, laying the foundations for the Italian Renaissance and the Enlightenment. In the first blog of this three-part series, I’ll be telling the story of Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi, known in the West as Rhazes. Al-Razi: Father of pediatric medicine Al-Razi was born in Ray, a city on the outskirts of what is now Tehran, Iran. He is considered to be the father of pediatric medicine, although his influence extends to neurology, infectious diseases, and public health. Al-Razi published over 200 books and possibly 1,000 manuscripts throughout his lifetime. One of Al-Razi’s most notable publications, Kitab al-Hawi fi al-tibb, was compiled by his students and published after his death in 925. It included both descriptions of illnesses and therapies for them and became a staple in Western universities during the Dark Ages. It is thought to be one of the most widespread medical texts of its time. Perhaps Al-Razi’s most influential work is Man la Yahduruhu al-Tabib, meaning For One Without a Doctor, in which he aims to provide medical advice that any unskilled individual could understand and perform. He famously refused to take payment from his impoverished patients and worked to make medicine something that was accessible to everyone. Written records of his medical practice describe a clinical trial in which he treated meningitis patients with bloodletting. While the treatment itself would never be used today, his use of a control group and an experimental group was revolutionary. Outside of a passage in the Bible, this is believed to be the first written record of a rudimentary clinical trial. The idea of testing medicines systematically was expanded upon by other Islamic scholars, including Ibn Sina, who I’ll be writing about next week in the second blog of the series. Al-Razi made substantial contributions to the field of neurology. He is considered to be the first to propose the idea that different mental processes were localised to different parts of the brain. He also described various spinal nerves and cranial nerves in detail for the first time. He described a variety of neurological conditions in his works, including epilepsy, migraines, and concussions, the last of which was perhaps most influential, for he was the first person to distinguish concussions as a unique kind of trauma. Al-Razi is perhaps most famous for his work as medical director at a bimartisan in Baghdad. Bimartisans, or ”houses of the sick,” were the equivalent of what we know today as university hospitals, places where patients are treated, students are trained and assessed, and clinical research is performed, all under one roof. Before construction, the Caliph asked Al-Razi where the bimartisan should be built. In response, Al-Razi hung meat in various corners of the city and observed the rate of decay over time. After identifying the least rotten meat, he declared that this was the cleanest area of the city, and therefore, the best location for a hospital. This emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene exemplifies a core value of Islam. This starkly contrasted the mainstream belief in Europe at the time — that sickness was the consequence of sin or the result of demonic possession. Al-Razi and his contemporaries viewed illness as something that should be understood, not blindly feared. Unlike Christianity, which often framed science and innovation as oppositional to God, Islam regarded the investigation of the human body and the natural world as something sacred. I leave you with this quote from the Prophet Muhammed: “The scholar’s ink is more sacred than the blood of the martyr’s.” Next week, I’ll be writing about Ibn Sina, the father of experimental medicine and clinical trials. Recommended Reading: The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance by Jim Al-Khalili Abu Bakr Al-Razi (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Islamic Culture and the Medical Arts: Al-Razi, the Clinician (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Abubakr Muhammad Ibn Zakaria Razi, Rhazes (865–925 AD)

Another new year, another new New Year’s resolution. With every January comes a fresh new start, a new beginning, an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. It’s near impossible to resist the urge to announce, ‘this year will be different!’ Those five minutes on the 1st of January, when you pick up pen and paper and frantically jot down your goals for the coming twelve months, is an intoxicating time of hope. Of wonder. Of determined, dogged enthusiasm. In fact, just writing down that list feels like an achievement in itself. However, according to Forbes magazine, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the beginning of February. Not because those people didn’t truly want to better themselves or their life, but because they were likely starting from the wrong place. Can writing a New Year’s resolution list be detrimental to your mental health? And how can you reframe it to inspire you, instead of filling you with dread? I’m a fiction author, creative consultant, and lecturer — which makes me an expert on lofty dreams and resilience. It also means I’m very used to setting goals and not giving up until I reach them (or, in many cases, not allowing the struggle to reach those goals to define my self-worth). On the 28th December 2021, I wrote a New Year’s resolution-type list. I did it publicly, on Twitter, and I called it ‘My 2022 aims’. It was a list of aspirations, goals, wishes I was projecting out into the world. I wasn’t resolute, I didn’t know if I’d get to tick them all off, but I was hopeful. In less than a year I had achieved them all (and then some). How? Read on… The answer to achieving all your year’s goals can be quite simple: 1. Be kind to yourself 2. Be realistic 3. Be resilient Be kind to yourself If you’re starting your New Year’s resolution by staring at yourself in the mirror and hating what you see — stop! Writing your New Year’s resolution list from a place of self-loathing, rather than self-compassion, means you are increasing your chances of being one of the 80% who will give up before they’ve really got going. After all, if you haven’t spent the last year being kind to yourself, writing it down on a piece of paper isn’t going to magically make you change overnight. When you choose a goal (i.e., losing weight) based on self-hatred, what is most likely to happen when you write down ‘lose weight’ is your thoughts may become overly self-critical. Then, when you eat a piece of cake, you might start thinking of yourself as greedy, a failure who will never get healthy, and believe New Year’s resolutions are a waste of time. When you approach your goal setting in this way, the belief that New Year’s resolutions make your life worse becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You will feel angry, down, disappointed, and only fuel that self-loathing more. Not great for your mental health! For instance, for years the first thing on my New Year’s resolution list would be ‘finish writing my novel’. I had just started writing, I wasn’t as fast back then as I am now, and I had no idea what I was doing. I would reach the end of the year, look at my half-finished book and tell myself I would never be a published author. The real reason I hadn’t finished my book in a year wasn’t because New Year’s resolutions don’t work, but because it was always going to take me longer than a year to write my first novel (I did it in the end). What I wasn’t considering was that every year I added that resolution to the list I was learning. Every year I was adding more words to my document. Every year I was getting closer to achieving that huge resolution. Which is why you need to… Be realistic Whatever you choose to put on your list, creating a plan of action that breaks your approach down month by month makes it much more likely for you to reach your goal by the end of that year. In the case of my book, I should have been kinder to myself and written ‘increase your weekly word count’ on my list, or ‘attend a writing class’. Smaller goals that are more easily attainable would have eventually led me to my larger ‘finish that book’ goal — but been a lot better for my mental health. You can apply the same approach to any New Year’s resolution. For instance, planning to be more present on LinkedIn, deciding to apply for a new job per week, and improving your networking skills is more realistic than writing down ‘get a new job that earns double the salary’, and then reaching November and getting upset with yourself that it didn’t happen. A New Year’s resolution isn’t a list of hopes and dreams, it’s a practical To Do list. Yet, even when you try your hardest, not everything is within your limits of control. Some things won’t happen in a year. But what you can do is create pathways to lead you closer to your goals. Then, if you reach the end of the year and you didn’t meet your objective, you can relax in the knowledge that you are even closer to achieving them next year. When there’s hope and light at the end of the tunnel, there’s a lot less self-hatred and disappointment. Be resilient Lastly, let’s talk about resilience. Approaching your New Year’s resolution with kindness and realism still doesn’t guarantee that you will achieve what you set out to do. But you can still stay positive and hopeful, love yourself, and believe you will get there eventually by being resilient. As an author, learning how to be resilient has been fundamental to my mental health. Resilience doesn’t mean not feeling disappointment or frustration, it’s learning how to take the positive out of a situation and bounce back. It means remaining hopeful. I like to remind myself that just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it’s not happening. If I don’t get the book deal I wanted, it doesn’t mean the right people haven’t noticed me and I won’t get lucky next time. For instance, I planned to learn more Dutch last year. I’m still not very good at it, but I did learn 174 words according to Duolingo. That’s still more than I knew in 2021! I still saw it as a win. So this year, as you pick up your notebook and start writing your New Year’s resolutions, remember to be kind to yourself, be realistic, and be resilient. Everyone has the ability to improve their lives and writing it down is a great way to cement those objectives and start your first step to making them a reality. But, don’t forget, a year is just an arbitrary timeframe. You have your entire life to become who you truly want to be. This list is simply the first stepping stone to a better you. Not because there’s anything wrong with the current you, this isn’t about hating your current life, it’s about being excited about the future. Never stop feeling inspired and hopeful. And who cares if you still don’t reach your goal? There’s always next year!

