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.
Living with FND: One Young Man’s Journey of Resilience, Awareness, and Hope
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) can change a life in an instant. One man’s courageous journey reveals the hidden reality of living with a condition that disrupts the brain’s ability to send and receive signals—despite normal scans and test results. Through weakness, tremors, mobility challenges, and daily unpredictability, he has discovered resilience he never knew he had. By sharing his story, he hopes to break the stigma, raise awareness, and empower others who feel unheard. His message is simple: FND is real, recovery is possible, and no one should face it alone.
7 Secrets to Balancing Mind, Body, and Nutrition
True wellness isn’t about perfecting one area of your health while neglecting others. It’s about recognizing that mental clarity, physical vitality, and nutritional choices are deeply intertwined, each one influencing the others in ways that can either elevate or undermine your overall well-being.
Struggling Mental Health After Trauma
Trauma can change a person’s world in an instant. Whether it stems from domestic violence, childhood abuse, loss, betrayal, or a sudden life-altering event, trauma leaves emotional imprints that can last a lifetime. It doesn’t simply fade away with time, instead, it lingers in the subconscious, replaying through intrusive memories, flashbacks, or emotional triggers that can feel impossible to escape.
Understanding OCD: Breaking Down Misconceptions
People with OCD don’t “choose” their thoughts or compulsions. Telling someone to “just get over it” is dismissive, harmful, and perpetuates ableist attitudes. If someone has lived with OCD for decades and tried all known interventions, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), medication, counseling, and even alternative therapies such as hypnosis, it is unjust to boil their suffering down to a fad.
Understanding Invisible Disabilities & Ableist Attitudes
Invisible disabilities deserve recognition, understanding, and respect. Ableist attitudes rooted in ignorance and dismissiveness create barriers that can be just as disabling as the condition itself. Instead of questioning someone’s reality or minimising their struggles, we should listen, believe, and support. The lived experiences of those with invisible disabilities, like the editor who has battled OCD for decades, remind us that what cannot be seen can still have profound impact. True inclusivity means dismantling ableism and embracing empathy.
Facing Inner Demons: Why Trauma Survivors Turn to Drugs and Alcohol
Trauma leaves lasting wounds, but numbing pain with drugs and alcohol only deepens the suffering. Although self-medication may seem like an escape, it damages the body and creates new chains of dependency. The path to healing is not easy, but it is possible. With therapy, support, and healthier coping mechanisms, people can face their fears, overcome their inner demons, and take back control of their lives.
Can Forgetting Compulsions Help Heal OCD and Trauma?
Stress can play a major role in memory lapses, especially for people living with OCD and trauma. When the mind is overwhelmed by anxiety, daily pressures, or too many competing tasks, it can become harder to focus on intrusive thoughts or compulsions. Preoccupation with other responsibilities may naturally push the urge into the background, allowing it to fade over time. In this way, stress and distraction, although challenging, can sometimes disrupt the cycle of OCD by creating moments where the compulsion is forgotten.
Proposal to Replace PIP with ACDP Gains Momentum
At DisabledEntrepreneur.uk, we support the ACDP approach because it is designed by disabled people, for disabled people, and recognises the full reality of daily barriers. We reject any system that forces claimants to “prove” their disability-related costs with receipts or spending controls, as this strips people of dignity and human rights. Disabled people know best how to manage their own lives and finances; what they need is trust, fair support, and recognition of the extra costs they face, not surveillance.
The Overlooked Role of Caregivers in the Moving Process
The overlooked role of caregivers in the moving process highlights unseen challenges, emotional strain, and support needs during relocation.