Topic description and stories

Cambridge researchers are advancing understanding of mental illness and wellbeing – and putting this into practice.

Childhood mental health problems resulting from early-life adversity drive poorer cognitive performance in adolescence, study suggests

08 Feb 2023

Early-life adversity has long-term effects on children’s mental health, which in turn affects cognitive functioning as teenagers, say researchers...

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Man looking out of window

Scientists explain emotional ‘blunting’ caused by common antidepressants

23 Jan 2023

Scientists have worked out why common anti-depressants cause around a half of users to feel emotionally ‘blunted’. In a study published today, they...

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Boy taking part in a virtual lesson

Lack of computer access linked to poorer mental health in young people during COVID-19 pandemic

14 Nov 2022

Cambridge researchers have highlighted how lack of access to a computer was linked to poorer mental health among young people and adolescents during...

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Police officers in the UK

UK policing: psychological damage among officers heightened by bad working conditions

19 Oct 2022

Nationwide study of over 12,000 officers suggests rates of trauma-induced disorder Complex PTSD are exacerbated by factors such as too little time...

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Robot shaking hands with Dr Micol Spitale

Robots can be used to assess children’s mental wellbeing, study suggests

01 Sep 2022

Robots can be better at detecting mental wellbeing issues in children than parent-reported or self-reported testing, a new study suggests.

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Toddler's hands touching tree bark

Children with rare genetic disorders more likely to be diagnosed with developmental, behavioural and mental health problems

03 Aug 2022

A major study of children with intellectual disabilities has highlighted the additional challenges that they often face, including a much-increased...

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Could this monster help you overcome anxiety?

29 Jul 2022

In 2017, Ninja Theory, advised by Cambridge academic Professor Paul Fletcher, took the gaming world by storm with Hellblade, which accurately...

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Rear view of sports teacher practicing Yoga with her students at school gym

School-based mindfulness training programme fails to improve young people’s mental health

13 Jul 2022

A standardised schools-based mindfulness training programme did not help young people’s mental health and well-being overall, but did improve school...

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Women laughing

KPMG and the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge unveil new partnership to reimagine the world of work, starting with mental wellbeing

21 Jun 2022

New five-year partnership on the ‘Future of Work’ will examine the big issues affecting the modern workforce and offer practical, research-backed...

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Teacher speaking with students

'Reductive' models of wellbeing education risk failing children, researchers warn

21 Jun 2022

An improved vision for wellbeing education should replace the over-simplistic approaches currently employed in many schools, such as happiness...

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Children playing

Pre-school play with friends lowers risk of mental health problems later

14 Jun 2022

Children who learn to play well with others at pre-school age tend to enjoy better mental health as they get older, new research shows. ̽»¨Ö±²¥findings...

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̽»¨Ö±²¥psychiatrist who faced a dilemma but couldn’t turn his back on his people

23 May 2022

Children in West Africa with cognitive difficulties are going undiagnosed because the tests used to assess their mental health are based on Western...

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