When I was growing up, “Merry Christmas” (or “Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia” in Polish, where I am from), was the traditional way of sharing festive wishes, in the unity of a joint celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth (Poland is a catholic country). As a grown-up, and a scientist at that, I more often find myself wishing others “Happy holidays” and I join others in the tradition to celebrate…hmm, celebrate what? I am a mental health scientist, and, in this blog, I will talk about the psychology of rituals and traditions in the context of the Christmas/winter holidays. History of Christmas celebrations Christmas falls on the winter solstice (well, near it)— the shortest day and the longest night of the year which falls on the night of 21st -22nd December in the Northern Hemisphere. The tradition of celebrating winter solstice falls long before (and beyond) Christianity, and it was brought about to celebrate the “re-birth of the sun” in anticipation of the days getting longer. Ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia — a pagan celebration of Saturn, the God of farming and time. The rituals involved various festivities including wreaths, gift exchanging, candles and time spent together with others eating, drinking, and generally enjoying the time off work. Ancient Romans believed that the winter solstice was on the 25th of December. The date was then adopted by Christians who believed that the Annunciation of Jesus Christ’s birth was on the 25th of March which meant that he would have been born on the 25th of December. Ancient Norse celebrated Yule which, amongst family gatherings, cooking, and baking, involved a ritual of burning logs which symbolised life in the darkest days, and welcoming the sun returning in the morning — the end and the beginning. In the Southern hemisphere, where the winter solstice celebration falls in June, ancient Incas celebrated Inti Raymi — the Sun festival in the worship of the God of Sun. The rituals included sacrificing animals which was believed to bring good harvest, dancing, and feasts. Inti Raymi is still celebrated in Peru where people get together, share food, wear colourful clothes and participate in cultural events. The need for social connection We are social beings, and we need human interaction to develop and thrive. And this process starts from the day we are born. Developmental psychologists and psychiatrists including Melanie Klein and John Bowlby talked about the importance of interactions between a baby and its caregiver in the first years of life, to foster the baby’s development. The need to bond with others continues throughout life and helps us live more satisfactorily. For example, social belongingness theory suggests that the inner motivation to bond with others is evolutionary and promotes well-being and psychological adjustment. Perhaps, the most commonly known theory of human motivation is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory which includes belonging and love as part of basic human needs which ought to be met before we can “grow”, or in other words self-actualize, as a person. As much as our developmental needs can be met by our caregivers when we are infants, as we grow older, we venture out to connect with others to develop, and one way of doing it is by being part of a group. Rituals help us belong, thrive and feel comfortable In the words of Gillian Fagan, a psychotherapist: “We are members of groups that shape our cultures, beliefs, and traditions and provide us with psychological acceptance and belonging”. As Hobson described in his article on the psychology of rituals, engaging in traditions and rituals as part of a larger group creates a feeling of connection with others, develops trust and loyalty, and enhances cooperation and a sense of social support. For example, scientists have shown that collective singing and dancing increase cooperative behaviours in particular when the group members work together to synchronise their performance. In 1915, a sociologist, Emile Durkheim proposed a term of collective effervescence, whereby he observed that people who gathered together to engage in collective rituals, such as Christmas celebrations, experienced collective emotional excitement and joy. It allowed them to feel part of the community. Being part of the community also means adhering to certain cultural and social norms expressed and respected amongst the community members, and we learn these through observing and participating in their rituals and traditions. Through this kind of social learning, we strengthen our connection with the social group we are part of, contributing to developing social identity. Research has found that identifying with a social group can improve our well-being, boost our self-esteem, and even make us live longer. We also form a habit, and habits make us feel comfortable. As early as in 1960s, psychologists found that being simply exposed to something repeatedly made people like it more. Christmas is all about familiarity and habits. The marketing specialists know all too well how to entice our senses, every December, with familiar music, food, drinks, and smells. Rituals as coping mechanisms Rituals and traditions can be also helpful tools in dealing with trauma. Indeed, perceived social support and group cohesion help to cope with life adversities and traumatic events. For example, one study has shown that participating in peace demonstrations following the train bombing in Madrid in 2004 increased perceived social support, made people feel more positive, and helped them cope with the trauma better. Ceremonies and rituals have been also used as part of the therapeutic process for post-traumatic stress disorder, which is an anxiety condition that can develop due to being exposed to extremely frightening events such as fighting in a war. Ceremonies in the context of therapy aim to help individuals experience and share their emotions, anxieties, and fears in the community. The purpose of this is to help the person to rely on social support as opposed to cope with the distress on their own, thus strengthening the social bonds. Ceremonies can have different themes which aim at processing emotions associated with this specific theme such as expressing forgiveness or celebrating the return from the war. Bringing it back Christmas/winter holidays, I celebrate the return of the longer days, and whatever you choose to celebrate is just fine because any reason — religious, pagan, spiritual or therapeutic — underneath, it serves a universal human need that we all have, social belonging. And whether it is from an evolutionary, developmental, or social psychology perspective, we find reasons to keep traditions and rituals alive.

