Psychosis is when you perceive or interpret reality in a very different way from people around you, it may also be called a 'psychotic experience' or 'psychotic episode'.

Psychosis often begins in young adulthood when a person is in their late teens to mid-20s. However, people can experience a psychotic episode at younger and older ages and as a part of many disorders and illnesses. For instance, older adults with neurological disorders may be at higher risk for psychosis.

This year we’ve been fortunate to work with NHS Wales to revamp Psychosis Wales, the website for information and resources for young people who are experiencing or recovering from psychosis in Wales.

In this episode, we met with Maleeha Akbar and Eleanor Williams.

Maleeha is based in Cardiff and experienced psychosis when she was at university. She now works for Cardiff and Vale Drug and Alcohol Service and facilitates the Headroom peer support group for young people who have experienced psychosis in Cardiff. Maleeha has kindly shared her experience of recovering from psychosis and how she got involved with the peer support group.

Eleanor is the Clinical Team Leader for Headroom, the service supporting people with psychosis in the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Psychosis can be frightening and make it difficult to maintain quality of life, but treatment and support are available. With the right treatment, such as therapy and medication, many people recover gradually.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing psychosis, you should contact their GP practice. If there's an imminent danger of harm, call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

• Psychosis Wales website - find details about Headroom Cardiff
• NCMH Research Community - sign up today!
• Brain and Genomics Hub research study

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Did you know that you have the option to guide mental health professionals in your treatment and care in case you become unwell?

Advance Choice Documents (ACDs) give people living with mental illnesses an opportunity to state their wishes and instructions about their treatment and care during future episodes of illness.

They give you a chance to make your voice heard in future mental healthcare decisions by using your knowledge, gained through past experience of illness and healthcare, to guide a clinical team through future episodes of illness. Recent research has suggested that the use of ACDs could reduce the rate of sectioning by up to 25%. 

We chatted to Professor Tania Gergel about her work to raise awareness of this vital tool for people with severe mental illness.

Tania is the Director of Research at Bipolar UK and a Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Division of Psychiatry at University College London and here at Cardiff University. She’s also the lead for bipolar research at NCMH.

You can read more about ACDs at advancechoice.org

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Recent research has found that MDMA-assisted therapy is a safe and effective intervention for severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), but it remains a heavily restricted drug. Dr Mat Hoskins hopes that his research carried out in Cardiff and other studies across Europe will improve the quality of the research investigating this novel treatment approach.

We were thrilled to sit down with Mat to understand what led him to this type of research, why does it work, and what does a session actually involve.

Dr Mat Hoskins is the Lead Consultant Psychiatrist for adults at Traumatic Stress Wales. He also works as a Psychiatric Intensive Care Consultant and has experience using Trauma Focused Psychological Therapies.

Traumatic Stress Wales (TSW) is funded by Welsh Government and aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people of all ages living in Wales at risk of developing or with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Visit the Traumatic Stress Wales website.

At NCMH, we are fortunate to collaborate with TSW through our Traumatic Stress Research Group. If you're interested in joining our research community and hearing about the research projects that are available to get involved in, you can sign-up on our NCMH website.

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In this episode we're joined by Professor Jon Bisson and Michael Davitt to discuss lived experience of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the ongoing research looking into the diagnosis at the NCMH.

PTSD is the name given to a set of symptoms that some people develop after experiencing major traumatic events. The traumatic event can be a single incident or take place over many months or years. Up to one third of people who have experienced a traumatic event develop some PTSD symptoms. Studies estimate that around 7% of people will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives.

Complex PTSD is a condition where you experience the same symptoms of PTSD, along with some additional symptoms such as feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world, as well many more.

Find out about the traumatic stress research taking place at the NCMH today: https://www.ncmh.info/help-with-research/traumatic-experiences-study/

To find out more about Professor Bisson's work into PTSD: https://traumaticstress.nhs.wales/

For further PTSD support and guidance:

• NCMH - PTSD leaflet
• Mind - What is complex PTSD?
• Mind - Useful contacts

Get involved with the NCMH traumatic stress research group: [email protected]

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In this episode of the Piece of Mind podcast, we're joined by Andrea Meek, Dr Elisa Vigna, and Gerraint Jones-Griffiths to discuss the Engage to Change project which has supported over 1,200 young people with a learning disability or autism into employment over the last eight years.

