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Your November dose of mental health research, evidence, and impact.

It's been another busy month in the woodland and we elves have published 20 new blogs summarising 20 new mental health research papers that have reliable findings and implications for practice and policy.

Read the most popular blogs below and don't forget to follow us wherever you get your research updates on social media!

📈 Top 5 blogs this month

These are the blogs that were most read and got everyone talking on social media:

1. Predicting psychiatric hospitalisation using routinely-collected measures

Can we predict who’s most at risk of psychiatric hospitalisation before a crisis happens? This new study developed an early warning score that predicts who’s most at risk of hospitalisation, using simple measures already collected in clinical care. If implemented safely, early warning tools like this could guide earlier, targeted support, helping clinicians act before a crisis occurs.

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2. Should you start metformin whenever you start antipsychotics?

We know antipsychotics like olanzapine can lead to weight gain. We have clear guidelines suggesting metformin can help prevent this. So why aren't we doing it? This large UK study shows just how rare metformin prescribing is in practice, and raises tough questions about the gap between evidence and action.

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3. Racism and psychosis: how discrimination shapes mental health risk

Racism doesn’t just shape our society, it can shape our mental health too. This new umbrella review shows that racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination are linked to psychosis risk across clinical and community settings. If we want to reduce mental health inequalities, we have to treat racism as a genuine risk factor, not just a backdrop.

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4. Mind the age gap: Young adults may benefit less from NHS psychological therapies

Why do young adults get less benefit from NHS Talking Therapies than older adults? This new study analysed data from 1.5 million people and found consistently poorer outcomes for 16–24 year olds treated for anxiety and depression. We need to rethink how services engage and support young people, or risk leaving thousands behind.

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5. The Challenge of VR for voices in psychosis

VR therapy for voices in psychosis has been talked up for years, but the evidence is finally catching up. This large RCT shows small benefits, mixed safety findings, and no sustained change at 24 weeks. A helpful reality check for digital mental health?

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🌳🌤️🍄 Winter webinars coming up in the New Year!

Young people face a complex range of content about mental health on social media platforms, some of which is helpful, much of which is not. Mental health practitioners and policy makers need to understand the challenges that young people face in this context and how youth-led approaches might offer solutions.

Join our webinar on 19th January 2026 (1pm to 2pm GMT) and hear youth-led insights on what good and bad mental health communication looks like online.

🎟️ Reserve your place now!​

What happens when the mind’s eye turns against us? This free webinar explores how distressing mental imagery affects people with psychosis and bipolar disorder. Learn about new research, clinical strategies, and lived experience perspectives in this important and under-explored area.

Understanding the role of mental imagery in psychosis & bipolar disorder – latest research findings, lived experience & future directions.

🎟️ Book your place for this event!​

🌳🌤️🍄 Commission The Mental Elf to host your webinar

We help researchers share evidence through social media, podcasts, videos, webinars and more. Right now we're working with research groups across the country to disseminate their new research and maximise their reach and impact.

You can commission our expert team or write us into your next grant application as your dissemination partner.

🎗️ Contact us now and get yourself some #ElfHelp.

🔗 elfi.sh/help​

📧 andre.tomlin@nationalelfservice.net​