Chatbots for therapy: Worst idea ever or a good way to drive people into psychosis? On the next Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 live stream, @mharrisondupre.bsky.social‬ will join @alexhanna.bsky.social and me to process the hype: Monday, August 18, noon Pacific twitch.tv/dair_institute

Loved writing this - thank you to the wonderful @sbradstreet.bsky.social . And I got to squeeze in a mention of The AI Con from @alexhanna.bsky.social and @emilymbender.bsky.social The joy of writing after PhDone!

🗣️ "Peer support has to start with meeting people where they are, not where systems expect them to be...It’s not just about ticking a box for inclusion, it’s about making sure people truly feel seen, heard and valued. " - @coproisaac.bsky.social @mentalhealthpru.bsky.social tinyurl.com/rmfcc7u9

The government has quietly published 12 research reports, nearly all related to disability employment, disability poverty and the benefits system, all on the same day, just 8 days after MPs voted to impose £2 billion-a-year cuts to disability benefits. www.disabilitynewsservice.com/government-q...

It is immensely encouraging to see that 100+ Labour MPs have tabled a considered amendment to upcoming cuts to #DisabilityBenefits. If the Speaker selects it to be voted on, and it passes, the bill would fall entirely. A significant moment for holding the Government to account. 🔗 buff.ly/8Il0Ohh

Once a month I like to highlight the bipolar community here. It's been huge for me, and I hope for others. Attached are the two newest (and original!) infographics. I made a hub at the link with feeds, groups, the crisis bot, more. Check it, use it, help find people and share. ❤️ assisted.space/bp

“This moratorium would mean that even if a company deliberately designs an algorithm that causes foreseeable harm — regardless of how intentional or egregious the misconduct or how devastating the consequences — the company making that bad tech would be unaccountable to lawmakers and the public…”

This ‘age detection’ tech is developed in the context of healthcare. But the UK government immigration white paper, announced today, states that they’re looking at “age assessment technology” for visa decisions, so you can see where it’s heading.

This is insane. Republicans have inserted language into the budget reconciliation bill that would ban states from regulating AI in any capacity for 10 years. from @404media.co www.404media.co/republicans-...

Not so much let him cook as let them roast

SRN is recruiting a lived experience advisory group for LSE research on role of local support and amenities for people aged 65+ with care and support needs. It's a paid opportunity. Further information and application link on our website: survivorresearcher.net/local-social...

The mods of r/ChangeMyView shared the sub was the subject of a study to test the persuasiveness of LLMs & that they didn't consent. There’s a lot that went wrong, so here’s a 🧵 unpacking it, along with some ideas for how to do research with online communities ethically. tinyurl.com/59tpt988

Pope Francis' final Easter message vs POTUS Easter message. A lot to be sad about today, but also some clarity. If you ever doubt it matters who your leaders are, re-read these two.

The Supreme Court sided with FWS. But it didn’t hear from a single trans person. This ruling sets a dangerous precedent and erases trans women from protections. It puts trans rights back 20 years. We won't stop fighting for trans rights 🏳️‍⚧️

8.8 million people in the UK experience anxiety or depression each week. Just 361,000 get PIP for it. PIP isn’t for the ‘worried well’—it’s for those with serious, disabling illness. Labour knows this. They’re counting on the public not to. #WelfareNotWarfare #DisabilityBenefits

Always good to read how the values of #PeerSupport can be applied across contexts. Link is worth a read for anyone handling difficult conversations including #AcademicSky

Number crunching: Cuts to health and disability benefit, and reduction in financial support for carers v unpaid care carried out every year. From the new Private Eye, out now.

From Private Eye…..

Labour's Disability benefit reforms will push 340,000 people into poverty, exacerbating the harms of a welfare system that is already killing people. NSUN is appalled by these proposals (1/3).

#WelfareNotWarfare Useful stats and figures to use in interviews when speaking to the media dpac.uk.net/2025/03/disa...

If you want a clear illustration of the Government’s disregard for really engaging with disabled people, they have produced NO accessible versions of their plans today.

Today we have published our initial reaction and FAQs, including what a Green paper is and what you might be able to do to resist it. www.nsun.org.uk/news/initial... (4/5)

If you have a Labour MP, use writetothem.com to send a simple email: if you vote for the cuts to disability benefits, I will not vote for you in the next election. Get your friends, family and work colleagues to do the same, individually. Let your MP know their job hangs in the balance over this.

There is a lot to digest in the Pathways to Work green paper, a lot of it deeply concerning. Some initial thoughts, from the perspective of conditionality and work coach support 🧵 /1 www.gov.uk/government/c...

