Numbers can tell you how many people have dementia. They can't show you what it's like. 📸 A photovoice study gave cameras to people with memory loss. Their images went on show. The audience left changed. buff.ly/akJVdrz #Dementia #Photovoice #LivedExperience

Asking preadolescents about suicide does not increase suicidal thoughts 🧒 A 12-month study of 8–12 year olds found no evidence of harm, even in those already at higher risk. buff.ly/eRdFfop #SuicidePrevention #ChildMentalHealth

🕐 Who decides what gets researched about body clocks and mental health? Until now, mostly researchers. A new study asked patients, carers and clinicians instead. First ever top 10 research priorities. 👇 buff.ly/H4iYkj8 #CircadianRhythms #MentalHealth #BodyClock

Schools spend the equivalent of 3 full-time staff managing smartphones each year, whether we ban them or not. 📵 Banning phones may cut some costs. But new research shows it won't improve pupils' wellbeing. 🌳 buff.ly/hIupB5k #MentalHealth #SchoolPolicy

Stop, reduce or stay on antipsychotics after first-episode psychosis? 💊 New RCT: dose reduction raised relapse risk in year 1, but improved functioning by year 3. The message: personalised, collaborative care. buff.ly/3Ph5MJ9 #MentalHealth #Psychosis #Schizophrenia

Can you 'catch' suicidality from a close friend? 🫂 A meta-analysis of 1M+ people found that exposure to a friend's suicidal thoughts or behaviours triples your risk (OR 3.22). Effect strongest in adolescents. buff.ly/44zXnte #MentalHealth #SuicidePrevention

Depersonalisation-Derealisation Disorder affects around 2% of people yet there is limited guidance on treatments specifically for the condition. A feasibility trial of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy shows promise. 🌀 buff.ly/NVEYJIH #Depersonalisation #MentalHealth #CBT #Dissociation

📱 Engagement with digital mental health interventions remains poorly understood. Four reviews, no agreed definition. Real-world use of mental health apps falls well below trial levels. One consistent finding: human contact helps. buff.ly/E5Gm7H0 #DigitalMentalHealth

Skin-picking as self-soothing: is emotion regulation the missing piece? 🩹 Adults with skin picking (excoriation) disorder show higher emotion dysregulation 📊, lower distress tolerance 😔, and trouble naming their feelings. Could DBT 🌱 or ACT 💬 help? 🔍 #MentalHealth #BFRB #SPD buff.ly/96McJM2

🌱 Culturally inclusive parenting programme benefits UK families in deprived urban areas RCT of 674 diverse parents: Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities improved wellbeing & parent-child relationships at modest cost. buff.ly/5TSRONA #MentalHealth #Parenting

🔍 Spotting bipolar and psychosis risk earlier using routine clinical records A 28-predictor model correctly identified risk 80% of the time, outperforming existing tools in 127,000 people. buff.ly/MKZDIhZ #MentalHealth #Bipolar #Psychosis

🌿 Medical cannabinoids for mental health: helpful or hazardous? Systematic review of 54 RCTs: limited evidence across most conditions. No significant effect for psychosis, anxiety, PTSD. More adverse events overall (NNTH=7). buff.ly/ZEZzXl3 #Cannabis #MentalHealth #Cannabinoids

👶 What predicts difficult-to-treat postpartum depression? Swedish study of 58,618 women: 6% experienced 'treatment-resistance' within a year. Risk factors: lower socioeconomic status, smoking, pre-existing health conditions, caesarean or preterm birth. buff.ly/LCh9BQL #PostpartumDepression #Risk

🏥 Can crisis planning reduce repeat sectioning under the Mental Health Act? FINCH trial of 80 people: intervention was deliverable, results leaned towards fewer repeat detentions, but study designed to prove feasibility not effectiveness. buff.ly/kqoNcpo #MentalHealthAct #CrisisPlanning

💊 Can metformin mitigate antipsychotic-related weight gain in young people with bipolar disorder? Large trial of 1,565 young people: yes, but effect modest. At 6 months BMI increased 0.05 (metformin) vs 0.64 (lifestyle only). buff.ly/n4xAinz #BipolarDisorder #Antipsychotics #Metformin #WeightGain

🌟 New Hope For Bipolar Disorder 🗓️ Webinar, 11:00-12:30 BST, Mon 30 March 🎟️ Get your tickets now! buff.ly/XZ7l6a8 #BipolarDisorder #Treatment #Research

