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We all say things that we don’t mean sometimes. Perhaps the time that you snapped at the end of a long day or said that deliberately hurtful comment in the heat of an argument. Sometimes these instances are easily recognisable (perhaps easily apologised for). However, often our language conveys more subtle messages as well. Even everyday expression

A few years ago, if you had said to me that I would be celebrating the publication of an academic research paper, I would have laughed. In 2007, attempting my MPhil nearly broke me, and this, amongst other life pressures, caused me to have a psychotic breakdown. I was in and out of hospital that year, and was eventually given a diagnosis of paranoi

Dear readers, Thanks for following us through 2015! It has been great to have so many people sharing experience, research, views and opinions - the blog really wouldn't be the platform that it is without you. We hope you have a brilliant festive season and look forward to sharing some great new content with you in January.  Remember: if you en

The character in crisis is the bread-and-butter of fiction, so we shouldn’t be surprised to find mental health issues depicted on the page. But for those with insider knowledge – as service users, clinicians, academics and/or friends and family – the suspension of disbelief required to enter the world of the novel can be severely challenged when th

On 11th March 2015, The Green Party's Caroline Lucas presented a private members' bill to reverse key elements of the government's health reforms. The bill called for the purchaser-provider split within the NHS to be abolished and the role of private companies restricted. Caroline Lucas said: "Our NHS is being dismantled piece by piece. A fragmente

Dear reader,Do you have something to say about mental health, integrated health care or wellbeing? Are there any issues that you feel passionately about and would like to communicate to a wider audience? Well good news….we are looking for content and would love your input! We would welcome anything broadly related to mental health and health care,

Maternal or 'perinatal' mental health has been in the spotlight recently, following the inquest into the tragic case of Charlotte Bevan.  An exhibition currently on display at the Institute of Mental Health highlights the devastating effect perinatal mental illness can have on women and their families.  At the heart of this exhibition however, is a

As a PhD student in Psychology I have come across and read (or at least attempted to read) an array of books probing the human psyche and the complexity of the human brain. These prescribed texts have undoubtedly increased my knowledge and helped me throughout my studies, however I often feel that they are missing a critical human element. What I m

Following a traumatic car accident in 2001, and subsequent attempts to recover, I suffered severely disabling illness in 2004, with rapid onset Rheumatoid arthritis and Fibromyalgia. There have been times since 2004, when I have experienced profound depression and frustration at the lack of adequate care and support available. But through mindfulne

Like my colleague, Jo Higman, I recently completed an M.A. in Health Communication at the University of Nottingham. Many thanks to the support from Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the Clinical Research Network: East Midlands, and Learning Beyond Registration (LBR) funding.The topic I chose for my dissertation was to closely examine

Each year, September 10th marks World Suicide Prevention Day. The theme this year, ‘Reaching Out and Saving Lives’, highlights not only the role that support and social ties play in combating suicide, but also the role that each of us has in saving lives.Below is a piece from the International Association for Suicide Prevention, organisers of World

What if there was a way to improve your memory, enhance your focus and change your mood using a technique which claimed to be safe, simple and effective. Would you be tempted, and if so what should you know?Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive stimulation technique known to be able to temporarily alter states within the

Over the past few weeks I have been puzzling, as PhD students do, for a ground breaking, cutting edge, innovative and (lest we forget) high impact study idea.  So far my puzzle contains two parts:Puzzle Piece 1: Social Networks[caption id="attachment_1403" align="alignright" width="240"] Sillouettes of tomorrow (see end of blog for attribution)For

Picture the scene. Here I am on an acute psychiatric inpatient ward, sat telling the psychiatrist that I have no hope. Nothing to live for. Imagine then, being given a gentle nudge, and I look at him through my tears and he says “Clare, I think you would make a very good peer support worker.” The words flew over me, not quite knowing where to land,

A post today by Jo Higman, who is a Research Nurse.  You can contact Jo if you'd like to discuss her research at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..I’ve recently completed an MA in Health Communication at the University of Nottingham. When casting around for a topic for my dissertation, I was struck by the pervasiveness of mindfulness, in both popular cultur

Deep in thought whilst on the way to see a show at Nottingham University Lakeside Theatre I couldn’t decide if I was looking forward to the show ahead or not. I had bought tickets to see The Mugenkyo drummers for my partner’s birthday in October. Andy (my partner) has played drums in a band for over 20 years and is one of those people who is consta

 Today we relaunch the IMH Blog, and are thrilled to do so with a fantastic piece from Rupal Patel, a PhD student in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham.  Rupal's doctoral research has explored the reasons behind low rates of mental illness within the Gujarati community in Britain, and below she discusses

You may have noticed that this blog has been quiet of late; as it frequently does, 'real life' got in the way.  However, we are back as of next month, and we need YOU!  If you would like to contribute an article to the blog, we would love to receive it.  Our remit is very open - we look for content from academics, service users, carers and clinicia

Elizabeth Cotton has recently written on the Centre for Health and the Public Interest blog about precarious work and mental health.  The first paragraph is here, the full post can be found on the CHPI's website here."One of the hidden factors driving the UK’s mental health services to its current tipping point is the working conditions of the peop

The recent decision by the Supreme Court in Cheshire West and Chester Council v P (2014) UKSC 19  reconsidered the definition of ‘deprivation of liberty’, construing it much more widely than previously understood, and bringing many more people within the scope of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).  The implications of this decision is cu