Christmas is fast approaching, with just a couple of days to go until many of us are sat around tables with mismatched chairs from various people’s houses, laughing, and catching up over food. For many ‘it’s the most wonderful time of year’, but for others, the holidays can be a time for increased food anxiety and heightened diet talk as we transition from Christmas to the New Year. And this transition comes with the annual claim of ‘New Year, new me!’ As someone who has since recovered from an eating disorder, topics around body image and healthy relationships with food are very important to me. And I know they often resonate with many, including those who do not struggle with eating disorders. So, how can you navigate the holidays whilst trying to create or maintain a healthy mindset towards food and body image? Well, it’s not easy. And it will probably take a few holiday seasons for you to find what helps you cope, but I want to share what’s helped me combat negative emotions related to food and body image during the holidays. Speak to friends and family about your concerns Speaking to friends and family you trust about how you’re feeling can be a really great tool to apply all year round, and can be useful in avoiding potential trigger conversations, such as discussions over losing weight or feeling guilt around certain foods or eating habits. It also means that if you do feel triggered or anxious at any point over the festive season, you have a support network in place that you can turn to. The likelihood is that you’re not alone in your concerns, and many may be feeling the same way. By starting the conversation, you’re helping combat the normalcy of diet talk and food guilt. You don’t have to overindulge if you don’t want to… It’s become very normal to be expected to consume more than you normally would in terms of food and alcohol on Christmas Day and around Christmas time, but you don’t have to. You’re allowed to refuse seconds or thirds, you don’t have to drink; Christmas and the holiday period are much more than just food. Focus on enjoying yourself in the company of loved ones, and set boundaries that you’re comfortable with. … but you shouldn’t feel bad if you do In the same way shouldn’t feel obliged to eat more than you want to, you shouldn’t be shamed or guilted into eating less than you want. The guilt you will force yourself to feel for perhaps eating more than you might be used to, will impact you more than any food will. There is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, and you should be able to eat because you enjoy it and you enjoy the food. Talk to a helpline or a professional Therapy isn’t always accessible and NHS help can be at the end of a long waiting list, especially when it comes to issues such as eating disorders. That doesn’t mean help isn’t available though. There are many charities and helplines that operate all year, and recognise that the holidays can be particularly stressful for some. Personally, I really recommend BEAT. Their helpline operates 365 days a year (yes, that means Christmas day too!) and offer confidential support. If calling isn’t really your thing, they also offer email support! Talking to somebody through a helpline or speaking to a professional in an accessible way can really help relieve some of that anxiety you may be feeling around food and body image, by talking through it and being offered support from organisations that understand. Create a list of coping mechanisms to refer back to One of the best pieces of advice I can recommend is: have your future self’s back. Create a list, either on your phone or in your notebook, of activities or practices that you know will make you feel better. Whether it’s going to watch your favourite TV show, calling a friend, practising breathing exercises, reading a book, going for a walk or simply making a cup of tea. By writing these down, it means you can refer back to this list when you’re feeling low, in an attempt to actively change your mindset, or shift your focus onto something that makes you feel better. It’s good to have a range of activities too. If you’re feeling anxious at the dinner table, leaving halfway through to watch a TV show might not be so practical, but excusing yourself and practicing breathing exercises for 5 minutes might be, and could help you overcome your negative thoughts. Avoid reading calories where you can Aside from the main meal on Christmas Day, the holiday season is oftentimes for friends to get together and celebrate too, and this often means going out for a meal. Whilst this should mean a fun night out of catching up and laughing with loved ones, for many it can be overshadowed by fear and anxiety. With the government introducing calories on menus with businesses that employ 250 or more staff – a move that was widely criticised by eating disorder charities and healthcare professionals, and that was discussed in Inspire the Mind before – it means that for many, what was already a difficult environment, has become even harder to overcome. However, there are a few ways to try and combat it. First off, you can go out and support a local restaurant, which is unlikely to have calories on the menu. You can also ask places or call up beforehand to find out if they have menus without calories on. The government said that part of the regulation includes calorie-free menus to be offered at the request of individual customers. Another tip that I find helpful all year round when it comes to eating out is asking a friend or partner to read the menu for me, without me having to look. That way I get to eat what I want; not what I think I should have. Practice body positivity or body neutrality When society and advertisements are telling you that you need to lose weight or buy this exercise machine or stop eating certain foods, it’s important to have your own arsenal of positive or neutral thinking in an attempt to combat this. I’m recommending both body positivity and body neutrality because different things work for different people. For some, trying to force a sense of positivity about yourself can simply add more stress onto your mental health, which is why practicing neutral self-talk can be really helpful. Some examples of body neutrality mantras include: “I accept my body how it is”, “I am more than my appearance”, “my legs help me walk to my friend’s house, and I am grateful for that”, “my stomach helps me digest delicious food”. Ultimately, it’s not going to be an easy process, especially if you’re having to unlearn years of guilt and shame associated with food and the holidays. It’s also not going to be a linear journey, as with everything, you will have good moments and tough moments. But what’s important is that you keep going. The holidays should be a happy time for all, without feelings of guilt.

