When Depression Meets Poverty: The Silent Collapse No One Sees
What depression really feels like when money runs out: the hidden impact of sanctions, unemployment, and trauma, plus practical steps to help people slowly rebuild hope.
6 Hidden Health Conditions Linked to Headaches
Many people dismiss headaches as small annoyances, often blaming them on stress, not drinking enough water, or poor sleep. While most headaches don’t cause harm, they can sometimes point to deeper health issues.
Cardiff University Mental Health Research
Cardiff University’s Mental Health Research Institute leads world-class research into mental ill health and neurodegenerative disorders, translating innovation into better therapies across the lifespan.
The Safety of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): A Controversial Mental Health Treatment
Mental health care must prioritise dignity, autonomy, and the least invasive treatment methods available. With modern therapies, supportive communities, and ongoing innovation in psychiatric medicine, society has both the opportunity and the responsibility to move away from treatments that compromise safety and human rights.
Overprescribing Anti-Depressants: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
Antidepressant use has soared over the past two decades, with the UK alone seeing a doubling in prescriptions since 2008. While medication can be life-changing for some, concerns are growing around its overprescription, especially for patients who may not need long-term pharmacological treatment. From the reluctance of GPs to offer fast-acting relief to the alarming trend of children being medicated, it’s time to ask, are we medicating emotion at the expense of wellbeing?
Why We’re Drawn to Fragrances from the Past: The Power of Scent and Memory
Of all the senses, smell is the most closely linked to memory and emotion. The olfactory system is directly connected to the limbic system, particularly the amygdala and hippocampus, which govern our emotional processing and long-term memories. This is why just one spray of a familiar scent can instantly transport you back to your teenage bedroom, a first date, or a warm summer holiday.
Welfare Vote Sparks Outrage Amid Criticism of ‘Two-Tier’ PIP Plans
While reforming PIP to make it more compassionate and efficient is a valid goal, the current welfare vote signals a dangerous turn toward conditionality and restriction. The proposed “two-tier” approach risks further marginalising vulnerable people and failing to address the diverse spectrum of disability and illness in the UK. Without meaningful consultation, real investment, and a focus on dignity and independence, the government may not be reforming welfare, but dismantling it.
Living With Trauma: The Hidden Battle Behind Mental Health Struggles
Though trauma may never fully disappear, it can transform into strength. By understanding its roots, recognising how it impacts the mind and body, and gently working toward recovery, survivors can reclaim their lives. The editor is a testament to this. Through her pain, she has cultivated purpose, using her lived experience to educate, support, and inspire others who feel lost in the shadows of trauma and mental illness. Her message is clear: you are not alone.
Can You Forget Trauma?
Trauma is the emotional and psychological response to an event—or series of events—that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. It’s not just about what happened, but how it made you feel: unsafe, powerless, or deeply shaken. Trauma can stem from a one-time incident like an accident or loss, or from long-term experiences like abuse, neglect, or living in constant fear.
Living with Uncertainty: Why PIP Assessments Fail to Reflect the Reality of Fluctuating Disabilities
When a system structurally excludes, misjudges, or punishes people with fluctuating disabilities, it is not just morally unjust — it may also be legally non-compliant. Disabled individuals and advocacy groups have a strong basis to argue that the PIP framework, as currently implemented, fails to meet legal standards of fairness, equality, and dignity.