Three Schools' Mental Health Award Holders - Phase 2
The NIHR Schools for Primary Care Research (SPCR), Public Health Research (SPHR) and Social Care Research (SSCR) (“three Schools”) have joined together in a unique collaboration between leading academic centres in England to collaborate on a programme of work funded through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR): Improving mental health and wellbeing in underserved populations through collaborative research.
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Stephanie Hanley - University of Birmingham Project Title: Understanding the mental health care needs of pregnant and postnatal women with language barriers to inform the development of recommendations to improve support within UK primary care and community settings. Brief Summary: Mental health problems during and after pregnancy are extremely common. Approximately 40% of deaths between six weeks and a year after pregnancy are due to mental-health-related causes, and the risk is even greater for women who do not speak English, or fluently. Pregnant and postnatal women from ethnic minorities experience difficulties in accessing mental health services and migrant families who speak a language other than English describe a lack of cultural sensitivity and inadequate interpretation support in postnatal health care. Community-based mental health peer support has been suggested as complementary or an alternative to professional support for pregnant women with mental health issues, especially for those who feel stigmatised by their difficulties, have been unable to access professional support or feel more comfortable engaging with relatable members of their community. Therefore, this project aims to 1) understand the experiences of receiving and providing mental health care for pregnant and postnatal women with limited or no English proficiency in primary care and community settings and, 2) co-produce recommendations to improve mental health care for these women. Start / end dates: Sept 2024 - Feb 2026 Contact email: s.hanley@bham.ac.uk |
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Natasha Tyler - University of Manchester Project Title: Incorporating Primary and Social Care elements into the SAFER Mental Health (SAFER_MH) Care Transitions Bundle for patients at high risk of suicide Brief Summary: This project aims to improve the SAFER-MH intervention by adding two components that improve 'joined-up' working between hospitals and primary and social care. Firstly, to work with patients, carers and professionals to develop an improved letter than is sent to GPs after discharge. Secondly, I will work with key members of primary care teams such as social prescribers to understand the current support systems for people with mental health in primary care and the community. I will then bring together patients, carers and other clinicians to devise a follow-up intervention to support patients after discharge. During this fellowship, I will be applying for further funding to test SAFER-MH nationally and make changes to services that will improve quality of care for patients as soon as possible. Start / end dates: Jan 2025-March 2026 Contact email: Natasha.tyler@manchester.ac.uk |
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Helen Eke - University of Exeter Project Title: The role of nature-based education in preventing emergence of mental health problems in neurodivergent adolescents Brief summary: Neurodivergent young people (NYP) are different from other adolescents in the way their brains work, which includes those with a neurodevelopmental “disorder” such as autism, tics or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. NYP are more likely than other adolescents to develop additional mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, both in adolescence and later in life, and are less likely to do well in school, are absent more, and are often excluded. The rules and regulations in schools can increase feelings of stress and anxiousness for NYP, leading to later mental health problems. Forest schools, or other nature-based school options are outdoor education centres that are different from a traditional classroom. At a nature-based education setting, adolescents take part in a variety of activities and learn skills “hands-on”. Some research suggests that forest schools might be helpful to NYP in supporting them to learn but there is not much evidence, specifically about adolescents. In this development grant, we will conduct a scoping review and will draw together a team of experts across the Three Schools, as well as partners who are interested in working in this area, to explore exactly how and why we think nature-based education can prevent mental health problems. We will also continue public involvement, working with NYP, their families and outdoor school teachers to plan a wider project for a programme application in 2025. Start / end dates: June 2024 - May 2025 Email: h.e.eke@exeter.ac.uk |
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Joe Hulin - University of Sheffield Project Title: Suicide Prevention in Primary Care Brief Summary: The aim of this work is to develop a research proposal to evaluate ways of supporting GPs to deliver care for people who self-harm or have suicidal feelings. To support this we will be undertaking a rapid review of the literature on suicide prevention interventions in primary care. We will focus on interventions which support integration with other mental healthcare services and VCSE organisations. Start / end dates: June 2024 - November 2024 Email: j.hulin@sheffield.ac.uk |