💊 Study of 3 million adults prescribed opioids found 84% of self-harm events and 81% of suicides didn't involve opioids. Challenges belief that prescribing opioids increases self-harm risk. Higher doses/longer exposure did show association. buff.ly/rDfzB4m #Opioids #SelfHarm #SuicidePrevention

😴 Can changing sleep patterns predict cognitive decline and dementia? Sleep's bidirectional relationship with dementia makes causation unclear. Changes may be symptom, not cause. buff.ly/mvEa5yV #Sleep #Dementia #CognitiveHealth

🧡 Small service evaluation: 12 participants attended compassion-focused therapy groups in two CMHTs. Some showed improvements in self-compassion and depression, but this was a service evaluation without comparison group, not evidence of effectiveness. buff.ly/wgs33Il #CFT #CMHT #MentalHealth

🏥 First NHS evaluation: embedded psychologists improve patient engagement, emotional adjustment, and recovery in new Bristol Major Trauma Centre. Clinicians also valued support for themselves: "quite difficult emotionally for us day in, day out." buff.ly/FvDWUu0 #MajorTrauma #Psychology #NHS

🍽️ About 1 in 4 children in the ALSPAC cohort experienced food insecurity in early childhood. Even when it resolved by age 5, elevated risk of binge eating and compensatory behaviours remained in adolescence. buff.ly/w5N7iZ0 #FoodInsecurity #EatingDisorders #ChildHealth

Appearing back on bluesky to say: new blog post! 🧬 Eimear, André and team provided stellar support with this⭐️

💔 Boys and men take 15-20 years on average to disclose sexual trauma. New review found masculine norms, shame & fear of disbelief create unique barriers. Disclosure less likely when perpetrator was someone close. Gender-sensitive support needed. buff.ly/ELBKXzx #SexualTrauma #MensMentalHealth

🧬 Study of 1,056,201 cases found genetic variants shared across 14 psychiatric disorders, clustered into 5 main factors. Understanding shared biology could improve treatment, but more diverse genetic datasets urgently needed. buff.ly/EMh5UJW #PsychiatricGenetics #MentalHealth #HealthEquity

How do people with lived experience vs professionals define anorexia recovery? Lived experience: absence of disordered thoughts Staff: living well despite residual symptoms Both agreed psychological markers (not just weight) should define recovery. buff.ly/J6wj4m8 #AnorexiaNervosa #Recovery

It is really cool to see the #MentalElf pick up and explain a study on computerized adaptive testing! Psychometricians, what is your favourite application or study in the field of computerized adaptive testing with health-related constructs? #Psychometrics

📊 Simulation study suggests computerised adaptive testing could reduce paranoia assessment from 10 items to 4 tailored questions, while maintaining accuracy (r = 0.87 to 0.95). Real-world clinical feasibility now needed. buff.ly/79dVoo6 #Paranoia #Psychosis #MentalHealth

What are the experiences of young people (& their caregivers) waiting for mental health services in the UK? Check out this new spotlight on research from our team: Emeline Han, Alexandra Burton, Alexandra Bradbury, Daniel Hayes, Joely Wright, Lou Sticpewich, Joanna Page, & Daisy Fancourt 🔍

🏥 People in prison experience disproportionate disease burden, yet healthcare provision is inadequate. Most prevalent conditions: ‣ 40% antisocial personality disorder ‣ 39% drug use disorder ‣ 18% hepatitis C ‣ 11% major depression buff.ly/2S7hrAS #PrisonHealth #PublicHealth #MentalHealth

💔 Young people waiting for CAMHS support (average 359 days vs 4-week target) report: Deteriorating mental health Worsening suicidal thoughts Feeling alone & dismissed Poor communication increases anxiety Interim support urgently needed buff.ly/CLEe5GU #CAMHS #WaitingTimes #YouthMentalHealth

Fantastic to see our member @bipolaruk.bsky.social featured in this speaker lineup! #WorldBipolarDay #Webinar

Poverty & adversity combine to increase risk of police involvement & weapon-carrying. Young people who experienced both persistent poverty & parental mental illness during childhood showed the highest rates at age 17. New blog today by @andybell-centremh.bsky.social from @centreformh.bsky.social

Really looking forward to joining fellow speakers for the #WorldBipolarDay webinar.

