Sleep – why is it important? In this podcast, Professor Russell Grant Foster talks to Dr Raj Persaud regarding his presentation at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ International Congress 2017 addressing this question. This podcast explores the regulation and significance of circadian rhythms, as well as the health risks associated with lack of sleep.

Why do people choose psychiatry as a career? Why do others avoid it? Professor Anthony David explores these questions using writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks’ life story. In this podcast, Dr Raj Persaud talks to Professor David following his keynote lecture at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ International Congress 2017 on The strange case of Dr Oliver Sacks.

Ahead of his presentation at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ International Congress 2017, Professor Allan Young spoke with Dr Raj Persaud to record this podcast on the treatment and management of complex affective disorders, considering the difficulties and common errors made in diagnosis and the differences in treatments for mixed affective states.

In this podcast, Dr Ardesheer Talati talks to Dr Raj Persaud about his latest research into the association between exposure to smoking during pregnancy and the risk for bipolar disorder. In addition, he discusses the link between brain imaging and depression, following on from his involvement in a three-generational study into the transmission of depression among offspring, as explored in a recent podcast with Professor Myrna Weissman.

Support for violent extremism, and participation in such activity, is believed to be associated with radicalisation among some individuals, yet little empirical research has been conducted into its relationship with mental illness. In this podcast, Professor Kamaldeep S Bhui talks to Dr Raj Persaud about his latest research on the links between psychological problems and sympathies for violent protest and terrorism (SVPT) in a community-based sample.

The increased risk of psychological problems in the children of depressed parents has been widely studied, but less is known about their long-term outcomes. In this podcast, Professor Myrna Weissman talks to Raj Persaud about the results of a 30-year follow-up study into the biological offspring of depressed parents.

A 2016 study led by Dr Charles Raison found that raising the body temperature of depressed volunteers through whole-body hyperthermia treatment improved their symptoms of major depression for up to 6 weeks. In this podcast Dr Raison talks to Raj Persaud about how the treatment works, the effect it has on the brain, and how these findings could be built upon in future research.

What sociological factors can lead people to adopt extremist views or commit terrorist activities? What is the relationship between extremism, religion and depression? In this podcast Professor Jeremy Coid discusses these questions and talks to Raj Persaud about the findings of his study into extremist views among young British men.

In recent years, concerns about crystalline methamphetamine use have increased in multiple countries. Taking the drug regularly can lead to dependence, anxiety, depression, psychosis and, in some cases, overdose deaths. In this podcast, Raj Persaud talks to Professor Michael Farrell about these associated harms, and the possible preventative strategies that can be adopted.

Dr Kelly Diederen discusses the findings of her latest research published in the academic journal ‘Psychological Medicine’, which follows up a group of adults who hear voices but who are not formally diagnosed as psychotic – what happens to these people over a period of time?