Welcome to the Mental Elf. This website will help you find just what you need to keep up-to-date with all of the important and reliable mental health research and guidance.

Our team of mental health experts post blogs every week day with short and snappy summaries that highlight evidence-based publications relevant to mental health practice in the UK and further afield.

All of our blogs are free to read. This is important because our vision for this website is to facilitate a democratic conversation between patients, clinicians, researchers, carers, policy makers, health and social care professionals and others. It’s vital that this discussion takes place in a public space so we can learn from each other.

Our bloggers give their time for free and they are all really keen to contribute because they share our ethos for clearly communicating evidence-based research to anyone who is interested. This website is very much a group effort.

We scour over 500 sources of evidence (journals, databases, websites) every week, to find key guidance, systematic reviews and other high quality research and reports that will help make your practice more evidence-based. The selection process has no input from any external bodies, publishers, sponsors or commercial organisations.

No bias, no misinformation, no spin, just what you need.

Who started the Mental Elf?

The blog was started by André Tomlin in May 2011. André’s an Information Scientist and has worked in mental health since the late nineties, formerly at the University of Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Mental Health and since 2002 as MD of Minervation Ltd an evidence-based healthcare consultancy based in Oxford.

After  2 very successful years of blogging as the Mental Elf, André decided to invite colleagues to join him as contributors to the site. It’s great to involve a wide range of people in this venture, to bring in a fresh perspective and their considerable knowledge and clinical experience.

How is the Mental Elf funded?

The National Elf Service website, which contains the Mental Elf and a number of other elves covering topics from dentistry to social care, was set up by Minervation Ltd. The Founders of Minervation (André Tomlin and Douglas Badenoch) are also Founders and Directors of the National Elf Service. The website is self-funded and receives no money from the pharmaceutical industry or other commercial organisations. We feel that it is important we remain independent from any commercial organisations who work in mental health.

In 2012, we received a small research and development grant from the UK Government to carry out the market research to get our website fully tested and launched.

Does the Mental Elf make money?

All of the National Elf Service blogs (including the Mental Elf) are free. That will always remain so. Contributors are not paid for their blogs, and we only work with people who have no conflict of interest.

However, it costs money to run the website. We generate revenue from Membership. Our members enjoy the added benefits of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system within the National Elf Service website. This is aimed at students and professionals who need to keep up to date with the latest research in a way that can be linked to their CPD. The CPD system has been built with significant investment from Minervation and is run as a business. We sell individual and institutional subscriptions to this website and our clients include universities, charities, the NHS and local authorities. An institutional subscription includes bulk access to our CPD membership area as well as consultancy support from our team. Find out more by reading our publicity leaflet.

We also generate revenue from consultancy services that we provide to the NHS, charities, universities, professional membership bodies and mental health networks. Our consultancy services include live reporting from mental health events (#BeyondTheRoom) and producing bespoke digital content (e.g. podcasts, videos).

Our plan is to build this business so we can grow the website and include other health topics in our list of elves.

Is the National Elf Service ever paid for content?

No. We do not accept commissioned articles, and we do not work with authors who have a conflict of interest with the paper in question.

Who edits the blogs?

We currently have 5 project coordinators working at The National Elf Service. Whilst they mainly commission and edit blogs for the Mental Elf, they can often be found working on a variety of different projects including podcasts, #BeyondTheRoom events and more. If you have a question for one of the team or would like to write a blog for us, you can read more about them and the topics they are responsible for below:

Syeda Akther

Syeda is a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Oxford. Prior to beginning clinical training, Syeda worked as a research assistant on various research projects including the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit. Her research interests include ethnic inequalities, the mental health of Muslims, the experience of carers, as well as service user and carer involvement in research.

Syeda is responsible for our blogs on: Public mental health/community/ primary care, Genetics/ neuroscience/ biology, Inpatient/ crisis (MH nursing), Minority MH, Multimorbidity, Personality disorders, Psychosocial interventions.

Follow Syeda on Twitter @SyedaAkther2

View Syeda’s Mental Elf blogs here.

Dafni Katsampa

Dafni is a psychology graduate with an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from UCL. She is currently an ECR at MARCH Network (UCL) and working as a researcher at Samaritans, Online Harms. The aim of this programme is to understand the nature of online harmful content and the impact of engaging with such content on young people. Previously, Dafni worked at the Middlesex University on a suicide prevention project commissioned by Samaritans and Network Rail. She explored bystander life-saving interventions when someone is at risk and/or feeling suicidal at public places. Her research interests include suicide prevention, social determinants and their impact on mental health, health inequalities and promotion of wellbeing through cultural engagement.

Dafni is responsible for our blogs on: Arts and cultural engagement, Bipolar, Dementia and Delirium, Depression, Exercise, physical activity and diet, Mentally ill professionals, Suicide and self-harm.

Follow Dafni on Twitter @DafniKatsampa

View Dafni’s Mental Elf blogs here.

Leanne Patrick

Leanne is a registered mental health nurse working in a community drug and alcohol service. She is also an MSc social research student, exploring the social factors influencing underdiagnosis of ASD in girls who compensate. Previously, Leanne has been a journalist and columnist writing about childhood development and mental health. Her research interests include substance dependence, mental health in childhood and adolescence, domestic violence and families.

