This "face scan" option for verifying that you are over 18 is strange. Humans underestimate my age by 5 to 15 years. Hopefully at 36 that means the scan will still put me in the "adult" category. But it would have caused trouble when I was a bit younger.

"While the most popular narratives of suicide in the media seem to frame it as coming “out of the blue”, many people who are bereaved by suicide have lived with fear for a long time before their loss."

Last few days to take part! Relatively unusually this research idea started with people's lived experience, so I am hoping to do it justice by gathering as much data as possible. Please take part (whether or not you have OCD) and/or share widely! edinburgh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Like thousands of others I'm continuing to keep a close eye on the #Madleen @freedomflotilla.bsky.social as it travels towards Gaza. The bravery of the crew is inspiring. #AllEyesOnDeck

More people are in work than peer nations but this is changing as more people wait for healthcare The UK has some of the longest waits for healthcare This has happened in the past 15 years

I feel despairing that world leaders have still not acted to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The fact that 12 people (including Greta Thunberg) are currently risking their lives to get aid into Gaza gives me some hope for humanity. #AllEyesOnDeck

I went to a local Lebanese takeaway to help fuel me through exam moderation. Very keen on these little baklawa baskets.

We're having some difficulty finding people to take part in this study. Please consider taking part or sharing (you don't need to have OCD to take part!) This work is built on lived experience and we're optimistic that it could (eventually) make a difference for people with #OCD.

Just took the personality-based job profiler from @renemottus.bsky.social - the top two job matches for my personality were "Research professionals not otherwise classified" and "University and Higher Education teachers". I've actually done 3 of the top 4 jobs it suggests for me (other was writer).

Spoke to my mum about taking a mortgage from one house to another. She said that wasn't a concern when she was about my age because the house went up in value so much that the sale price paid off the whole mortgage (for the original house).

We're looking for UK men aged 40-65 to give us some paid feedback on a video featuring 2 men talking about experiences of #suicidal thoughts. We want to know if it will be helpful for other men, even if they have never felt suicidal. Up to 1 hour of your time to help in our #suicideprevention work.

By investing in what works, the Government can turn the tide on poor mental health. With @nhsconfed.org's Mental Health Network, we've set out six key areas for investment, backed by economic evidence, which would boost the nation’s mental health 👇 tinyurl.com/ypjusv3z #InvestInMentalHealth

Good point from @markoneinfour.bsky.social. In the last couple of years I've got into aerial gymnastics. I'm not very good at it but I enjoy it and it means I'm doing regular exercise. Like with many hobbies though it's a privilege to be able to afford it and attend a nearby location.

Writing on the back of this photo from my collection says “General Nuisance. Summer 1954”.

We're looking for disabled people (incl. people with mental health conditions & neurodivergent people) to be part of our advisory group for a project @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social aiming to improve clinical trial accessibility. Email me at [email protected] if you'd like more info. Please share!

I used to get multiple emails per day from predatory journals in my "Focused" academic inbox. This week I haven't had any. I assume there's been an update somewhere in the system, and I'm very pleased about that.

Secondly, the category 'anxiety & depression', where there's been a particular growth in claims for PIP, represents a very broad range of experiences, many of which will be much more severe & debilitating than people might intuitively imagine when they think of these diagnoses /3

We're looking for people to take part in our research into thinking patterns in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD are especially welcome to participate, but you can take part even if you don't have OCD. Find out more and register: edinburgh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

I found this to be a very supportive programme which helped me feel less isolated through the temporary contracts and struggles to get funding. It's a great way to connect with other ECRs working in mental health research - I would recommend applying!

This isn't an attack on others, but a psychological observation - it is stressful to wear a mask when those around you don't (even when those around you are lovely people). I imagine this is a basic human reaction - to want to fit in with the group.

Important work from the National Association of Disabled Staff Networks @nadsn.bsky.social.

#Statistics advice needed! I am testing a new questionnaire measure. I collected data from participants at Time 1, and again from the same participants one week later (Time 2). Can I use an exploratory factor analysis on the Time 1 data, and confirmatory factor analysis on the Time 2 data?

Today let's remember that austerity kills. 🧵 Researchers at the University of Glasgow, found that an additional 335,000 deaths occurred in Scotland, England, and Wales between 2012 and 2019 compared to what was expected based on previous trends. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Are you a clinician who works with people with psychosis and co-occurring obsessive-compulsive symptoms or disorder? If you are interested please read the poster and scan the QR code or follow the link to the survey: t.co/9WKZRMB6DS

Good people to follow in the midst of Labour's behaviour* on welfare benefits are @francesryan.bsky.social and @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social. *I wasn't sure what word to use that covered everything, including the inaccurate rhetoric and poor decision making.