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Helena Tuomainen - University of Warwick Project Title: Co-creating integrated solutions involving young people, parents and teachers to prevent the emergence and escalation of mental health problems in adolescents of minority ethnic background Brief Summary: The overall aim of our project is to prevent mental health problems arising and/or becoming worse in young people (11-14) of minority ethnic background. This includes: a) finding ways for parents/carers to recognise emerging mental health problems and support the mental health/wellbeing of their adolescent child; and b) identifying the best way of working together with young people, parents/carers and teachers to co-create solutions. Our project includes a scoping review of integrated solutions, and workshops with young people, parents/carers and teachers to help identify and co-design acceptable intervention elements. We will recruit participants from two secondary schools in east London and Birmingham, respectively, with high numbers of pupils from minority ethnic communities. We will also identify existing mental health support in target communities, build a research team, and develop a research proposal for the next stage of the project. Start / end dates: June 2024 - November 2024 E-mail: helena.tuomainen@warwick.ac.uk |
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Abisola Balogun-Katung - Newcastle University Project title: Evaluating the effectiveness of a model of trauma-informed care in children's social care Brief summary: To follow Start / end dates: October 2024 - March 2026 |
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Kelly Birtwell - University of Manchester Project title: Increasing access to physical activity for autistic adults: development of resources to support engagement in dance Brief summary: What the research is about: Autistic adults can experience more physical and mental health conditions than non-autistic adults, including depression, social isolation, loneliness, and obesity. Being active through dance may help autistic people with these issues. There are many ways to try dance: · in your own space, e.g. at home (on your own, with a partner, or by joining an online class); · in social settings (e.g. a salsa night, nightclub or party); · at dance classes (individual dancing, e.g. tap or ballet; partner dancing, e.g. ballroom or Latin; or group dancing, e.g. line dancing or sequence dancing). Dance could be something that professionals called ‘link workers’, who work in GP practices, refer people to through ‘social prescribing’ (where social activities can be prescribed instead of drugs, e.g., gym membership, a weight-loss club, etc.). But little is known about how to make it easier and accessible for autistic adults to engage in dance. Aim of the research: We want to: 1) find out about autistic people’s experiences of dance in these different settings; 2) develop resources to support: autistic people to engage in dance; link workers to make referrals; and dance teachers and organisations to be more aware of the needs of autistic people. Start / end dates: December 2024 - March 2026 |
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Krysia Canvin / Rose Hutton - Keele University Project title: Evaluation of Compassion Focussed Therapy for women in prison Brief summary: Significant numbers of women in prison are in the perinatal period (i.e. pregnant or two years post-childbirth) and are separated from children placing them at increased risk of experiencing poor mental health. This research will evaluate the delivery of ‘Compassion Focused Therapy’ - a form of talking therapy – that is provided to women on a perinatal pathway in a female prison. Start / end dates: June 2024 - March 2026 Email: k.canvin@keele.ac.uk / r.hutton@keele.ac.uk |
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Laura Tucker / Martin Webber - University of York Project title: Hidden troubles: Exploring suicide risk and suicide prevention with Gypsy and Traveller communities Brief summary: Gypsy and Traveller communities are at high risk for almost all predictors of suicide. Although evidence on the extent of this risk is limited, what we know from people within these communities and those who work with them suggests disproportionality high rates of suicide which have been sustained over a long time. Limited understanding of suicide risk for people from ethnic minorities is a key barrier to effective suicide prevention and empowering communities to address the risks themselves is globally seen as a valuable approach. This collaborative research project aims to develop a community-led approach to suicide prevention with Gypsies and Travellers in Yorkshire and the North East. It will draw on the hidden expertise within Gypsy and Traveller communities to explore suicide risk and identify community strengths and resources that can be used for preventative work. It will also identify the spaces where healthcare and public health interventions could make a difference. By exploring how practitioners and local policy makers could respond and what barriers might exist, we aim to ensure that the proposed approach can make relevant recommendations for practice and policy around suicide prevention with Gypsy and Traveller communities. Start / end dates: June 2024 - March 2026 Email: sbs-grt-research@york.ac.uk |
