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People without jobs or with less secure housing have poorer outcomes when treated for depression with talking therapy or antidepressants, compared to more socially advantaged peers, finds a study led by UCL researchers. The authors of the new study published in JAMA Psychiatry say that addressing employment and housing needs may be helpful alongside depression treatments to support the mental health of people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

The largest ever UK study to examine self-harm risk around pregnancy has shown that most women are generally less likely to self-harm during and after pregnancy. The University of Manchester team showed that in 1000 women, 4 are likely to self-harm over a year and this risk halves in pregnancy to 2, according to the research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry today (03/03/22).

Reports of symptoms such as tinnitus and hearing loss during the coronavirus pandemic could in part have a psychosocial origin rather than being directly linked to COVID-19 or the SARS-CoV2 virus. The University of Manchester , and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) study, published in Frontiers of Public Health today (22/2/22), shows that symptoms - which by definition are not measurable - are a fertile ground for misinterpretation.

New research on smartphone use raises fears for privacy The time a person spends on different smartphone apps is enough to identify them from a larger group in more than one in three cases say researchers, who warn of the implications for security and privacy. Dr David Ellis from the University of Bath, psychologists Dr Heather Shaw, Professor Paul Taylor and Professor Stacey Conchie from Lancaster University , analysed smartphone data from 780 people.

Too little research is being conducted into problem gambling - and what research there is, is often funded by the gambling industry rather than by independent means, say a team of experts. They argue in favour of a 1% statutory levy on the gambling industry that could be administered by one of the UK's main research funders.

A systematic review has uncovered a plethora of models used to understand mental health problems with ramifications for how people are assessed and supported. A new review of the theoretical models used around the world to assess, diagnose, research, and treat mental health problems has highlighted the vast array of approaches which exist.

Playing with dolls can prompt children to talk about others' thoughts and emotions, according to the latest findings of a multi-year study from neuroscientists at Cardiff University. The data expands on research exploring the impact of doll play on children, conducted by experts from the School of Psychology's Centre for Human Developmental Science and commissioned by Mattel.

Children and adolescents who stammer report elevated symptoms of anxiety compared with non-stammering peers, according to a new review of evidence led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research and also involving the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, combined and re-analysed findings from 11 previous studies that had compared children and adolescents (two to 18 years) who do and do not stammer on symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Levels of depression and anxiety rose sharply over December in the UK, especially among young adults, reaching similar levels to lockdown at the start of 2021, according to new findings from the Covid-19 Social Study led by UCL researchers. The research also found that confidence in devolved governments' handling of Covid-19 fell in England and Wales over the same period (between the end of November and start of January), but remained steady in Scotland.

The relationships between young mental health patients and the nurses looking after them is an overlooked treatment in its own right, according to new research. The qualitative study of eight young people, eight family members and eight nursing staff by psychologists from The University of Manchester and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust is published in high profile journal PLOS ONE.

Postgraduate researchers at UK universities suffer from high rates of mental ill-health, with female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ communities faring particularly badly, new research suggests. The findings, published in the journal Current Psychology , are drawn from a survey of 479 postgraduate researchers (PGRs) working at 48 UK universities.

A University of Birmingham-led study shows an increased risk of patients developing illnesses including mental ill-health and heart conditions if they have a GP-inputted medical history of periodontal (gum) disease. Experts carried out a first of its kind study of the GP records of 64,379 patients who had a GP-inputted recorded history of periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis (the condition that occurs if gum disease is left untreated and can lead to tooth loss).

Extremely concerning levels of psychological distress are reported in results from a longitudinal study of the UK nursing and midwifery workforce during COVID-19 led by the University of Warwick. The findings could help how staff are supported in healthcare services now and in future. The results from surveys of the UK nursing and midwifery workforce taken at three time points during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 have found concerning levels of psychological distress, including experiences consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, and anxiety in respondents.

A new study from Bath's Jo Daniels and Sophie Harris captures the scale of the challenge faced by healthcare professionals responding to the pandemic. Frontline healthcare workers say they are angry at being treated as -Covid cannon fodder, not Covid heroes- after responding to the virus for nearly two years and working at full capacity, reveal the findings of new research.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many mental health care service users were able to continue accessing some support by phone and video call (remote care), but the shift to remote care presented significant barriers to certain groups, finds a review co-led by UCL researchers. The authors of the systematic review are calling for further examination into the effects of telemental health on groups at risk of digital exclusion and for better evidence on long-term impacts.

Appealing to athletes' sense of 'future guilt' through psychological intervention could prove a powerful weapon in the fight against doping, according to a new study. Researchers discovered that making elite athletes picture how guilty they might feel about using banned performance enhancing drugs produced a more powerful initial reaction than initiatives educating sportspeople about the health risks of doping.

People choose whether to seek or avoid information about their health, finances and personal traits based on how they think it will make them feel, how useful it is, and if it relates to things they think about often, finds a new study by UCL researchers.

Those who tested positive for COVID-19 (confirmed by a PCR test) had an increased risk of mental illness, fatigue and sleep problems, finds a new study which analysed the electronic primary care health care records* of 226,521 people from across the UK between February 2020 and December 2020. The research**, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open (JAMA Network Open) today, was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (NIHR GM PSTRC).

There are more than 7bn people on the planet, and each of them has their own unique face. The sum of a person's eyes, nose, cheeks and mouth all individual to them. And now, new research shows that the emotion information transmitted by facial expressions appears to be just as diverse, rich, and complex as the faces themselves.

Hiding the bottom half of the face with a mask could have a detrimental effect on our ability to socially interact and share other people's emotions, new research suggests. A Cardiff University-led study found people with facial paralysis, people seeing others who wear face masks, or even children sucking on dummies, could struggle to show empathy or detect positive social cues.