MQ Open Mind

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to associate professor in psychology at Durham University, Dr Ben Alderson-Day. Ben’s research is broadly focused on mental health and neurodiversity. His current research is about “felt presence”, the sensation that someone is present without any sensory cues. In this conversation, they discussed presence, the research behind hallucinations, and the fourth man phenomenon.

In this episode, we spoke to Professor of Psychiatry at Queen’s University Kingston, and Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford, Dr Anne Duffy. Anne has an extensive research background in understanding the development and early intervention of mental illness in young people. Her current research is focused on developing an international collaborative network of student mental health research called U-Flourish. In this conversation, they discussed understanding bipolar disorder, supporting students' mental health, and whether mental illnesses can be genetic.

In this episode, Professor Rory and Craig spoke to Armed Forces veteran and CEO of Sporting Force, Tommy Lowther.   Tommy served with the British Army and subsequently with the Metropolitan Police. During both careers, he experienced several traumatic events, causing him to be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In this conversation, they discussed the impact of trauma on mental health, using sports for rehabilitation, and understanding the importance of seeking help.  You can learn more about Sporting Force here https://www.sportingforce.org/. If you have been affected by any of the themes we have spoken about in today's episode, you can reach out to Help for Heroes (www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-help) or Rape Crisis (www.rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help). Details for both are in the show notes. You can also speak to the Samaritans (www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan) anytime by calling 116-123.

In this episode, Professor Rory and Craig spoke to mental health campaigner and MQ ambassador Flo Sharman.  At four months old, Flo had a life-saving operation which caused her to stay in the hospital for several months. At age eight, Flo had a sudden mental breakdown that temporarily caused her to go blind and be paralysed. Only years later, she discovered that this breakdown was due to the trauma she experienced early on in life. In this fascinating conversation, they discussed the impact of trauma on mental health, finding the correct treatment that fits your needs, and how to support young people with mental illness.

In this episode, Professor Rory and Craig spoke to Dr Rona Strawbridge, a medical genetics research fellow at the University of Glasgow, and Manveer Sahota, an expert by lived experience and research participatory. Rona joined the show on behalf of DATAMIND, a Health Data Research Hub and a global resource for Mental Health researchers. Recently, Rona and Manveer worked together on a study about the genetic link between mental illness and diabetes. In this fascinating conversation, they spoke about the significance of creating inclusive research, the challenges of capturing mental health data, and the correlations between physical and mental health.

This week we have dancers AJ & Curtis Pritchard, actress Linda Lusardi, and MQ ambassador and returning Open Mind guest Gemma Styles.  In this episode, we discuss what questions we would like mental health research to answer, the importance of finding suitable treatment, and finding strength through diagnosis.

In this episode, Professor Rory and Craig spoke to Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry at Swansea University, Ann John. Ann is the Principal Investigator and Co-Director of DATAMIND, a Health Data Research Hub and a global resource for Mental Health researchers.  In this engaging conversation, they spoke about the importance of collaboration, the inequalities in support for those with a mental illness, and understanding how data is used in research.

In honour of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month,  this week, we’re re-releasing our Gone Too Soon webinar as a podcast episode.  Hosted by MQ’s Bryony, the panel consisted of Professor Rory O’Connor, Dr Ruchika Gajwani, a clinical psychologist and MQ Fellow, and MQ ambassador Harry Corin. In this discussion, they spoke about the current state of treatments and interventions, the misconceptions about suicide and how research may prevent more people from being gone too soon.

In this episode, Professor Rory and Craig spoke to author and MQ ambassador Claire Eastham. Earlier this year, Claire released a book called ‘How I Learned to Live With Panic’, which explores anxiety and panic disorder whilst providing helpful knowledge on how to manage panic attacks. In this inspiring conversation, they spoke about the difficulties with getting a diagnosis, learning how to understand your condition and how to support someone with panic disorder.

In this episode, Professor Rory and Craig spoke to Nick Morgan, the founder of the organization Euro Youth Mental Health, and activist and lived experience campaigner, Chryssi. Euro Youth Mental Health is a non-profit organization that advocates for children and young people’s mental health. In this discussion, they spoke about the importance of volunteering, using lived experience in research, and supporting young people's mental health. Learn more about Euro Youth Mental Health here: https://eymh.org/ Visit MQMentalHealth.org to learn more about MQ and mental health research.