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Vashti Berry - Exeter University Project title: CHOICES Extension Funding Brief summary: Social prescribing is a way of connecting people to local groups and activities in their communities that might be good for their health or wellbeing. This is often done through their GP, who directs them to a link worker, who then engages in long conversations with the person about what might be the most appropriate activities. Social prescribing link workers are now part of GP practices across the whole of England. However, despite children and young people experiencing high-levels and increasing mental health need, we know that social prescribing is not being used as much by this group. In some areas, there are specialist children and young people social prescribing services being set up. We conducted a research project, CHOICES, in which we collected data about what these services look like and what sorts of activities young people are being referred to. We want to develop this work into a new, larger project, CHOICES2. In this project, we will engage three groups: academics involved in social prescribing and youth mental health; young people themselves; and practitioners, decision makers and funders who deliver and fund programmes. The work will allow us to design research that better addresses the needs of all these groups and therefore inform services that can have the greatest impact for those that need it. We will use this learning to seek funding for CHOICES2. Start / end dates: June 2024 - November 2025 Email: V.berry@exeter.ac.uk |
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Gretchen Bjornstad - Exeter University Project title: Support for Parent Carers in England (SPaCE) Phase 2: Identifying opportunities for systems improvement to support parent carer mental health Brief summary: Most children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are living at home and being cared for by their parents. The caring role places parent carers at greater risk of mental health problems, as has been confirmed by forthcoming results from the SPaCE project Phase 1. Although families are supported by health, social care, and education services, these services often struggle to fully meet families’ needs. Parent carers must often advocate for their child or fill in service gaps themselves. These challenges may contribute to the increased risk of mental health problems in parent carers. This follow-on study will involve secondary analysis of data from Phase 1 of SPaCE to gain an initial understanding of the impact of systemic factors on parent carer mental health to develop a proposal for a programme further research. In this follow-on study, we aim to explore the systemic factors within and across the health, social care, and education systems that affect parent carer mental health. We plan to design a further programme of work to understand how the system could be improved to better meet the needs of families and prevent negative effects on mental health. Start / end dates: June 2024 - May 2025 Email: g.j.bjornstad@exeter.ac.uk |
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Sarah Cook - Imperial College London Project title: DiAL: Improving mental and physical health outcomes for people living with alcohol use disorder and diabetes: Exploring practitioner and public perspectives on developing preventive interventions Brief summary: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a mental health condition which includes both drinking alcohol in a way that causes harm to health and being dependent on alcohol. Diabetes is a common long-term health condition. Good management and treatment can have a big impact on how diabetes affects peoples’ lives and their long-term health. People with AUD who also have diabetes are more likely to have worse health outcomes from their diabetes, for example, they are more likely to develop mental health problems such as depression and anxiety and more likely to have kidney problems and to have a stroke. Research to prevent poor mental and physical health in people with AUD and diabetes needs to include people with lived experience of both AUD and diabetes and the people who support and care for them. In this project we are aiming to reach out to patients, health care workers and other people who support or care for people with AUD and diabetes to work together on finding ways to improve health for people living with AUD and diabetes. Start / end dates: June 2024 - October 2024 Email: Sarah.cook@imperial.ac.uk |
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Ruth Naughton-Doe - University of York Project title: Reducing loneliness for perinatal Muslim women: co-designing a walking group intervention and the tools to evaluate it Brief summary: Research funded by Phase One of the Three Schools Mental Health Research Programme found that perinatal walking groups could help reduce loneliness. Consultation has shown that Muslim women would be interested in taking part in walking groups. However, we don’t know how these walking groups could be designed to make them as useful and enjoyable as possible for perinatal Muslim women. This is because Muslim communities have been overlooked in research. This study aims to ask these communities how perinatal walking groups could work for them. We will then co-design a walking group to test out in research in the future. Start / end dates: January 2025 - September 2025 Email: Ruth.naughton-doe@york.ac.uk |
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Grainne Cremin - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Project title: Investigate health inequalities and barriers to mental heal Brief summary: I completed my BSc in Human Health and Disease in Trinity College in 2020. I am now pursuing mental health research through MSc Public Health at LSHTM.
