Children at the frontline — neurodivergence and school distress

by Daryl Ilbury

Schools should be safe spaces if they’re to encourage children to learn. However, even the seemingly safest and most supportive school environments can harbour perils for neurodivergent children and young people (CYP). The hustle and bustle of an active classroom can generate deep anguish. This is their daily reality – an emotional battleground with them at the front lines. So, it should be no surprise when they want to retreat. Psychology researchers at the University of Newcastle, UK, have discovered just how closely connected neurodivergence is to school refusal. Their research prompts uncomfortable questions and introduces a sobering term to the lexicon of neurodiversity studies.

You can read the rest of this article, complete with additional feature content, on the Research Features website here. (Opens

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Self-Care 2030: Towards a seismic shift in perceiving and practising mental healthcare

by Daryl Ilbury

In today’s fast-paced world, where digital connectivity blurs the lines between work and home, the pressures of social media to conform are unrelenting, and socio-political divisions are ripping communities apart, mental health challenges are escalating with unprecedented force. We are navigating a period of intense social, technological, and environmental change. Each of these dimensions introduces complex challenges that can strain mental health and the systems in place to provide the necessary care and support. Systems designed to promote mental wellbeing must deal with limited resources, inadequate training of health professionals in mental healthcare, stigma associated with mental disorders, and an underestimation of the economic impact that mental health issues pose.

You can read the rest of this article, complete with additional feature content, on the Research Features website

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Post-pandemic suicide trends in Japan

by Daryl Ilbury

As COVID-19 tore a path across the world, health authorities measured its impact mainly in terms of infection rates and deaths linked to infection. But little thought has been given to those who may die years from now, from a pandemic-triggered illness that is harder to observe and measure and which festers in a person’s body to the point where death comes most tragically – by their own hand.

You can read the rest of this article, complete with additional feature content, on the Research Outreach website here. (Opens in new tab)

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Who will care for the mental healthcare professionals? A wake-up call from the Netherlands

by Daryl Ilbury

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us many lessons; one is that mental healthcare workers are not immune to the ravages of mental health problems. The pandemic put them under considerable stress in ways unimaginable before; many are still feeling it. Dr Anneloes van den Broek and Dr Lars de Vroege, senior researchers and clinical psychologists in mental healthcare in the Netherlands, reached out to their colleagues during and after the pandemic to find out how they were coping. What they learned is worrying.

You can read the rest of this article, complete with additional feature content, on the Research Outreach website here. (Opens in new tab)

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