MQ Open Mind

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to a Professor of the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham, Professor Ellen Townsend. Ellen currently leads the Self-Harm Research Group, which researches psychological factors associated with self-harm and suicidality, and interventions that promote recovery, especially in young people. Recently, Ellen has been a part of the...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to BBC broadcaster, author and counselling psychologist, Dr Sian Williams. Sian's career in broadcasting spans nearly forty years, in which she spent over a decade hosting 'BBC Breakfast'. Sian has also hosted major events for BBC including two royal weddings and the London 2012 Olympics. Currently, Sian is also a Chartered Counselling Psych...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to the Head of the School of Academic Psychiatry at the Institue of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Professor Allan Young.  Allan’s extensive research focuses on the causes and treatments for severe psychiatric illnesses, particularly mood disorders. He was also ranked as one of the world's leading scientific minds in the field of...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to the Regius Professor of Psychiatry at King’s College London, Professor Sir Simon Wessely. Simon is a psychiatrist and epidemiologist with a focus on military health and unexplained symptoms and syndromes. In 2017, the then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, commissioned Simon to chair the review of the Mental Health Act ba...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to the CEO of Peopleful, Georgie Mack, and Head of Data, Analysis & Insight at Peopleful, Dr Kate Duckworth. MQ Mental Health Research has joined forces with Peopleful and the WorkWell Research Centre at North West University to conduct a cross-industry study of workplace dynamics across the UK and Ireland. The aim is to develop a framew...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to counselling psychologist and author Dr Chloe Paidoussis Mitchell. Chloe is a highly experienced psychologist specialising in grief and trauma and how it relates to one’s mental health. Recently, she released her first book, The Loss Prescription, which aims to use research and science to help one process grief with the hope of embracing l...

Welcome to the first episode of Season 3 of MQ Open Mind! Join Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig as they delve into the fascinating world of child and young people’s mental health with special guest, clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Martha Deiros Collado. Dr. Martha, a seasoned psychologist with a wealth of experience in her field, gained widespread recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic by...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to the CEO of the Centre for Mental Health, Andy Bell. The Centre for Mental Health is an organization UK charity that focuses on building mental health research to create fairer mental health policies. In September, over 30 mental health organisations, including MQ, joined together to call on all political parties to make a commitment to me...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to MQ researcher and academic clinical fellow at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, Dr Maxime Taquet. Initially training to become an engineer, Maxime made the change to mental health research. Maxime’s current research is on the effects of COVID, specifically brain fog. In this conversation, they discussed the long-te...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and the head of the Psychedelics Research Centre at Imperial College London, Professor David Nutt. David specialises in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety, and sleep. Currently, David is investigating if psychedelic drugs can be effecti...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to PR professional and Mum of four, Hayley Peters, and professor of psychological medicine and psychiatrist at the University of Manchester, Professor Kathryn Abel. Hayley has first-hand experience navigating child and adolescent mental health services as a parent, whereas Kathryn’s current research is on improving CAMHS so that more young p...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to professor of developmental psychology at Kings College London, Louise Arseneault.   Louise’s research focuses on the study of harmful behaviours such as violence and substance dependence, their developmental origins, their inter-connections with mental health, and their consequences for victims. In this conversation, they discussed the im...

On the 5th of July, MQ launched the very first Research Appreciation Day. A day to celebrate the hard work of health researchers from all disciplines. For this special episode of Open Mind, and in honour of Research Appreciation Day, here are the questions that our guests would love to be answered by mental health research. Open Mind will return in the autumn, and we hope to see you again for more...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to Occupational Therapist, Jenny Okolo. Jenny is a highly experienced lead psychiatric occupational therapist and a respected mental health advocate. She has a strong background in the criminal justice sector. Her main expertise lies in promoting workplace wellbeing, supporting mental health, and advocating for neurodiversity. Jenny is also...

In this episode, we spoke to Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester, Tony Pisani, Head of Development at MQ, Emily Wheeler, and founder of Into The Light and suicide researcher, Benny Prawira, to discuss MQ’s latest paper, Gone Too Soon. The Gone Too Soon paper is a roadmap written by 40 global experts, mixing mental health researchers, clinicians, policy experts and peop...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to mental health activist and author, Dean Stott. After managing with an anxiety disorder for several years, Dean had the idea to start DLC Anxiety, an online community support group for people coping with anxiety. Since its inception in 2020, DLC Anxiety has amassed over 1.2 million members, providing helpful tips and advice from anxiety ex...

In this episode, Professor Rory O'Connor and Craig spoke to academic psychologist and author, Dr Lucy Foulkes. Lucy is currently a Prudence Trust Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, investigating how school-based mental health interventions may be causing adolescents harm. In this conversation, they discussed supporting young people with their mental health, the importance of finding the...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to endurance athlete and motivational speaker, James Gwinnett. After a bad neck injury playing rugby, James developed depression due to his inactivity, which eventually included alcoholism. Four years later, he found redemption in the form of fitness challenges, starting from running the London Marathon to taking part in Channel 4’s Special...

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...

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 resea...

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,...

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 traum...

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 t...

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 ment...