Start / end dates: September 2024 - August 2025 Email: gcremin@tcd.ie |
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Orla Hilton - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Project title: Consequences of infection on mental health Brief summary: I am a clinical academic working across the fields of infectious diseases, global neurology, and mental health. I am passionate about providing a holistic, integrated approach to ‘brain health’ in vulnerable populations across the UK and in the Global South. More than 114 million people have been forcefully displaced worldwide, due to conflict, human rights violations and persecution (UNHCR). Asylum seekers and refugees are five times more likely to have mental health needs than the UK population (Refugee Council, England). There are a wide range of contributing factors to mental health disorders in asylum seekers and refugees, but despite a higher incidence of diseases such as HIV, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis in this population, the relationship between infection and mental health remains poorly understood. During my MSc I intend to perform research investigating this relationship, in an effort to understand how we can better address the multi-faceted burden of disease in this vulnerable and difficult to access population, with the hope of improving integrated services for effective care of migrants in the long term. Start / end dates: September 2024 - August 2025 Email: Orla.Hilton@liverpool.ac.uk |
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Hannah Lehrain - City University Project title: Difference in response rate to exposure therapies for individuals being treated for baby loss and birth trauma Brief summary: I am a psychotherapist working in the NHS for the past 13 years. Currently, I am part of a Maternal Mental Health Service with a keen interest in developing better treatments for families who have experienced baby loss and birth trauma. During this degree, I aim to explore the effectiveness of the treatments offered in the Maternal Mental Health Service where I work. My hypothesis is that exposure-based treatments, while effective for birth trauma cases, are less effective for baby loss cases. Start / end dates: September 2024 - August 2026 Email: Hannah.lehrain2@nhs.net |
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Abby List - Teesside University Project title: Mental health in working mothers, specially those working in front-line health and social care service Brief summary: I am a Registered Adult Nurse with experience working within critical care and more recently, clinical research. I am currently working for an NIHR funded Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) where I facilitate health inequalities research to support a research culture and capacity within local authority settings. I will be studying part time alongside my position within the HDRC which means that I can link my academic work to my professional role. For my dissertation, I want to explore the mental health effects of shift work and vicarious trauma experienced by mothers with young families working within front-line health and social care services. This is in response to the problems with retainment of NHS staff. Start / end dates: September 2024 - August 2026 Email: TBC |
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Florence Watson - Teesside University Project title: Explore the impact of interventions available to increase sexual safety and reduce sexual harm for mental health inpatients Brief summary: I have worked within mental health services for over five years in both a research and clinical capacity. My roles have included working as a Healthcare Assistant across various inpatient services, as an Assistant Psychologist within a community mental health team, as a Research Assistant working on an innovative treatment trial for distressing auditory hallucinations and most recently as a research assistant evaluating the implementation of tobacco dependency services across England. I am particularly interested in improving the care of those accessing mental health services through robust, relevant research and evidence informed practise. Patient safety is a core CQC domain and a key priority for NHS England; however, recent headlines from Sky News indicate over 20,000 cases of sexual assault or harassment towards patients and staff across English mental health services since 2019. These figures represent a systemic issue which needs to be urgently addressed. There is currently little evidence examining the impact of interventions that are available to increase sexual safety and reduce sexual harm for those already admitted to mental health hospitals. This review aims to understand more the impact of existing interventions. Start / end dates: September 2024 - August 2025 Email: florence.watson3@nhs.net |
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Annette Bauer - The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Project Title: Supporting mothers with severe mental illness during pregnancy and after birth: a realist evaluation of the Action on Postpartum Psychosis peer support model Brief Summary: To Follow Start / end dates: 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2025 Contact email: a.bauer@lse.ac.uk |