The term “mental health” is defined as a state of mental wellbeing which allows an individual to help cope with the stressors of life and work well and contribute to their community. Adolescence refers to a significant period of psychological, biological, and social change for young people. Recent research into social media has highlighted profound negative effects which can affect adolescents' wellbeing. My name is Subeyda and I am currently an undergraduate Psychology student at the University of Westminster. This summer I was given an incredible opportunity to work on a project with Inspire the Mind. The King’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship (KURF) scheme allows undergraduate students to participate in academic research with leading academics to help them learn and build on their research skills. I particularly chose this opportunity to work alongside Inspire the Mind as I am incredibly passionate about mental health and wellbeing and how we continuously work to promote mental health education. This project specifically focused on how young people engage with mental health literature and ways in which we can help increase engagement with young people. I will be releasing a series of joint blogs which aim to research how young people engage with mental health literature, and the ways in which we can help engage young people with mental health. This blog will focus on the use of social media and both the positive and negative effects it may have on adolescents. This blog will also look to explore how social media can be used as a positive tool to increase wellbeing and promote awareness about mental health. Social Media and negative impact on Mental health The negative side of social media on young people is spoken about quite widely. So, before I dive into how we can transform social media into a positive tool for young people we must acknowledge and understand the negative impact social media can have on adolescents. This topic has been discussed extensively on Inspire the Mind, for example here, here and here, including most recently in a piece on the new platform, BeReal, by the Inspire the Mind Editor in Chief. You can also listen to our recent At the Back of Your Mind podcast on TikTok, here: Recent research studies into the negative impacts of social media have shown to decrease life satisfaction in young adolescents. This research study found that adolescents who had higher social media use reported lower life satisfaction. In addition, research has shown an increased risk of developing mental health problems such as depression or self-harm. Social media has been linked to young adolescents developing depressive symptoms. A recent 2018 study highlighted 14- to 17-year-olds who use social media on average 7 hours per day are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression and to be treated by a mental health professional. However, social media does not necessarily determine depressive symptoms; rather it is also possible that greater depressive symptoms predict greater social media use over time. Social Media and Social Comparison Another way social media can affect adolescents’ mental health is through social comparison. The social comparison theory was proposed in 1954 by Leon Festinger which believed individuals have an innate drive to evaluate themselves. As teenagers begin to use social media by observing their peers, this leads to constant comparisons which may damage their self-esteem and body image. A recent report researching the effect of social media on teenagers found 26% of teens say social media sites make them feel worse about their life. Social media has been seen to increase the impact of social comparison significantly, and social comparison via social media has been linked to depressive symptoms among adolescents. But, despite the negative side of social media, there are two sides to the story: so let’s begin to focus on the good that social media can bring to contribute to the wellbeing of adolescents. Social Media and Friendships A recent research report found that approximately 81% of adolescents said social media helps them feel more connected to what is happening in their own lives. In addition, two-thirds said social media platforms help them feel they have people which will support them through difficult times. Social Media can promote opportunities for individuals to interact and connect with one another, which can help support their wellbeing as they can provide support to one another. Social Media and Mental Health Resources But as well as creating and facilitating these peer-to-peer relationships, social media can be a great tool for information sharing. Yes, social media can help promote awareness of online mental health resources, to help support individuals going through a difficult time and to help promote wellbeing. Mental health organisations have moved forward towards providing support through social media for users who may be suffering from mental health issues. This helps bring individuals from all areas of life and connect them all through their own personal experiences. A recent study has shown individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia used social media as a way of connecting with others and reducing feelings of loneliness. Mental health organisations can also offer support resources and inspire adolescents to seek further support. Social media also offers a platform for connection, allowing teens to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. Furthermore, young people have now been offered online therapies by licensed clinical professionals via online platforms, for example this one. This shows the positive impact of social media as clinical professionals may have not been able to reach young people for mental health treatment. To conclude, yes social media has harmful psychological effects on adolescents’ mental health, however, it may also provide young people with the tools and knowledge to promote wellbeing and build meaningful new connections. However, be cautious, as misinformation may be shared on social media, thus it is important to ensure that the information you are reading is provided by the right sources, for example from mental health organisations — or by academic-led blogs like Inspire the Mind!