Leanne is responsible for our blogs on: Substance use, dependence and addiction, Economics, Developmental disorders, Perinatal mental health and parenting, Child and adolescent mental health.

Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneHPatrick

View Leanne’s Mental Elf blogs here.

Katherine Saunders

Katherine is in the final year of her PhD at the Section of Women’s Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, KCL. Her research focuses on domestic violence perpetration and the association with mental health. She holds a BSc in Experimental Psychology from the University of Bristol and an MSc from KCL in Forensic Mental Health.

Katherine is responsible for our blogs on: Diagnostic and transdiagnostic, Global mental health, Displaced populations, Psychosis and schizophrenia, Trauma, Violence and abuse, Forensics

Follow Katherine on Twitter @KSaundersKCL

View Katherine’s Mental Elf blogs here.

Laura Hemming

Laura is a PhD student at the University of Manchester where she is investigating how difficulties with identifying and describing emotions are related to suicide and violence amongst male prisoners. Prior to this Laura worked as a researcher at the McPin Foundation. Laura’s research areas of interest include forensic mental health, suicide prevention and qualitative research methods. Laura has always had a strong interest in patient and public involvement and engagement in research.

Laura is responsible for our blogs on: Anxiety, Digital Mental Health, Eating Disorders, Employment, Workplace, Housing, Welfare, Crime, Loneliness, Recovery/ Positive MH & wellbeing, Service user involvement, Coproduction, PPI.

Follow Laura on Twitter @LHemming123

View Laura’s Mental Elf blogs here.

Who writes for the Mental Elf?

We have an ever-expanding team of people who contribute to the site. The group includes senior clinicians and researchers, health and social care professionals, academics, service users, students, information scientists and carers.

We’re adding to our network of writers all the time, so find out more if you’re interested in getting involved yourself.