Lots and lots of people are struggling badly with their mental health, who desperately need help and aren’t getting it. Research has highlighted that these people are often dismissed and not believed. It’s crucial that this is emphasised in any conversation about possible overdiagnosis

Has anyone told Keir Starmer you can buy short-sleeved shirts now? Might save him some time given how often he's rolling up his sleeves.

This sounds like a really interesting project!

🙌Very excited to share our new support network for mental health and/or addiction research academics with lived experience. We have called it LENS (Lived Experience Network for Scholars). Read more and sign up on Eventbrite for our 1st online meeting in May: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lived-expe...

We @EDACautism_ED launched our exhibition on Friday and Saturday. We were over the moon that so many participants and collaborators were able to make it along. @EDAC is more than a research grant or network – we are a #community of #Autistic people, (1/2)

When we rented we had a toilet room that looked like the film "The Grudge" until I paid for and painted the parts I could reach with expensive anti-mould paint (the landlord's comment: "make sure it's magnolia"). Other walls would get easily mould-covered too, and the ceiling leaked regularly.

One way I can tell Bluesky is less algorithm-driven than other social media platforms is that it shows me pictures of cats rather than dogs (or guinea pigs).

Normally I'm too cynical to appreciate a poem like this, but the line "you cannot save the world but you can open the window for the trapped wren in the cellar" is helpful today.

Very grateful for the career coaching sessions I have had with Anna via the @mhrincubator.bsky.social. Yesterday she reminded me that I am quite hard on myself (and particularly so at the moment). I often don't realise this because I'm so much kinder to myself than I used to be.

Masters scholarships for Palestinian students at Sussex. Please disseminate? www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/re...

Our university guidance informs students they can use AI to identify ideas and key themes, to plan their writing, and to improve the clarity of their writing. The first part worries me - students are losing opportunities to develop critical thinking skills.

When I leave my writing alone for a while I tend to get scared of it. But I'm glad to say I'm back on it now and enjoying bringing ideas together. Here's a picture of my guinea pig Sharon.

Half my "Focused" inbox for today is predatory journal emails. This despite the fact I usually block or report any that come in. I could create inbox rules to sift them out but I'm nervous about sifting out genuine emails. Is this a common problem for academics using Outlook?

January was a busy month as both teacher (marking/moderating exams) and student (completing assignments on good academic practice). So here is a picture of my dog Sonja.

I've just logged back on to Bluesky after about 6 months away. When I joined it was quiet on here but I've heard it's now like 2014 Twitter. Excited to see that I have more followers than people I'm following - took a screenshot for posterity before following people back!

We're looking for people with OCD to test out a new lived-experience-based theory. It's had great anecdotal feedback from people with OCD - this research will help us gather empirical data. Please share with anyone who might be interested! Sign-up: edinburgh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Last year was difficult as I had 5 fellowship rejections for my OCD research ideas. But I've just sent out the 4th of four surveys in a Delphi study to progress these ideas. Things are moving more slowly than if I had a fellowship, but they are moving, thanks to the support of people with OCD.

Yesterday I had a meeting with a product design student who was thinking about products that could support people who have hoarding conditions. She wanted to get my perspective as someone who researches OCD. It was a really interesting interdisciplinary chat!

Trying to read myself into a new research area: the relationship of the menstrual cycle and mood disorders broadly. Not so much interested in biology/mechanisms rather than descriptive epidemiological evidence and open questions. Recommendations welcome—thanks a lot!

@thementalelf.bsky.social it was great to hear from you at the GROW programme this morning. It left me feeling more optimistic about things (I'm not entirely sure why that happened, but wanted to tell you about it anyway!)

Last night I discovered a hidden talent for ice-free curling.

New paper in BMC Medical Ethics on perspectives of people with mental illness in the UK. The primary focus of these interviews was people's attitudes to health data sharing, but the issues of stigma and access to mental health care came up a lot. bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

It sounds like this place is getting popular with scientists/academics. Which on the one hand is good for connections, but on the other hand makes me feel nervous that my feed will be full of "delighted to announce"s. I can only handle that kind of feed in small doses.

I know this meme is originally from The Other Place but I wanted to keep the author in the image.