Psych Summaries

In this episode, Hannah steers away from academia, to gain insight into lived experience, with Antonio Ferreira They cover diagnosis, struggles, and lessons learnt from his hospitalisation then and now. If you want to support his work, you can find him on https://www.instagram.com/antonioferreira_mh/ and I would highly recommend checking his work out. 

TW: reference to suicidal ideation, restraint, and difficult topics. If you feel impacted by any of the subjects covered, please disclose this to someone you feel able to talk with, or alternatively follow the links below. 

https://www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help/using-this-tool 

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/if-youre-having-difficult-time/

In this episode, Hannah chats to Jacinta Brinsley, who is completing her Phd in clinical exercise physiology with a focus on the relationship between yoga and mental health. They discuss the current research base in relation to mental illness, inflammation, and our brain and its broader limitations and future directions. You can follow her work here and if you are interested in reading more in this area then you can follow any one of these links:

https://content.iospress.com/download/brain-plasticity/bpl190084?id=brain-plasticity%2Fbpl190084

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00770/full

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/early/2020/04/05/bjsports-2019-101242.full.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33189861/

https://www.jacintabrinsleyclinicalyoga.com/

In this episode, Hannah talks to Mike Tipton, MBE, Professor of Human & Applied Physiology at the University of Portsmouth who has spent his career studying cold-water immersion and human physiology. They discuss the current status of research into cold water immersion, anecdotal evidence surrounding mental health and its application to widespread ideas around its benefits on immunity, mental illness, inflammation and much more. He highlights what factors swimmers need to think about when considering cold water immersion, as well as what mechanisms may be at play in those that claim positive benefits from doing it. It’s very clear that this research base is in its infancy but that its future directions could provide promising findings. If you want to follow his work you can find him on Twitter or read his research.

In this episode, Hannah chats to the incredible Professor Jayashri Kulkarni who is a world leading expert in women’s mental health and a specialist in how hormones may impact our brain and mental health. She directs a research centre, has set up the first australian all female psychiatric ward, has won many prestigious awards for her research work, and has pioneered the use of oestrogen as a new treatment in schizophrenia. She is truly phenomenal and I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to pick her brains. We discuss a range of topics relating to women mental health such as the impact of hormone fluctuation, sex and gender differences between men and women, the impact of trauma, and much more. You can find more about her work here 

In this episode, Hannah speaks to Brendon Stubbs, a top three influential exercise researcher globally, who has worked clinically for 20 years and leads several research programs. His work is centred around physical activity & mental health, the mind-body interface, healthy ageing and meta-research. Brendon is a fountain of knowledge and is one of my favourite people to follow on social media. There is always a critical and nuanced perspective to all information that he puts out. You can follow his work on Twitter, Instagram, and look at his work directly - and I highly recommend you do . 

In this episode, Hannah chats to Dr. Han Ren about BIPOC mental health. They explore what liberation psychology is, how the mental health space needs more anti-oppressive practice, and more broadly the intersection of politics and mental health. Han is so brilliant and I absolutely loved chatting to her. I would highly recommend checking her out on Instagram or tik tok for more. 

In this episode, Hannah speaks to Professor Julia Rucklidge about the exciting field of Nutritional Psychiatry and her research into supplementation and its impact on psychiatric conditions. Julia is so insightful and does such a wonderful job of translating her scientific findings into layman’s terms. I would highly highly recommend reading her book for yourself but if you want more information before doing so, head to her website. You can follow her on Instagram here, and if you want to hear more you can watch her Ted Talk.

In this episode, Hannah is joined by expert in the field of anger research, Dr Ryan Martin aka @angerprofessor. They discuss the role of anger, how we can channel it into positive change, genetic underpinnings, and so much more. You can check out his ted talk here. Reframing and understanding anger can be a really useful tool and I hope that you find some helpful insights!

TW Eating Disorders, mention of purging, restrictive eating, & broader behaviours related to eating disorders. In this episode, Hannah is joined by Dr Erikka Dzirasa, a psychiatrist specialising in eating disorders. They discuss the difference between disordered eating and eating disorders, the prevalence of specific eating disorders, cross-cultural application, and so much more. This is such an insightful and educational conversation about a highly misunderstood illness. You can find her account here.

In this episode, Hannah is joined by Dr Sophie Mort, a Clinical Psychologist who has made it her mission to translate Psychology from the therapy room and into everyday life so that people can access information before they are struggling. They discuss why anxiety arises, how to manage it, and which coping mechanisms we should put in place to support our overall well being. Sophie is a fountain of knowledge and the hope is that you are able to take away practical tips and learn about the mechanisms of anxiety. You can follow her work here and can pre-order her book now!