1. Clive Adams, Chair of Mental Health Services Research and Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group at the University of Nottingham
2. Sally Adams, Lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of Bath
3. Sophia Ahmed, Assistant Psychologist at the National Problem Gambling Clinic, Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust
4. Syeda Akther, Research Assistant at the QMUL Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry
5. Lia Ali, Consultant Psychiatrist for Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
6. Eva Alisic, Psychologist and Research Fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia
7. Ahmed Al-Shihabi, Medicine Student at University College London
8. Rachel Allan, Practice Leader for The Royal Mencap Society
9. Rob Allison, Lecturer at the Department of Health Sciences, University of York
10. Lucía Almazán Sánchez, Medical Student at King’s College London
11. Murtada Alsaif, Pharmacist
12. Ian Anderson, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manchester
13. Kinga Antal, MSc student, Kings College London
14. Steve Appleton, Managing Director, Contact Consulting
15. Briana Applewhite, MSc Clinical Mental Health student at King’s College London
16. Golnar Aref-Adib, NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow at UCL and Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust
17. Louise Arseneault, ESRC Mental Health Leadership Fellow and Professor of Developmental Psychology at King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
18. Emma Ashworth, Chartered Psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University
19. Henry Aughterson, PhD student at UCL
20. Douglas Badenoch, Director of Minervation Ltd
21. John Baker, Chair of Mental Health Nursing at the University of Leeds
22. Ioannis Bakolis, Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
23. Joe Barnby, Research Assistant at University College London
24. Jack Barton, PhD student at University of Manchester
25. Bibire Baykeens, Medical Student, Univesity of Plymouth
26. Andy Bell, Deputy Chief Executive at the Centre for Mental Health
27. Imogen Bell, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Psychologist at Orygen and the Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne.
28. Jonny Benjamin, Mental Health Campaigner, Film Producer, Public Speaker, Writer and Vlogger
29. Laura Bennett, Research Assistant for the Learning Disability Mortality Review Programme (LeDeR) at University of Bristol
30. Clara Belessiotis, Core Trainee in Psychiatry at East London Foundation Trust
31. Francesca Bentivegna, PhD student at UCL Division of Psychiatry
32. Natalie Berry, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of Manchester/Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS
33. Kathryn Berzins, Research Fellow in Mental Health at the School of Healthcare, University of Leeds
34. Victoria Betton, Director of mHabitat
35. Vishal Bhavsar, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Training Fellow in Epidemiology, Institute of Psychiatry
36. Catherine Bird, Research Assistant at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
37. Molly Bird, Research Associate and UCL Loneliness and Social Isolation Network member
38. Jo Billings, Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Associate Clinical Professor, UCL
39. Jonathan Bisson, Psychiatrist at Cardiff University
40. Melissa Black, Clinical psychologist and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge
41. Anya Borrisova, Junior Doctor in the NHS
42. Lisa Bortolotti, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham
43. Helen Bould, Wellcome Trust Doctoral Training Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
44. Lucy Bowes, Associate Professor in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford
45. Marlee Bower, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Matilda Centre for Research for Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney
46. Hannah Bowers, Research Fellow at Southampton University
47. Simon Bradstreet, Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow
48. Rachel Brand, Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow at Phoenix Australia: Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, The University of Melbourne
49. Josefien Breedvelt, Research Officer at the Mental Health Foundation
50. Gerome Breen, Psychiatric Geneticist at King’s College London
51. Simon Brett, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner & MSci student at the University of Reading
52. Amy Broadbent, Research Assistant, Cambridge
53. Matthew Broome, Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
54. Mark Brown, Development Director of Social Spider CIC
55. Stefan Brugger, NIHR Academic Clinical Research Fellow at UCL
56. Martin Brunet, GP from the Binscombe Medical Centre
57. Kjetil Gundro Brurberg, Researcher in the Division of Primary Care and Clinical Procedures at the Norwegian Knowledge Center for Health Services in Public Health, Oslo, Norway
58. Jennifer Burgess, Academic Clinical Fellow in General Adult Psychiatry in Newcastle
59. Lisa Burscheidt, Assistant Librarian at North East London NHS Foundation Trust
60. Peter Byrne, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the Royal London Hospital
61. Alastair Canaway, Research Fellow at the University of Warwick
62. Krysia Canvin, Independent Health Services Researcher
63. Victoria Carlisle, PhD Student at the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, University of Bristol
64. Sarah Carr, Associate Professor of Mental Health Research at Middlesex University, Independent Consultant at Sarah Carr and Associates Ltd
65. Zoe Catchpole, Peer Impact and Engagement Officer, McPin Foundation
66. Laura Caven, Policy Manager at Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
67. Brant Cebulla, Development Director for the Vitamin D Council in California, USA
68. Emma Cernis, Research Assistant, Oxford
69. Iain Chalmers, Coordinator at James Lind Initiative
70. Sarah Chapman, Knowledge Broker at UK Cochrane Centre
71. Kate Chartres, Nurse Consultant for the Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wears NHS Foundation Trust
72. Paul Christiansen, Lecturer at the University of Liverpool
73. Andrea Cipriani, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford; Editor in Chief of Evidence-Based Mental Health
74. Natasha Clarke, PhD Student at the University of Liverpool
75. Alys Cole-King, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, the Royal College of Psychiatrists Spokesperson on Suicide and Self harm, and the Clinical Director of Connecting with People
76. Elizabeth Collier, Lecturer in Mental Health at the University of Derby
77. Lorna Collins, Researcher and Member of the MARCH network
78. Jennifer Collom, Research Assistant at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London
79. Dean Connolly, Student at University College London
80. Nicola Coop, Assistant Psychologist
81. Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling at the School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Scotland
82. Emma Corcoran, Research Assistant at UCL Psychiatry
83. Samuele Cortese, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Southampton and Honorary Consultant Child Psychiatrist at Solent NHS Trust
84. Elana Covshoff, Programme Manager at SHRINE
85. Marie Crabbe, Research Assistant at Oxford Health Foundation NHS Trust
86. Jake Crawshaw, PhD candidate at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London
87. Byron Creese, Research Psychologist at the University of Exeter
88. Ioana Cristea, Associate Professor at Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca and a Research Fellow at the University of Pisa, Italy
89. Ioana Crivatu, Research Assistant, Middlesex Univerity, London
90. Jazz Croft, PhD candidate at the Centre for Academic Mental Health, University of Bristol
91. Rebecca Crook, Research assistant, University of Manchester