"The evidence of the impact of welfare reform ... is worth repeating: Policies of more generous support delivered improvements in mental health, while those with stricter eligibility or reduced support worsened mental health and inequalities." www.researchgate.net/publication/....

‘Having now made the decision to abolish NHS England, & while we still wait for the publication of the NHS 10 year plan, the government must be clear why this significant structural change at this time is necessary, & how it fits into their wider plans.' Read the full press release. buff.ly/mhsS47Y

1/7 🚨BREAKING: NHS England to be abolished 🚨 A major restructuring of our health service is coming. But is this about ‘democratic control’ or a power grab that could accelerate privatisation? 🧵⬇️...

NHS England has published new principles on the use of digital technologies in mental health inpatient settings. These principles are vague and unenforceable. They don't halt the rollout of tech like Oxevision, and lack regulatory power. Our statement: www.nsun.org.uk/news/nsun-re...

We're reviving our monthly online Discussion and Support Group meetings. The next one is at 5.30pm on Tuesday 25 February: survivorresearcher.net/february-202...

Great to hear him say this - and to mention unpaid care. I hope @carefull.bsky.social are listening in

How can we make sense of the opportunities and risks of #AI in health care? In our fifth #REALChallenge lecture, @hetanshah.bsky.social will explore what AI might mean for our health. Join us in-person at @rcphysicians.bsky.social or online. Register now ⬇️ https://buff.ly/42dAazc

Good to see this paper from the ENRICH trial of peer support which suggests including peer support in an aftercare package reduces average costs of care. Peer support for discharge from hospital to community mental healthcare: a cost analysis gpsych.bmj.com/content/38/1...

💥New: Generative AI is a hinge point for higher education ✍️ @drmarkcarrigan.bsky.social #AcademicSky #AIActionSummit #HigherEducation

📣🎧 Episode Two of Shoulder to Shoulder, Season 3 is out now. Jenny who is an Essex Partnership University Trust Lived Experience Ambassador, shares how peer support helped her begin a long journey of discovery. Listen here 👉 shorturl.at/rUaHm #PeerSupport #MentalHealthMatters #WithyouConsultancy

In Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 Episode 49, @ginasue.bsky.social joins @alexhanna.bsky.social & I to take apart the UK government’s “AI Opportunities Action Plan” and discover it’s made up of so much AI magic dust: www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/epis... Thx to @whatulysses.bsky.social for production!

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

Elon Musk now has access to your Social Security number. The world’s richest man has gained access to the confidential personal information of every taxpayer in the United States.

This is a big deal, y'all. Federal health websites are being stripped of content or removed in their entirety. Stick with this thread for a look at what's disappeared so far! 1/x

It’s important to add that it comes as news to us that @rcpsych.bsky.social and Rethink are calling for Oxevision to be paused. We welcome and agree with this call but are surprised given neither institution has used their platforms to say this over the past 18+ months of our campaign

“It felt like this invisible person was following me. It became really frightening and I got really unwell. I didn't feel safe... not knowing who was watching me or when” We spoke to BBC about why we are calling for an end to Oxevision, CCTV and other systems on wards www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"A request made through ChatGPT, an AI-based virtual assistant, consumes 10 times the electricity of a Google Search" This isn't a game. This is accelerated destruction via huge usage of power, water, resources etc. Stop using it - especially for messing about!! www.unep.org/news-and-sto...

Thousands of documents obtained from the Yale Police Department show how the campus police closely surveilled pro-Palestine protestors, in collaboration with the FBI and counterterrorism forces. What other campuses followed this playbook?

New @marmotihe.bsky.social report calls on the property sector to work with central & local government to put health, wellbeing and environmental sustainability at the centre of all UK house building www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-re...

Very cool to see this work by @renshaolei.bsky.social and others estimating AI’s public health costs from the air pollution associated with data center power consumption and backup generators AI’s impacts go beyond carbon, energy, and water costs

BLUESKY MEGA-THREAD Altmetric is thrilled and also LITERALLY RELIEVED to officially announce: We are now tracking research attention as it happens on Bluesky! We have been picking up posts on the site since late Oct. Our team is on Bluesky all day answering questions. Let's get into it!

mentalhealthcop.wordpress.com/2024/12/01/m... Having this type of situation every week #mentalhealth

Energising Triangle of Care meeting this morning - thank you @purge11.bsky.social for the opportunity for a rant on the Mental Health Bill and the potential impact on family and friend carers

Anyone know if the decrease in numbers of out of area placements for mental health <50km means a decrease in numbers of people - or an increase in merged Trusts? (so there's a larger area within any one organisation) tps://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/out-of-area-placements

"Mental health patients harmed by being sent to units far from home, report finds." Comes shortly after a report about trauma caused to vulnerable patients by under-staffing. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...