Is the new social media platform BeReal good for mental health? Not for mine. It’s my fourth day of online activity on the ‘BeReal’ social media platform, and I am struggling between cancelling the account or letting it go frozen by inactivity. It’s not going well. For those of you who (like me until last month) do not know what BeReal is, it’s a new-ish social media platform informally promoted as the anti-Instagram, thanks to its focus on close, real connections, and sharing of spontaneous moments through unstaged photos. You can post a maximum of two pictures per day, a contemporary double-take of both the front and the selfie cameras. Basically: here is me doing what I am doing; and here is the room where I am doing what I am doing (and the people I am doing what I am doing it with, unless I am alone). Photos are taken at unpredictable moments when requested by the app, and should be uploaded within a couple of minutes. You are allowed to upload late photos, but everybody knows you are late. And until you have uploaded your daily photos, you can’t see your friends’ photos. And of course, there are no filters, and no possibility to re-take the photos. Life as it is. “A new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life”, as the BeReal website states. In addition, you don’t know how many BeReal connections your BeReal friends have, so there is no competition for popularity. In fact, you cannot see celebrities unless you are friends with them. So far so good. Or not? BeReal, social media and mental health We have extensively discussed the potentially deleterious effects of social media on mental health on Inspire the Mind, for example here, here and here. You can also listen to our recent At the Back of Your Mind podcast on this topic, here: The themes underpinning these negative effects of social media are well known: continuous exposure to unrealistic (and unreal) standards of beauty, experience and success; fear of missing out on social events and fun opportunities; triggering by unfiltered material that glamourises self-harm behaviours or unhealthy eating habits; and direct bullying and shaming. A perfect recipe for disaster. Will BeReal be different? The jury is out, at the moment. Many online articles have discussed the pros and cons of this app in the context of mental health over the last few months. In fact, I was surprised by the sheer number of online articles that have already been published with ‘BeReal’ and ‘mental health’ in their titles or keywords. An article published in Metro in April quoted mental health activist, John Junior, stressing the novelty of BeReal and the importance of using “no filters” so that people can be “real with themselves”. However, the same article pinpoints that you can still decide to wait to post your photos until you are doing something interesting, so to stage the content anyway. Someone interviewed for this article also warns about the risk of seeing your friends meeting up and having fun without you “in real-time”. Just one month later, The New Yorker weighed in. And the subtitle could not be more critical: “The difference between this app and the social-media giants”, the article says, “isn’t its relationship to truth but the size and scale of its deceptions.” Not only does this article criticize the concept of ‘authenticity’, but also expresses concerns about the fact that you must engage — “be continually available for daily doses of self-exposure” — in order to see the content on the app. This makes BeReal even more prescriptive than other social media apps, where you can look without posting content. Around the same time, an article in The Cut discussed the new app (Title: The Anti-Instagram App Promising to Make Us Feel Good) by asking whether we are actually able to use social media for “capturing and sharing the kind of authenticity we’re talking about”. Perhaps being authentic on social media, whatever the platform, is just a myth? While a piece on Goalcast (a life-improvement website) highlights the positive features of BeReal that could offer a healthier online environment, The Latch reminds us that the app is just “simply another excuse to look at your phone [and] promoting distraction”. On the positive side, Ireland’s youth information charity, Spunout, launched a new mental health campaign encouraging young people to use BeReal to have conversations about mental health, by promoting the sharing of photos that are honest (“BeReal With How You Feel”) and that can have a positive impact. However, a more recent article in The Daily Orange, an independent newspaper run by Syracuse University students, is more critical. Tellingly titled BeReal is just not that real, the article cites anecdotal evidence from students who save their daily BeReal posts for when they are doing something interesting, so again following into the same old trap. In the writer’s words, the students “outwardly resist the platform’s main goal”. Ok, this is what other people think. But what is my experience? Retrospectively, I should have gotten the hint that this was not for me based on who first talked to me about BeReal. Not a friend or a colleague in their 40s or 50s. Nope. It was the 26-year-old daughter of my best friend during coffee in Milan. I should have gotten the hint, but I didn’t. So Act 2 starts during an (early) Christmas celebration with my research group, last week. When I bring up BeReal in conversation, they all respond excitedly. Yes, the app is cool. Yes, the app is different. Yes, the app is fun. But no, we will not be following you. And ok, I understand this, because “being connected on BeReal” would allow me to see their photos, which they reserve to only a small number of close friends. This is different from Instagram and Twitter, where people can follow you without being followed by you. Yet I am somehow missing this second hint too. I decide to download the app and install it, and take the first photo. Here it is: Then I ask the app to look at my contacts and find potential connections. But, of the many hundreds of contacts in my phone book, I literally only have six people who are on BeReal: four are children of my friends (including the one who told me about BeReal), plus my niece and my nephew. All in their 20s. I invited them all, and three children of my friends have accepted so far. My niece and nephew are ignoring me. So, this is my main point. If you don’t have enough connections on BeReal, it can be upsetting. Of course, in my case I should have seen it coming because of the age issue: if you are older than 30 (let alone 56, like me), let my story be a warning. For me, this is just a funny story. But for others, it may not be so funny. There might be people who are on BeReal, or would like to be, and might be struggling to connect — to find people who are willing to share their moments with them. This could be because they live in isolated communities, have difficulties in social interaction, or, worse, are discriminated against. You might not know how many BeReal connections your friends have, but you certainly know if you don’t have any BeReal connections, or if you have fewer than expected. I also have another learning point. I took three more pictures. The first was kind of spontaneous, but for the subsequent two pictures I was already ‘staging it’. Not changing what I was doing, but finding the right angle and smiling at the camera. How long before I start moving to a better room, doing something funnier, or changing into nicer clothes? Three pictures and I am already hooked. I need to stop this, right now. I need to do what the article in the Latch suggests: “If you really want to be real, just do fun things you enjoy, with or without people you love, and don’t post about it.”