92. Laura Culshaw, Assistant Psychologist / Research Associate, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital / University of Westminster
93. Ian Cummins, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Salford
94. Emily Currell, MSc Student at University College London
95. Simon D’Alfonso, Lecturer in Digital Health, The University of Melbourne
96. David Daley, Professor of Psychological Intervention and Behaviour Change at the University of Nottingham
97. Tim Dalgleish, Programme leader at University of Cambridge
98. Aster Daniels, Research Nurse at King’s College Hospital
99. Sasha Danilina, PhD Student at University College London
100. Suzanne Dash, Graduate-Entry Medicine Student at the University of Oxford
101. Geoff Davies, Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Surrey
102. Kelly Davies, Lecturer in Mental Health at the University of York
103. John M Davis, Professor of Psychiatry and Research Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago
104. Emily Day, Research Programme Administrator for the iCATS project at the University of Oxford
105. Jennifer de Bayer, Research Coordinator at the Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Oxford University
106. Derek de Beurs, Senior Mental Health Researcher at the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL)
107. Caroline De Brun, Knowledge and Evidence Manager at Public Health England Knowledge and Library Services
108. Angharad de Cates, Psychiatry Registrar and Honorary Research Fellow at Warwick Medical School
109. Helen Dodd, Professor of Child Psychology at the University of Reading
110. Clare Dolan, Research Assistant at the University of Edinburg
111. Jill Domoney, Clinical Psychologist and Researcher at the Section of Women’s Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
112. Ailsa Donnelly, Lay Chair of the PRIMER group
113. Muna Dubad, PhD Student at the University of Warwick
114. Jay Duckworth, PhD Student at the University of Liverpool
115. Brendan Dunlop, Clinical Psychologist in training, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
116. Thalia Eley, Professor of Developmental Behavioural Genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London
117. Edel Ennis, Lecturer in Psychology at Ulster University
118. M. David Enoch, Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital
119. Edzard Ernst, Emeritus Professor at Exeter University
120. Michelle Eskinazi, MSC Student at University College London & Core Psychiatry Trainee at Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust
121. Norah Essali, Medical student at the University of Kalamoon, Syria
122. Pete Etchells, Senior Lecturer in Biological Psychology at Bath Spa University
123. Katie Evans, Head of Research and Policy at Money and Mental Health
124. Alison Faulkner, Surviver Researcher and Trainer in Mental Health
125. Mina Fazel, Associate Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Oxford University Department of Psychiatry and Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
126. Matt Field, Professor of Psychology at the University of Liverpool
127. Caroline Fiennes, Director at Giving Evidence
128. Saoirse Finn, Network Co-ordinator at Arts Health Early Career Research Network
129. Katie Finning, PhD student at the School of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter
130. Terry Flemming, Senior Lecturer at the Victoria University of Wellington
131. Meg Fluharty, Research Assistant at the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, University of Bristol
132. Andrés Fonseca, Consultant Psychiatrist, CEO of Health eLiving Partnership, Honorary Lecturer at UCL
133. Tamsin Ford, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Exeter
134. Alexander Foster, Research Worker in Global Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
135. Una Foye, Research Officer at the Mental Health Foundation
136. Eleana Frisira, Junior Doctor in the NHS
137. Suzi Gage, Lecturer in Psychology and Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool
138. Linda Gask, Emerita Professor of Primary Care Psychiatry at the University of Manchester
139. Lina Gega, Reader in Mental Health at the University of York and Hull York Medical School
140. Clarissa Giebel, Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool
141. Bethany Gill, Research Associate at Lancaster Associate
142. Patricia Gillen, Head of Research and Development for Nurses, Midwives and AHPs/ Lecturer at the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) and Ulster University
143. Maria Giorgalli, Student, MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences at University College London
144. Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, Artist, Midwife and Birth Activist
145. Guy Goodwin, Professor of Psychiatry at the University Department of Psychiatry, Oxford
146. Sophie Graham, Medical Student at Newcastle University
147. Amy Green, Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Bristol
148. Bethany Green, Social Worker in community mental health services in East London.
149. Caroline Emmer De Albuquerque Green, Post-doctoral fellow at the ARC South London, NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London
150. Sarah Gregory, Doctoral candidate and study coordinator at the University of Edinburgh
151. Ellen Grimas, PhD Student at Imperial College
152. David Gunnell, MB, ChB, DSc, FMedSci Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Bristol
153. Peter Haddad, Senior Consultant in Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Qatar University, Qatar
154. David Hallford, Clinical Psychologist and Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University in Australia
155. Ian Hamilton, Associate Professor in addiction at University of York
156. Terry Hanley, Senior Lecturer in Counselling Psychology at University of Manchester
157. Ben Hannigan, Reader in Mental Health Nursing in the School of Healthcare Sciences at Cardiff University
158. Keir Harding, Occupational Therapist, Cynnwys (together), at the personality disorder service in Cardiff
159. Laurie Hare-Duke, Research Fellow at the Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham
160. Amanda Harris, Psychologist and Director of the Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network
161. Judith Harrison, Welsh Clinical Academic Training Fellow at Cardiff University
162. Camille Hart, Psychiatric Trainee Doctor at Queen’s University, Belfast
163. Suzan Hassan, PhD Student at UCL Primary Care and Population Health
164. Helge Hasselmann, Research Masters Student in Clinical and Cognitive Neurosciences at Maastricht University
165. Simon Hatcher, Full Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Ottawa
166. Joseph Hayes, Clinical Training Fellow at UCL Division of Psychiatry
167. Laura Hemming, PhD Student at the University of Manchester
168. Jill Hemmington, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader PG Cert (AMHP) at the School of Social Work, Care and Community, University of Central Lancashire
169. Paul Heron, Research Fellow at Closing the Gap Network, University of York
170. Sarah Hetrick, Associate Professor in Youth Mental Health at the University of Auckland
171. Jessamy Hibberd, Chartered Clinical Psychologist
172. Emily Hielscher, PhD Candidate at University of Queensland
173. Kerrie-Anne Ho, PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales, Australia
174. Chris Hollis, Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Nottingham and Consultant in Developmental Neuropsychiatry with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
175. Mark Horowitz, Training Psychiatrist from Australia who is completing a PhD at King’s College London
176. Maxine Howard, PhD student at University College London
177. Dochka Hristova, Project Coordinator for the National Elf Service
178. Samei Huda, Consultant Psychiatrist at Pennine Care, Manchester
179. Charlotte Huggett, Trial Manager, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
