MQ Open Mind

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to psychiatrist, and Director of the Division of Digital Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dr John Torous.

John is active in investigating the potential of using mobile mental health technologies for psychiatry, using his expertise to support mindapps.org in building the largest database of mental health apps. As a leader in the field of digital mental healt...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to author, trainer, UKCP-registered psychotherapist, and Professor of Psychology at the University of Roehampton, Professor Mick Cooper.

Mick is an internationally recognised authority in the field of counselling and psychotherapy and a chartered psychologist. He is also a prolific writer, and has written about a range of subjects such as humanistic, existential, and relation...

Content Warning: This episode of MQ Open Mind has discussions about suicide, self-harm and sexual violence.

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, Gemma Kelly.

CEASE is a UK-based charity working to expose and dismantle the cultural and commercial drivers behind all forms of sexual exploitation in the UK. To achieve its mission, CEA...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to Professor of Health Psychology at Northumbria University and author, Professor Vincent Deary.

In 2014, Vincent released his first book, “How We Are”, the first in the “How We” trilogy, where he brings together his clinical and academic interests, along with his interest in philosophy, literature and popular culture, to paint a portrait of human life, suffering and well-bei...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to the Research Programme Lead at MQ Mental Health Research, Mariana Bolivar, and Research Associate and PhD student at the University of Oxford, Thomas Hakman.

As the lines between the offline and online worlds blur, the impact of internet use on young people's mental health has become a critical concern. With an overwhelming amount of information available, it can be challe...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, Dr Paul Harrison, and NIHR Clinical Lecturer also in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford, Dr Maxime Taquet. 

Max and Paul are a part of the MQ-funded PHOSP-COVID study, which is a consortium of scientists from across the UK, researching long-term health outcomes for patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

In this convers...

Thank you so much for watching the first half of season 3. We hope you were able to gain further insight into the world of mental health research whilst understanding more about yourself and those around you.

For this special episode of Open Mind, here are the important 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 lived expe...

In this episode, we speak to Prudence Trust Research Fellow at King's College London, Dr Josefien Breedvelt.

Josefien’s research mainly focuses on preventing depression and anxiety. Her research on the effect of psychological interventions for relapse prevention for depression has directly informed the Dutch Multidisciplinary Clinical Guidelines for Depression.

In this conversation, we discuss preventing the onset of depression a...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to journalist, political strategist and podcaster, Alastair Campbell.

Alastair is best known for his role as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy.

Although he is still very much involved in politics, evidenced by his top-rated podcast, ‘The Rest is Politics’, Alastair is a keen writer, releasing nine...

In this episode, Professor Rory O’Connor and Craig spoke to Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow, Professor Helen Minnis.

Helen’s research mainly focuses on young people’s mental health, such as examining the relationship between child maltreatment, neurodevelopment and mental illness across the lifespan.

In this conversation, they discussed the impact of services for children’s mental health, s...

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 Digital Youth project, which is wo...

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 Psychologist working for both the...

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 Psychiatry and Psychology, accordi...

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 based on his extensive knowledge and ...

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 framework that will help leaders to build...

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 life again.

In this conversation, th...

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 sharing her expertise on Instag...

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 mental health in their election manif...

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-term effects of COVID on the brain, w...