What do you think of when you think about food? How does it taste, and what does it smell like? Does it look appealing, and will it satisfy my cravings? Have you ever thought about what else your mid-morning snack might contain? If I told you it contained traces of weedkiller that might increase your risks of depression, would you still eat it? I’m a junior doctor who recently visited the Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology (SPI) lab at King’s College London. I decided to write this article to raise awareness of a rarely publicised issue which I believe concerns all of us. It concerns our food and diet, which we now understand plays a vital role in our health and quality of life, far beyond being just ‘fat’ or ‘thin’. It even influences our mental health. It is about the hidden chemicals we might be unintentionally consuming with our wholesome salad, or serving of healthy roasted nuts. Pesticides, anyone? How are pesticides linked with our mental health? Pesticides are substances which control pests and are used in many stages of modern-day food production. They can increase food productivity, prevent crop loss, and help to meet our ever-growing demand for food across the world. For instance, glyphosate is a weedkiller commonly used in the UK, and has been detected in over 60% of wholemeal bread in the UK. However, pesticides are a double-edged sword. Whilst they offer benefits such as making food affordable and readily available, they can also be incredibly dangerous, and few realise the true extent to which we are exposed to these toxic chemicals. The very nature of a pesticide is to be harmful. Insecticides (which target insects) work by attacking their nervous system, which includes the brain, and controls how the insect moves and responds to the environment. However, insecticides are also toxic to us. Numerous studies over the last two decades have demonstrated links between pesticide exposure and conditions affecting the brain and mental health, such as Parkinson’s Disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, and dementia. Research from California investigating cases of Parkinson’s Disease, an age-related disease that affects movement and coordination, found that individuals were more likely to be living in areas where certain pesticides had been used. Research on ADHD, found that the odds of having ADHD almost doubled amongst children who were found to have above-average levels of a pesticide-related substance, compared to those without detectable levels of it. Although it is still unclear how these diseases develop following exposure to pesticides, animal studies suggest that they might cause inflammation of our brains, or affect our neurotransmitter levels, neurotransmitters being the chemical messengers in our brains. For example, certain pesticides have been found to affect levels of acetylcholine, an important messenger which is involved in learning and memory. Inflammation is a new frontier in mental health research. It has now been connected to just about all mental health conditions. Inflammation itself, is a natural process by our bodies in response to changes and stresses in the environment. But when there is either too much or too little of it, disease may occur, and pesticides have been shown to affect this process. Should we really be worried? There is ongoing debate over how concerned we should be about pesticide exposure from food. Some argue that they pose little risk, as we the consumers are at the end of the food production chain and do not directly handle these chemicals. Others say that there we are only exposed to very small amounts of pesticides, far within ‘safe limits’. This, however, doesn’t address chronic exposure. We have an average life expectancy of 80 years here in the UK, and we eat food every day. If we consume a small amount of pesticide-tainted food each day for a number of decades, would the risk still be negligible? Unfortunately, it is difficult to give definitive answers here. Long-term effects are notoriously difficult to investigate, as these studies are known to be expensive, and it is hard to run a study over a period of years which can conclude for sure that pesticides are responsible, as opposed to an individual’s gender, ethnicity, economic or medical background. Generally, available studies seem to determine that pesticides are detrimental to our health. It is also argued that pesticides are naturally removed from our bodies with other waste products by our kidneys. However, research has demonstrated that they can accumulate in our fat tissue, which means pesticides might stay in our bodies far longer than we once thought. In fact, pesticides have also been found to cross the placenta, an organ which develops during pregnancy that provides nutrients to the fetus. This is particularly concerning, considering there is mounting evidence that environmental factors during fetal development can cause greater vulnerability to anxiety and mood disorders, a concept called fetal programming. So what now? With growing evidence that pesticides may be causing mental ill-health, no doubt reducing harmful pesticide use may help prevent it. Of course, we may be able to reduce our exposure to pesticides by eating foods which haven’t been grown with them. Generally, these products are less mass-produced or grown organically, which prohibits the use of many chemicals which are commonly used in farming such as the glyphosates mentioned before. True, without pesticides, we may not have enough food at all, and not all of us are privileged enough to afford organic food. Between starvation and the consumption of pesticide-laden food, most people would certainly choose the latter. However, at least with greater awareness of the potential health dangers posed by these chemicals, we may work towards using more and more alternative pest-control measures which could similarly increase yields but without the same potential neurological effects. Contrary to common belief, this is certainly not impossible, as Lechenet and colleagues demonstrated that food productivity does not have to come at the cost of human health. Certainly, in our society where we are considered more economically developed, we should endeavour towards a community with greater food and health safety.