180. Liz Hughes, Professor of Mental Health at University of Huddersfield and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
181. Neil Humphrey, Professor of Psychology of Education and Head of the Manchester Institute of Education at the University of Manchester
182. Jane Iles, Clinical Psychologist working in CAMHS and Research Associate at Imperial College London
183. Udita Iyengar, Project Manager in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
184. Pamela Jacobsen, Clinical Psychologist and NIHR Research Fellow at King’s College London
185. Benjamin Janaway, Psychiatry trainee and Science communicator
186. Alex Jarram, PhD student at University College London
187. Sameer Jauhar, Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the Institute of Psychiatry
188. Sam Jee, Research Associate at the University of Manchester
189. Sonia Johnson, Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry at UCL, Director of the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit
190. Susie Johnson, Recent Graduate from Bristol University
191. Mandy Johnstone, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, University of Edinburgh
192. Andrew Jones, Post-doctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool
193. Ian Jones, Professor of Perinatal Psychiatry at Cardiff University, Director of the Welsh National Centre for Mental Health
194. Jonathan Jones, PhD Psychology student at the University of Exeter
195. Mona Jones, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, AnDY Research clinic, University of Reading
196. Dan Joyce, Clinical Lecturer at Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, Junior Doctor in general adult psychiatry
197. Joe Judge, Clinical Psychologist in the Hamilton Psychological Therapies Team, Lanarkshire, Scotland
198. Shubhangi Karmakar, Medical and MSc student at Trinity College Dublin
199. Muzaffer Kaser, Psychiatrist and Clinical Lecturer at the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University
200. Dafni Katsampa, Research Assistant at Middlesex University London
201. Anjuli Kaul, Administrator at the Violence and Abuse Mental Health Network
202. Katerina Kavalidou, Postdoctoral Researcher at National Suicide Research Foundation in Ireland
203. Eleanor Kennedy, PhD Student at Bristol Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, University of Bristol
204. Patrick Kennedy-Williams, BPS Chartered and HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist, Co-director of Psychology Oxford
205. Jack Kerwin, Medical student
206. Roxanne Keynejad, Clinical Research Training Fellow in the Section of Women’s Mental Health at King’s College London
207. Nagina Khan, MRC Research Training Fellow at the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester
208. Olivia Kirtley, Research Assistant at the University of Glasgow
209. Pooky Knightsmith, Speaker, Lecturer, Trainer, Author and Vice Chair of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
210. Dee Knipe, Vice Chancellor’s Elizabeth Blackwell Research Fellow, University of Bristol
211. Sarah Knowles, Research Fellow at the  NIHR School for Primary Care Research
212. Will Koehler, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Owner of Journey to a Trauma Informed Life, LLC.
213. Magdalena Skowronska, Clinical Practitioner, Camden and Islington NHS Trust, North Camden Crisis Resolution Team
214. Matthew Kube-Clare, Trainee Psychiatrist at the Oxleas NHS trust.
215. Stanley Kutcher, Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health and the Director WHO Collaborating Care in Mental Health Policy and Training at Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre in Canada
216. Emmeline Lagunes Cordoba, Psychiatrist and psychotherapist
217. Jennifer Laidlaw, PGY-5 Resident in Psychiatry at the University of Toronto
218. Joseph Lam, MSc Graduate in Clinical Mental Health Science UCL
219. Danielle Lamb, Programme Manager of the AD-CARE study at the UCL Division of Psychiatry
220. Nicky Lambert, Director of Teaching and Learning Mental Health, Social Work and Integrative Medicine at Middlesex University
221. Alex Langford, Psychiatrist in Oxford
222. Jennifer Lau, University Lecturer at the University of Oxford, Director of the Researching Emotional Disorders and Development (REDD) lab
223. Sharon Lawn, Professor, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Australia
224. Keith Laws, Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology at the University of Hertfordshire
225. Kirsten Lawson, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead for Liaison Psychiatry Services at Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust
226. Caroline Leah, Senior Lecturer and Social Worker based at Manchester Metropolitan University
227. William Lee, Clinical Associate Professor (Reader) in Psychiatry at Plymouth University
228. Simon Leigh, Health Economist at Lifecode® Solutions and Nexus Clinical Analytics, Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool
229. Douglas Levinson, Director of the Stanford University Program on the Genetics of Brain Function in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
230. Gemma Lewis, University College London
231. Michelle Lim, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Swinburne University of Technology, and Head of the Social Health and Wellbeing Laboratory
232. Bryn Lloyd-Evans, Senior Lecturer in the UCL Division of Psychiatry
233. Maria Loades, Senior Lecturer/Clinical Tutor, Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme at the University of Bath
234. Karina Lovell, Director of Research and Professor of Mental Health at the University of Manchester
235. Colleen Loo, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, Australia
236. Raluca Lucacel, PhD Student, Cluj Napoca, Romania
237. Maartje Luijten, Assistant Professor at the Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
238. James MacCabe, Reader in the Epidemiology of Psychosis at the Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
239. Steven MacDonald-Hart, Psychologist, NHS
240. Lucy Maddox, NHS Clinical Psychologist, Lecturer and BSA Media Fellow
241. Sarah Man, Staff Nurse at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit
242. Sammy Man, Clinical Psychologist
243. Farhana Mann, Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellow at University College London and Specialist Registrar (ST6) in General Adult Psychiatry in North London
244. Warren Mansell, Reader in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manchester
245. Elena Marcus, Research Assistant at the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and University College London
246. Joanna Martin, PhD Student at Cardiff University
247. Steven Marwaha, Reader at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick
248. Lisa Marzano, Associate Professor in Psychology at Middlesex University
249. Timothy Matthews, Postdoctoral Researcher at King’s College London
250. Olivia Maynard, Research Associate at the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at the University of Bristol
251. Edel Mc Glanaghy, Clinical Psychologist with NHS Forth Valley and a Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University
252. Heather McClelland, Research Assistant and PhD Student at University of Glasgow
253. Sarah McDonald, Clinical Psychologist
254. Iain McDougall, Specialist trainee in General Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Belfast
255. Carla McEnery, Provisional Psychologist and PhD candidate at the Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne
256. Paula McFadden, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Ulster University
257. John McGowan, Director and Academic Director of the Clinical Psychology Training Scheme at the Salomons Centre for Applied Psychology, Kent
258. Andrew McIntosh, Professor of Biological Psychiatry in the University of Edinburgh Division of Psychiatry
259. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of Wellesley Institute