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Gary Lamph / Krysia Canvin - Keele University Project Title: Exploration of Prison Responses In complex eMotional nEeDs (E-PRIMED Project) Brief Summary: Personality disorder impacts seven in ten people in Prison. Specialist support is available through the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway to the highest risk and people with highest level of complexity however despite such high prevalence in the general wider prison population little support is provided and many people with these difficulties go without support and are undetected. We aim to find out and explore what support is currently offered. We will do this through a scoping study literature review and mapping exercise, a qualitative study with interviews with prison staff and prison leavers who meet the criteria for personality disorder and via a final participatory project using a world café methodology. All data collected within this study will be analysed and used to develop a freely available guidance toolkit for working with personality disorder in general prison populations. We disseminate findings through publication and conference presentation and through attempt to share the toolkit and influence practice and policy. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: g.lamph@keele.ac.uk / k.canvin@keele.ac.uk |
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Robbie Duschinsky / Barry Coughlan - University of Cambridge Project Title: The availability and effectiveness of psychosocial treatments for underserved young people who self-harm: An analysis using data from two NHS Trusts. Brief Summary: While psychosocial support within mental health services is widely regarded as crucial for young people who self-harm, there is little known about what types of support are routinely available and how effective they are. This project will analyse anonymized data from two large mental health services. We will assess both the availability and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for self-harm. We will explore how the availability and effectiveness of these interventions vary based on factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, economic deprivation, religion, first language, diagnosis, social care status, referral source, physical disability, and discharge destination. A range of outputs will be produced from the project’s findings to help professionals across public health, primary care, and social care feel better equipped to support young people and their families. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 – 1 April 2026 Contact email: rd522@medschl.cam.ac.uk |
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Tamsin Fisher - Keele University Project Title: Supporting help-seeking in farmers to prevent self-harm and suicide: a multi-method study. (Farm SP) Brief Summary: To Follow Start / end dates: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: t.e.fisher1@keele.ac.uk |
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David Hunt - University of Exeter Project Title: Building Bridges: A Realist Synthesis to Understand the Needs of Men at Risk of Suicide Brief Summary: Male suicidality is a global issue and is particularly prevalent in the southwest of England, which has the third highest rate of suicide in the country. There are significant barriers preventing men from accessing help, with many completing suicide without ever having been in contact with healthcare services. Research indicates that men are more likely to seek support through informal channels and community initiatives. However, while these initiatives are often highly effective, they can be disconnected from the wider health and social care system, placing a considerable burden on individuals and communities when someone discloses suicidal thoughts. Therefore, research is essential to understand how these initiatives operate in such situations and how they might link to primary care services. This would help ensure continuity of care and appropriate support when men do reach out. The project aims to conduct an adapted realist synthesis to explore how men at risk of suicide are supported within community initiatives, and how this support integrates into a whole system of care, including access to primary care services. The study is based in Devon and Cornwall, with the goal of producing a set of recommendations for the local region. These findings will serve as a foundation for future research funding, highlighting areas in need of improvement and further investigation. Start / end dates: October 2024 - March 2026 Contact email: d.hunt3@exeter.ac.uk |