🌍 "We cannot achieve health for all if we continue to treat mental health as an afterthought." Great work from @sarahekline.bsky.social and colleagues at @unitedgmh.bsky.social ⚠️ Let's work together to modernise the Global Health Architecture. unitedgmh.org/the-global-a...

Self-harm presentations decline steadily across midlife in women, yet suicide mortality more than doubles in older midlife women. Self-harm and suicide are distinct phenomena requiring different responses. buff.ly/YlZjzyW #MidlifeWomen #SelfHarm #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealth

This is such a wonderful research finding. Ocytocin is the baby cuddles hormone known as the love hormone. You can get sprays of it. This finds that the hormone plus loving touch and words help wounds heal faster. Love for the win

I enjoyed writing this post for The Mental Elf about my favourite topic: the effects of social connection on physical health! I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you, dear @eimearfoley.bsky.social , for the opportunity.

🔴 People using mental health services experience sexual violence at substantially higher rates than the general population. Review suggests that 13% of women, 3% of men (using MH services) experienced sexual violence in the last year. Yet clinicians don't routinely screen. buff.ly/ZKHuefe

⚠️ 13% of vapes confiscated from English schools contained synthetic cannabinoids, illegally mis-sold as THC. Researchers tested 1,933 products: 251 positive, mainly refillable vapes. SCs carry 30x greater risk of emergency treatment than THC. Both are illegal in the UK #Vaping #Schools 🧵 THREAD

💕 Does oxytocin help wounds heal faster? Not on its own. In 80 healthy couples, intranasal oxytocin accelerated wound healing only when paired with affectionate touch and partner appreciation. Oxytocin acts as a "social amplifier". buff.ly/IvuBcTq #Oxytocin #SocialHealth #RelationshipScience

💔 Suicide risk after involuntary psychiatric care remains elevated for years, not just weeks. Swedish study: risk nearly 200x higher in first month post-discharge, still 50x elevated at five years. Personality disorder patients faced greatest vulnerability. buff.ly/ruJXTOE #SuicidePrevention

🍊 Vitamin C supplementation improved attention & work absorption in 40 young adults with low vitamin C levels, alongside changes in gut bacteria and inflammation markers. Early evidence for gut-brain-immune connections, but limited sample. buff.ly/NawjZIq #MentalHealth #Nutrition #GutHealth

💔 South Asian adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse face multiple barriers to trauma care: long NHS waits, cultural stigma around shame & honour, confidentiality fears, and Western therapy models that don't fit their cultural context. buff.ly/gWhJVqZ #TraumaCare #ChildhoodAbuse #MentalHealth

🌟 World Bipolar Day webinar alert 🌟 Join us 30 March for an evidence update on pharmacological treatments, psychological therapies, lifestyle interventions & lived experience insights. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-hope-f... #WorldBipolarDay #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealth

Not all mental health apps work equally for university students. New Australian trial explores physical activity, mindfulness & sleep hygiene apps for student mental health. One size doesn't fit all in digital mental health support. buff.ly/tHOvi7t #StudentMentalHealth #DigitalHealth

Lower IQ & cognitive performance link to higher alcohol use disorder risk, but educational attainment & national context can amplify or reduce this vulnerability. 🧬 Genes contribute ~50% of risk, but structural conditions shape outcomes. buff.ly/eA43xdC #AlcoholUseDisorder #Genetics #MentalHealth

NHS Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners delivered focused panic therapy after just 2 half-day training sessions. Recovery rates looked promising, but it's only a small trial, so we can't draw firm conclusions yet. 📊 Larger trials needed. buff.ly/vtGR4E5 #PanicDisorder #NHS #MentalHealth

🚨 Did you know we have a four-part Podcast series with the @thementalelf.bsky.social discussing what is required to tackle the growing mental health crisis among children and young people? Guest speakers include Prof Pasco Fearon, Prof Essi Viding, and Prof Peter Fonagy. #AdolescentMentalHealth 🎙️

Black university students report harsher marking, staff disbelief in their work, microaggressions & institutional barriers. Universities aren't neutral—they're perpetuating racism. 📚 Think your institution is doing fine? Read this research. buff.ly/pK7NlQX #HigherEducation #Racism #MentalHealth

Conversations about Youth Mental Health research from the fabulous #AMHDMshowcase on 11-12 Feb. We made a set of videos that we've shared on Instagram and LinkedIn - links in this thread below if you want to take a look! Please share @ukri.org