260. Alison McKinlay, Psychologist and Post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience.
261. Kate McLaughlin, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington, USA
262. Sally McManus, Research Director at the National Centre for Social Research
263. Peter McMurray, Psychiatry Core Trainee working in the Southern Trust in Northern Ireland
264. Pascal Immanuel Michael, PhD student at the University of Greenwich
265. Chris Miller, Research Assistant at the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
266. Kathryn Mitchell, Core Psychiatry Trainee working in the Belfast Trust, Northern Ireland
267. Masuma Pervin Mishu, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of York
268. Emma Molyneaux – Postdoctoral Researcher in the Section of Women’s Mental Health at King’s College London and works for the Mental Health Policy Research Unit
269. Mark Monaghan, Lecturer in Criminology and Social Policy at the University of Loughborough
270. Stephen Moore, Inpatient Psychiatrist in the Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital, Northern Ireland
271. Paul Morrison, Psychiatrist and Researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, KCL
272. Nuala Morse, Lecturer in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester
273. Michelle Moulds, Professor and PLuS Alliance Fellow, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Australia
274. Claire Mokrysz, PhD Student at University College London
275. John Moriarty, Research Fellow at University of Belfast
276. Marcus Munafò, Professor of Biological Psychology at the University of Bristol
277. Nikki Nabavi, Medical Student at the University of Manchester
278. Monisha Nahar, MSc Student at UCL
279. Akshay Nair, Wolfson Clinical Research Fellow at University College London
280. Akansha Mahesh Naraindas, MSc student at Kings College London
281. Josephine Neale, Trainee Psychiatrist in North London
282. Natalie Nelissen, Research Fellow at mHabitat
283. Rosalyn Nelson, Assistant Psychologist at North Wilts Memory Service, Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
284. Jill Newby, Senior Lecturer, MRFF/NHMRC Career Development Fellow and Research Director of the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney
285. Nicola Newhouse, Researcher at Health Experiences Research Group, University of Oxford
286. Claire Niedzwiedz, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health at the University of Edinburgh
287. Timothy Nguyen, Trainee Psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust
288. Hilary Norman, PhD student at Middlesex University London
289. Peter Norton, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and Director of the Monash FEAR Clinic
290. Aileen O’Brien, Reader in Psychiatry and Education & Dean for Students at St George’s University of London
291. Elly O’Brien, Information Scientist, London
292. Siobhan O’Neill, Professor of Mental Health Sciences at Ulster University
293. Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Consultant in Public Health in Bradford & Airedale and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds
294. Chris O’Sullivan, Mental Health Foundation
295. Juliana Onwumere, Senior Lecturer & Consultant Clinical Psychologist, King’s College, London, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
296. Sami Ouanes, Clinical Fellow in Advanced General Adult Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar
297. Michael Ostacher, Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
298. Dennis Ougrin, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
299. Jennifer Rose Oulton, Assistant Psychologist in Learning Disabilities Service CAMHS Wirral
300. Gozde Ozakinci, Health Psychologist and Lecturer in health psychology at the University of St Andrews
301. Geoff Page, Research Fellow at the University of York
302. Laurence Palfreyman, Assistant Psychologist in South London
303. Harry Palmer, Programme Coordinator, Mental Health Research Programme, Veterans and their Families (UK), Centre for Mental Health
304. Carmine Pariante, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust
305. Georgie Parker, Research assistant, NELFT and UCL
306. Jennie Parker, Senior Researcher at the McPin Foundation
307. Emily Peckham, Closing the Gap Network+ Coordinator at York University
308. Christopher Pell, In-patient General Adult Psychiatrist at the Susan Carnegie Centre in Angus, Scotland for NHS Tayside
309. Elvira Perez Vallejos, Associate Professor Digital Tech for Mental Health at the University of Nottingham
310. Joseph Pierre, Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
311. Serap Pinar, Biomedical and Molecular Science Research (M.Sc) from King’s College London
312. Vanessa Pinfold, Co-Founder & Research Director at the McPin Foundation
313. Alexandra Pitman, Senior Clinical Lecturer in the UCL Division of Psychiatry and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
314. Rudiger Pittrof, Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
315. Rosa Pitts, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, Lancashire Care NHS / Lancaster University
316. Belinda Platt, Post-Doc at the LMU University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
317. Rob Poole, Professor of Social Psychiatry at Bangor University
318. Inês Pote, Research Officer for the Early Intervention Foundation
319. Lucinda Powell, Education and mental health consultant
320. Amy Price, Trustee of the ThinkWell charity where she leads the PLOT-IT (Public Led Online Trials-Infrastructure and Tools) project
321. Lucy Purnell, Assistant Psychologist at Maudsley NHS Trust
322. Paul Ramchandani, LEGO Professor of Play in Education at the University of Cambridge
323. Matt Ravenhall, Final year Biology student at the University of York
324. Susan Rasmussen, Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences and Health at the University of Strathclyde
325. Stefan Rennick-Egglestone, Digital Research Specialist at theUniversity of Nottingham
326. Laoise Renwick, Lecturer at the University of Manchester
327. Shirley Reynolds, Director of the Charlie Waller Institute and Professor of Evidence Based Psychological Therapies at the University of Reading
328. Cara Richardson, PhD student, University of Glasgow
329. Thomas Richardson, Principal Clinical Psychologist at Solent NHS Trust
330. Jodi Rintelman, Pharmacist and medical writer
331. Tessa Roberts, global mental health researcher
332. Abi Rose, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Liverpool
333. Diana Rose, Professor of User-Led Research and Head of Section and Co-director Service User Research Enterprise (SURE) at King’s College London
334. Rachel Rowan-Olive, Mental Health Service User/Survivor, Illustrator, and graduate student at Birkbeck, University of London
335. Sarah Rowe, Lecturer on the MSc Clinical Mental Health Sciences and MSc Mental Health Sciences Research, UCL Division of Psychiatry
336. Tobias Rowland, Academic Clinical Fellow, University of Warwick
337. Alex Ruck Keene, Barrister specialising in mental capacity and mental health law and Wellcome Research Fellow at King’s College London
338. Susie Rudge, Specialist Clinical Psychologist at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
339. Kirsten Russell, PhD student at Strathclyde University
340. Katharine Sacks-Jones, Director of Agenda
341. Emma Saddleton, Research Worker and part-time MSc student at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London
342. Pooja Saini, Senior Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University
343. Tatiana Salisbury, Lecturer in Global Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
344. Paul Salkovskis, Director of the Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Oxford Centre for Cognitive Therapy
345. Christopher Sampson, Health Economist at the University of Nottingham
346. Liz Sampson, Clinical Professor at the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department
