Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
@nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
1.4K followers 410 following 110 posts
Lecturer at Bath | Postdoc at Oxford | Blog Coordinator at The Mental Elf | researching young people’s mental health | views my own | she/her | 🏳️‍🌈
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nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
✨Announcement time✨

I am over the moon to announce that I have been successful in receiving a £290k @wellcometrust.bsky.social Accelerator Award! Starting in 2026, for 2 years I have funding to research a topic that is close to my heart: help-seeking for OCD among ethnic minority adolescents 🥳
Reposted by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
thementalelf.bsky.social
🧵 Does harsh parenting raise the risk of self-harm in young people?

New review in The Lancet Psychiatry looked across 38 cohort studies on parenting, family dynamics & youth suicide risk.

The findings aren’t what you might expect. 👇

#YouthMentalHealth #Parenting #SelfHarm #SuicidePrevention
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
I cannot convey how pleased I am to say that this paper has finally found a home! It’s so tricky publishing COVID-19 research - everyone is “over it”, and yet there is still so much learning that can be transferred to potential future situations.
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
After months of planning, yesterday was the launch of the BRIDGE Peer Mentoring Scheme! The half-day workshop was so well-attended, with wonderful engagement from everyone right up until the end. I can't wait to see these global peer mentoring relationships flourish 🤩 @eleanorchats.bsky.social
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
And such an excellent blog, too!
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
After an embarrassingly long time spent on my tiptoes trying to put this up…we’re ready! Come and chat with me at D2.043 about the two studies I am conducting with @lucyfoulkes.bsky.social on self-diagnosis. I am also on the conference app if you can’t find me and want to chat! #ESCAP2025
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
Thanks so much! The programme is incredible!
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
Delighted to have been able to make it to #ESCAP2025 this year! 😍 Amazing weather for it, too! You will find me at the poster stands tomorrow, presenting the postdoc work I’m doing with @lucyfoulkes.bsky.social @escaponline.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
lucyfoulkes.bsky.social
I’m looking for a small number of secondary schools to help us with a research study exploring self-diagnosis of mental health problems in young people

For more info or to express interest, please email @nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social:

nina.higson-sweeney [at] psych.ox.ac.uk

Or DM us! Thank you 🙏🏼
Secondary schools! Can you help? We're looking for research participants We're looking for UK secondary schools to help us with a project about self-diagnosis. For more info or to express interest, please DM me or email Nina at nina.higson-sweeney@psych.ox.ac.uk
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
You have 6 DAYS LEFF to apply to BRIDGE, a 6-month peer mentoring scheme for ECRs to facilitate global collaborations in mental health research!

It is free, remote, and focused in skills development, social support, and cross-cultural networking 👉🏽 mentalhealthresearch.org.uk/bridge/
Reposted by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
lucyfoulkes.bsky.social
I’ve had lots of messages about my Guardian article, in which I argued we should stop universal mental health lessons in schools. The messages have fallen into three categories, and I’m reflecting on this here because I think it exposes something interesting in the field (and research in general)
🧵
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
It was lovely to see you, Maria! So impressed by all these different research streams 🤩
Reposted by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
You still have 2 and a half weeks to submit your application to BRIDGE - but why not apply early? 👉 mentalhealthresearch.org.uk/bridge/

BRIDGE will begin with a half-day online workshop led by a trained coach foused on peer men toring skills and global collaboratin! How exciting is that? 🤩
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
The post below says it all! @eleanorchats.bsky.social and I have received some seed funding from the MHR Incubator to pilot a global peer mentoring programme for ECRs (including clinicians!) working in mental health research 🌎

If you are an ECR in the UK, Brazil or South Africa, apply below ⬇️
mhrincubator.bsky.social
We're incredibly excited to launch BRIDGE - a community initiative led by Incubator alumni that connects UK #mentalhealth early career #researchers with the Global South!

⏰ Applications are OPEN until 9 JUNE.

For more info & to apply, visit the page below 👇
mentalhealthresearch.org.uk/bridge/
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
I thought it looked strange! Let me redo 🤣
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
Another brilliant blog by @emmacsullivan.bsky.social on a very hot topic! 👇
thementalelf.bsky.social
Smartphone bans in schools are not associated with better mental wellbeing or reduced screen-time out of school buff.ly/C8Zo4PQ

#Smartphones #Screentime #PhoneBans #Schools #YouthMentalHealth

🧵 THREAD
Reposted by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
wellcometrust.bsky.social
Our Accelerator Awards are open for applications.

We’re supporting researchers of Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage in the UK to undertake activities that put them in a stronger position to reach their next career stage within academia.

Learn more and apply by 15 July 2025 ⤵️
Accelerator Awards | Grant funding | Wellcome
Eligibility and applications details for the Wellcome Accelerator Awards, which will support Black, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani researchers in the UK to make successful career transitions.
wellcome.org
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
It was a great first session, thank you both for hosting it 🥰
Reposted by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
museum-mh-media.bsky.social
⚡NEW PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT COMING SOON⚡

How are mental health problems portrayed in TV shows, films and music, and what impact does this have? Does it help us understand better? Can it ever be unhelpful?

A new project from Dr Lucy Foulkes & Isaac Winterburn

Follow this account for updates!
Logo: Museum of Mental Health in the Media
Reposted by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney
lucyfoulkes.bsky.social
This paper has now been published 🤠
The romanticisation of mental health problems in adolescents and its
implications: a narrative review
Awa Ndour1
 · Lucy Foulkes1 Romanticisation is the perception and portrayal of a phenomenon as more attractive, interesting, cool, profound or desirable
than it really is. There are concerns that mental health problems are increasingly romanticised, particularly among adolescents,
but there is limited research on this topic. This narrative review investigated: (1) what romanticisation is in the context of
adolescent mental health problems, (2) why adolescents might romanticise mental health problems, (3) the implications of
romanticising mental health problems in adolescence, and (4) what interventions might reduce this phenomenon. Sixty-one
publications were reviewed, including qualitative and quantitative analyses, cross-sectional and longitudinal self-report
studies and conceptual reviews. Most investigated romanticisation of mental health problems online, with most researchers
situated in a Western context. Identity formation, popular media infuences and peer infuences arose as potential explanatory
factors. Negative outcomes to romanticisation were indicated, including the reinforcement of mental health problems and
reduced help-seeking; few interventions to reduce the phenomenon have been proposed to date.
nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
It's been a little while since I've written a Mental Elf blog, and I found this fascinating qual paper on young people's views of CAMHS on TikTok. Give it a read below 👇
thementalelf.bsky.social
“I don’t need a cup of tea, I need some @#$%&! help”: #camhs through the lens of TikTok buff.ly/hGQMOwV