Don’t worry, there are no spoilers. I haven’t stepped into a theatre since December 2019. I decided to change that by having a solo evening out to watch Avatar: The Way of Water, and escaping from the freezing temperatures in London. I was just 9 when the first film came out and have never been a part of the Avatar fandom. But when last week I read in the media about how numerous people have been experiencing low moods and depressive feelings after watching the film, I thought that this might be a reason to end my no-cinema streak and watch the movie to understand what viewers have been experiencing. This sadness that people have been speaking of has been dubbed “Post-Avatar Depression.” As the name suggests, it refers to the low mental state of viewers, upon realising that the planet of Pandora, and its residents, the Na’vi, are indeed fictional. This experience of viewers isn’t new: the conversation around it started when the first film came out, in 2009, under the term “Avatar Blues”. There is no doubt both films in the series provide a deeply emotional experience for viewers. In fact, some members of an Avatar chat forum after the first film discussed how they contemplated suicide, for the chance to be reincarnated in a world like Pandora. I find that rather worrying, and hope that all those who experienced depressive or suicidal thoughts got the support they required. How did the first film make me feel? I must admit, I watched the first film only a few days ago. I was indeed captivated by the scenery of the fictional planet Pandora, where the film takes place. The enchanting forests, along with their sights and sounds, reminded me of the beauty of the Amazon rainforest (as it appears in David Attenborough’s documentary “Planet Earth” which I thoroughly enjoyed), and what Earth would’ve looked like before the disastrous effects of pollution and global warming took over. What was my emotional experience after watching the sequel? As I dove into the deep blue waters of the planet with Jake Sully and Neytiri (the main characters), I was mesmerised by the effects that gave birth to the beautiful aquatic world James Cameron created for the film. Together with the characters, I explored the ocean, where the second movie primarily takes place. The first underwater sequence made me feel rather calm, just as the ocean always has. While this tranquillity is but a brief moment in a 3.5-hour film, I took it back with me and it continues as I write this piece. I felt a sense of serenity, knowing that this fictional world hasn’t been exposed to the wrath of ocean pollution, the way our planet sadly has. The rest of the film was a roller coaster of emotions. From feeling excitement when we’re reintroduced to Pandora, to awe at the sights of the aquamarine ocean, to fear and sadness in the movie’s final half, I experienced it all. Watching the marine life magically become bioluminescent in the darkness calmed me down after my nerves were on edge during the action sequences. I found myself shedding a tear, in one particularly emotional scene between a Na’vi and an animal that reminded me of the blue whale. Though the Na’vi aren’t human, their emotions said otherwise, and I’m sure all of us in the audience mirrored their feelings too. The verdict I might be in the minority of those who say this, but I didn’t experience the post-Avatar sadness after watching the film. Whatever sadness I felt was during the film, entirely related to the plot. In fact, the movie made me more appreciative of our planet, and all its beauty, and taught me that our planet was once just as untouched, just as spellbinding as Pandora. Earth needs some TLC, after recovering from a pandemic and being battered by global warming, and the movie should awaken within us that fire to conserve our planet in our own, meaningful way. I don’t mean this to become a piece about climate activism, I’m simply reflecting on my own emotional experience of the film. I leave you with a quote from the film that I will remember for a long time to come. “The way of water has no beginning and no end. Our hearts beat in the womb of the world. Water connects all things, life to death, darkness to light. The sea gives and the sea takes.” Avatar: The Way of Water