Engage to Change has worked across Wales since 2016 to support young people aged 16-25 who have a learning difficulty, learning disability, or autism to achieve their full potential. The project has worked with over 1,200 young people to offer job placements, supported internships, and job coach support over a seven year period.

Engage to Change is now in its 'Influencing and Informing' phase, taking forward the research and legacy work of the project to ensure it impacts policy and practise in Wales. The project is funded by the Lottery Community Fund in partnership with Welsh Government.

To learn more about the Engage to Change project, visit: https://www.engagetochange.org.uk/

Links mentioned in this video:

• Engage to Change: https://www.engagetochange.org.uk/research-evaluation/
• NCMH blog: https://www.ncmh.info/2023/05/22/getting-young-people-with-autism-and-learning-disabilities-into-employment-ncmh-finds-out-what-works/
• Project highlights video: https://youtu.be/pjwKKGmKaGA
• Job coach support video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTdwF4FIFvE
• Interviews with family video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXmwQx8RdO8

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Thinking about getting involved in mental health research? We caught up with Sue, an Alzheimer's Research UK Champion who has recently participated in our UK Minds research and George, a Senior Psychology Assistant working on the project.

UKMinds is a new study from NCMH which aims to find the causes and triggers of mental ill-health and cognitive disorders, such as dementia. If you have experienced schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, bipolar disorder or dementia, help us make a difference by registering your interest at ncmh.info/sign-up.

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In this episode of the Piece of Mind podcast, we're joined by Becci Smart and Chloe Apsey to discuss the reality of living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and the research currently taking place at the NCMH that's looking to learn more to improve diagnosis and treatment.

PMDD is a mood disorder that is estimated to affect around 5% of women and people who have periods. That’s around 80,000 people in the UK. During the week before the onset of bleeding (known as the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle), these people with PMDD experience severe mood and emotional changes including anxiety and low mood, a decreased interest in their usual activities, difficulties concentrating and more. These symptoms improve within a few days after menstrual bleeding (the period). To be diagnosed with PMDD, these symptoms need to be associated with extreme distress and interfere with ‘everyday’ functioning.   

To learn more about the NCMH PreDDICT study looking into PMDD, visit https://www.ncmh.info/pmdd

Tools and organisations mentioned in this episode

• IAPMD: https://iapmd.org/
• Self-screening tool: https://iapmd.org/self-screen
• Symptom tracking tool: https://iapmd.org/symptom-tracker

When referring to the experiences of women throughout this episode and within our research we acknowledge the experiences of AFAB (assigned female at birth) and non-binary individuals and encourage their participation in our research. Further guidance can be found at: https://iapmd.org/transgender-pmdd

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Thinking about getting involved in mental health research? We caught up with Dave, one of our NCMH Research Champions, after he'd taken part in our UKMinds survey and provided a blood sample with NCMH Psychology Assistant Emily. Dave and Emily take us through each part of the process to let you know what you can expect.

UKMinds is a new study from NCMH which aims to find the causes and triggers of mental ill-health and cognitive disorders, such as dementia. If you have experienced schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, bipolar disorder or dementia, help us make a difference by registering your interest at ncmh.info/sign-up.

Hear more about Dave's experience of finally receiving a bipolar disorder diagnosis at age 57 in Minisode: Mental health and dementia research.

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In this episode of the Piece of Mind podcast, we're joined by co-director of the Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Professor Frances Rice, and Catrin, a member of the Centre's Young Person's Advisory Group to discuss a new study for young people who have a parent with a history of depression.

The Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health has a focus on reducing anxiety and depression in young people, which includes finding ways to prevent depression in young people before it develops.

To learn more about the Skills for Adolescent WELLbeing (SWELL) study, visit https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/wolfson-centre-for-young-peoples-mental-health/take-part/ws3-clinical-trial.

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In this episode we're joined by Dr Joanna Martin and Ellie, a non-binary young person, to discuss how research at Cardiff University is aiming to learn more about ADHD. Ellie also kindly shares their experience of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions, affecting around 1 in 20 young people. However, in clinics only one girl will receive an ADHD diagnosis for every seven or eight boys. This gap in diagnosis is something that Joanna is investigating in her research into ADHD in girls, young women, and non-binary people at Cardiff University.

Recruitment for young people, parents and carers, and healthcare professionals in this research has now closed. However, if you are an education professional the team are still looking to hear from you. To learn more, visit www.ncmh.info/adhd 

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