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Danielle Lamb / Victoria Williamson - University College London / University of Bath Project Title: Experiences and impact of moral injury among staff who work within the prison estate: a study to co-design a staff support program to promote mental well-being. Brief Summary: Staff working in prisons often face situations that challenge their moral beliefs. They may be required to do things, or witness things, they personally disagree with and can feel betrayed by those in authority. These experiences can cause 'moral injury' which is characterised by feelings of intense guilt, shame, and anger, and can lead to the development of mental health problems including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reduced investment in the prison estate means that there are widespread issues of overcrowding, understaffing, and high workloads, which increase the risk of challenging situations for staff and prisoners. Staff experiencing psychological ill-health are less able to support prisoners. Providing better support to prison staff could improve their own wellbeing and allow them to carry out their roles more effectively, helping prisoners by improving interactions and the care provided. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of moral injury in prison staff, including prison officers and those providing healthcare in prisons, and to codesign a programme to better support staff wellbeing. If future testing shows the programme is effective, this codesigned programme could not only improve prison staff wellbeing and reduce staff turnover, but it could also have positive effects on prisoners by reducing staff stress and improving staff-prisoner interactions. This study is the first step in ensuring a large population of prisoners with complex needs are better cared for by staff who are healthier and happier. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: d.lamb@ucl.ac.uk / vw217@bath.ac.uk |
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Kelly Mackenzie - University of Sheffield Project Title: PRAMS (Perinatal Redesign for Accessing Mental Health Services): Using experience-based co-design to improve access to perinatal mental health care for women in underserved groups. Brief Summary: Mental health problems in pregnancy and in the early days of parenthood are common. Recent research has shown there is a gap in access to mental health care for women from underserved groups, such as those from ethnic minority backgrounds or living in deprived areas. Some women experience delays or difficulties in getting access to mental health support and this can lead to problems with their health and their child’s development. Whilst we know this is an important issue, we do not yet fully understand the reasons that lead to these inequalities or how to address them. Using an approach called “Experience Based Co-Design” will allow us to put patients at the centre of the process to design and develop a solution to this problem. We will work with women who experience mental health problems in pregnancy and early parenthood to talk about the challenges of getting access to support. Through surveys and interviews we will explore the experiences of healthcare staff members who provide mental health support for women in this period. Women from local underserved groups will work with healthcare and public health professionals to co-design an intervention for mental health problems in pregnancy and early parenthood. We will work together to spread awareness of the intervention and our findings. Start / end dates: 1 October 2024 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: kelly.mackenzie@sheffield.ac.uk |
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Maria Michail - University of Birmingham Project Title: The role and contribution of the voluntary sector to the prevention of suicide among young people. Brief Summary: To Follow Start / end dates: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2026 Contact email: apinvoices@contacts.bham.ac.uk |
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Magdalena Mikulak - Lancaster University Project Title: Suicide, self-harm and people with learning disabilities: a scoping study Brief Summary: People with learning disabilities have poorer mental health than their non-disabled peers. People with learning disabilities, like other people, can self-harm, think about suicide, try to end their lives, and die by suicide. We know little about the experiences of adults with learning disabilities who think about suicide or try to end their lives and how best to support them in these situations. We have some evidence about self-harm and people with learning disabilities, but this is complicated by the use of different words and phrases. For example, self-harm in people with learning disabilities is sometimes called ‘self-injurious behaviour’. Sometimes self-harm is also understood as part of having a learning disability. When people with learning disabilities self-harm, others can understand their experiences as ‘challenging behaviour’. This can have an impact on what support people with learning disabilities receive. This research will review existing evidence about people with learning disabilities and self-harm and suicide. It will also help to clarify what we currently know about support for people with learning disabilities who self-harm and about suicide prevention for this group. We will also review how research on suicide and self-harm in adults with learning disabilities has been done. Start / end dates: 01 January 2025 - 28 February 2026 Contact email: m.mikulak@lancaster.ac.uk |
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Irene Petersen - University College London Project Title: Long-term consequences of perinatal depression Brief Summary: To Follow Start / end dates: 1 November 2024 - 28 February 2026 Contact email: i.petersen@ucl.ac.uk |