347. João Santos, Research Associate and Data Manager at the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester
348. Leela Sathyaputri, Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Iowa
349. Martyna Sawicka, Data Collection Coordinator, Arizona Twin Project at Arizona State University
350. Heike Schroder, Lecturer in Human Resource Management at Queen’s University Management School
351. Ava Schulz, Postdoctoral Researcher on the OPTIMAX project
352. Susanne Schweizer, Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group, UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscienc
353. Hannah Rachel Scott, PhD Student at the University College London
354. Stephen Schueller, Associate Professor of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine
355. Lucas Shelemy, PhD Researcher at the University of Reading
356. Andrew Shepherd, Doctoral research Fellow at the University of Manchester and Higher Trainee in Forensic Psychiatry
357. Hilary Shepherd, MSc Dementia student at University College London
358. Luke Sheridan-Rains, Research associate in the NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit, UCL Division of Psychiatry
359. Natalie Shoham, Clinical Training Fellow at UCL
360. Lucy Simons, Research Fellow at NIHR MindTech Healthcare Technology Cooperative, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham
361. Megan Skelton, PhD student in the Emotional Development Intervention and Treatment Lab (EDIT Lab) at King’s College London
362. Jude Smit, PhD student and Psychotherapist
363. Mark Smith, IAPT Clinician working for Steps2Change and independent Psychotherapist Trainer
364. Francesca Solmi, Research Associate, Division of Psychiatry, University College London
365. Andrew Sommerlad, PhD Fellow at University College London
366. Sophie Stammers, Research Fellow on Project PERFECT at the University of Birmingham
367. Aggelos Stamos, UCL MSc Clinical Sciences student
368. Emily Stapley, Research Fellow in the Evidence Based Practice Unit at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and UCL
369. Eloise Stark, PhD student at the University of Oxford
370. Penelope Zoe Stavrou, Junior Doctor at the NHS
371. Thomas Steare, Research Assistant at University College London
372. Sarah Steeg, Presidential Fellow, University of Manchester
373. David Steele, Junior Doctor with an interest in psychology, psychiatry and public health
374. Kevin Stone, Associate Head of Department for Law at UWE, Bristol
375. Becci Strawbridge, Mental Health Research at the Institute if Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
376. Caroline Struthers, Education and Training Manager for the EQUATOR Network
377. Shuichi Suetani, Psychiatrist at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research & Queensland Brain Institute
378. Harry Sumnall, Professor in Substance Use at the Public Health Institute, Liverpool John Moores University
379. Irene Sutcliffe, Lived experience expert
380. Rebecca Syed, Researcher at King’s College London
381. Rachel Symons, Mental health nurse, Teacher and Speaker
382. Edward Sykes, Senior Press Manager and Head of Mental Health & Neuroscience, Science Media Centre
383. Danny Taggart, Academic Director for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Essex
384. Katherine Tallent, Mental Health Recovery Worker, Rethink Mental Illness
385. Marcus Tan, Academic Clinical Fellow at Plymouth University School of Medicine
386. Andrew Thompson, Clinical Health Psychologist at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
387. Rupert Thurston, Junior Doctor working in General Adult Psychiatry in the West Midlands
388. Caroline Tomes, Public Health Specialty Registrar currently working in Cambridge
389. André Tomlin, Founder and Managing Director of Minervation Ltd and the National Elf Service Ltd
390. Anneka Tomlinson, Clinician and Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
391. John Torous, Director of the Digital Psychiatry Division at the Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
392. Ellen Townsend, Professor of Psychology, University of Nottingham
393. Solomon Towuru, Lecturer in Mental Health altho eh University of Derby
394. Derek Tracy, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Clinical Director for crisis, inpatient, and rehabilitation services at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
395. David Trickey, Consultant clinical psychologist at the Specialist Trauma and Maltreatment Service at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
396. Stella Tsoli, PhD student at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL.
397. Remco Tuijt, PhD student at UCL
398. David Turgoose, Clinical Psychologist in the Attachment and Trauma Team at Great Ormond Street Hospital
399. Alison Turner, Head of the Evidence Analysis team within the Strategy Unit at NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit
400. Alan Underwoord, Specialist Clinical Psychologist
401. Raphael Underwood, PhD candidate at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London
402. Noortje Uphoff, Research Fellow,  Cochrane Common Mental Disorder, University of York
403. Rachel Upthegrove, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of Birmingham
404. Anne-Laura van Harmelen, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge
405. Wouter van Ballegooijen, Lecturer / Assistnt Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
406. Verity Wainwright, Lecturer, University of Manchester
407. Chenel Walker, MSc Clinical Mental Health student at King’s College London
408. Joanne Wallace, Graduate Entry Medical Student at The University of Warwick
409. Kathryn Walsh, Research Associate at the University of Birmingham
410. Michael Walton, PhD student at Manchester Metropolitan University
411. Jingyi Wang, Research Associate at UCL
412. Fiona Warner-Gale, Joint Director of Associate Development Solutions Ltd
413. Andrew Watson, Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh
414. Sarah Watts, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Clinical Lead with the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust South Staffordshire IAPT teams
415. Jasmin Wertz, PhD Student at Kings College London
416. Simon Wessely, Chair of Psychological Medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences (IoPPN), King’s College London
417. Karen Wetherall, Researcher at the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab, University of Glasgow
418. Beccy White, PhD student, University of Manchester
419. Danny Whiting, Forensic Psychiatrist and NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow with the Forensic Psychiatry Research Group at the University of Oxford
420. Alice Wickersham, PhD student at the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre
421. Michael Wigelsworth, Senior Lecturer at the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester
422. Lucy Willetts, Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Accredited CBT Therapist
423. Jess Williams, PhD researcher, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham
424. Sarsha Wilson, Research Assistant at the NIHR Oxford Cognitive Health Clinical Research Facility
425. Emma Wincup, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice, School of Law at the University of Leeds
426. Katrina Witt, Research Fellow with the Centre for Suicide Research at the University of Oxford
427. Stephen Wood, Professor of Adolescent Brain Development and Mental Health at the University of Birmingham
428. Talen Wright, PhD student at UCL Division of Psychiatry
429. Emma Yapp, Research Assistant in the Section of Women’s Mental Health in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London
430. Vanessa Yim, Research assistant at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
431. Tiago Zortea, Post-doctoral researcher in the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab, University of Glasgow
432. Fabio Zucchelli, Sport and Exercise Psychology MSc student

