“It would be easier if they had a broken leg”: tackling stigma in occupational mental health care

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New research from Finland highlights the messiness of collaboration between mental health and occupational services. This blog explores what gets in the way, and what could make return-to-work support work better.

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AWARE and INSPIRE: school mental health trials show mixed results and unexpected harms

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The Education for Wellbeing programme, funded by the Department for Education, was one of England’s largest school-based mental health research initiatives. It included two major trials (AWARE and INSPIRE) testing universal mental health approaches in schools between 2018 and 2024. What did these big studies really find?

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Psychosis stigma in the Middle East: shining a light on hidden struggles

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Shuichi Suetani and Jon Paul Teo consider a new systematic review, which highlights the significant stigma faced by people with psychosis and their families in Middle Eastern communities, and suggests culturally sensitive ways forward.

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Unravelling bipolar disorder: insights from the biggest genetic study to date

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease with significant impact on quality of life, functioning and suicide risk.

A massive new multi-ancestry genetic study of bipolar disorder has uncovered hundreds of risk loci and highlighted biological pathways that may guide more precise treatments and prevention strategies in the future.

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Should I share or stay silent? New study shows how tackling mental health stigma at work can double employment rates

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Disclosure dilemmas stop many people with mental health problems from getting into work. A new feasibility study suggests that empowering employment specialists to talk openly about stigma and support disclosure decisions can help people find and keep jobs. Embedding these tools in practice could be key to closing the employment gap and reducing reliance on benefits.

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Inequity in action: why minoritised ethnic patients are more often rapidly tranquilised and what needs to change

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New evidence reveals that rapid tranquilisation is disproportionately used on minoritised ethnic patients in hospitals. Beyond the statistics, how do we create fair, compassionate, and equitable care?

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Teen drug use today, mental health struggles tomorrow? What the evidence says

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Ian Hamilton unpacks a new study revealing how teenage substance use can pave the way to serious mental health struggles later in life. A clear warning: early use today could mean bigger problems tomorrow.

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Psychedelics and mental health: Can the field deliver on its promise?

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Experts from across clinical trials, psychotherapy and regulation have been reflecting on the big challenges facing the field of psychedelics and mental health, following a late 2024 webinar hosted by IAMHRF. This new commentary explores where psychedelic mental health treatments might be heading and what needs to happen next.

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Immersive virtual reality for the treatment of mental health disorders: anxiety leads the way

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Rena Gatzounis blogs about a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality treatments for mental health disorders.

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