Groups who have blogged

In addition to the individuals who blog for us, we sometimes publish blogs written by groups of people. These are often written as part of a training session or introduction to blogging; sometimes by students, sometimes by health professionals or academics. Here are some of the groups who have written Mental Elf blogs:

1. CAMSTRAND Conference delegates
2. Centre for Affective Disorders, King’s College London
3. Child and Adolescent Mental Health MSc, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
4. Clinical Mental Health Sciences MSc, University College London
5. EQUATOR Publication School
6. Mental Health Studies MSc, King’s College London
7. NPNR Conference delegates
8. PenCLAHRC: NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) South West Peninsula
9. Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health MSc/PGDip/PGCert, King’s College London
10. University of Edinburgh Division of Psychiatry
11. University of Glasgow, Institute of Health and Wellbeing MSc Courses

Contact us if you’d like André Tomlin to teach blogging and social media in your institution.

Who decides what evidence is included on the website?

We scour over 400 databases, journals, websites and other feeds to bring you the best available mental health evidence.  Items are selected using an evidence-based inclusion criteria to ensure they are relevant to UK practice and based on high quality research, policy and guidance.

The selection process has no input from any external bodies, publishers, sponsors or commercial organisations.

We critically appraise the material we find using the CASP critical appraisal checklists.

Press coverage

• Profile: André Tomlin. BJPsych Bulletin, April 2018.
• André Tomlin: Mental Elf Guru. The Lancet Psychiatry, January 2016.
• Keeping up to date with reliable mental health research: the Minervation white paper. Douglas Badenoch and André Tomlin, 19th May 2015.
• Keeping up to date with mental health research. André Tomlin, The Guardian, 15th Apr 2013.
• Treating mental illness in the digital age. Pete Etchells, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb 2013.
• The Mental Elf. Royal College of Psychiatrists useful resources, eNewsletter, Sep 2012.

Are there more elves for different health topics?

We cover a number of topics on our National Elf Service. Check out these other elves:

• The Dental Elf
• The Education Elf
• The Learning Disabilities Elf
• The Social Care Elf

Contact us if you’d like to discuss collaborating on an elf in your field of interest.