Niall Boyce
@nboyce.bsky.social
Brain, mind, science, & culture. Former E-i-C of The Lancet Psychiatry. Head of Knowledge+Measurement in Mental Health at Wellcome. Early modernist+Modernist. Views mine.
Should psychiatrists think more about physical pain?
That's the lead item in this week's Thought Formation.
Also featured: #mentalhealth & firearm injury; AI & the placebo effect; and the strange, dark life of the inventor of the EEG.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/a-real-pain
That's the lead item in this week's Thought Formation.
Also featured: #mentalhealth & firearm injury; AI & the placebo effect; and the strange, dark life of the inventor of the EEG.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/a-real-pain
A real pain
Plus: mental health in survivors of firearm injuries; AI and the placebo effect; and the strange, dark life of the inventor of the EEG
thoughtformation.substack.com
August 22, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Should psychiatrists think more about physical pain?
That's the lead item in this week's Thought Formation.
Also featured: #mentalhealth & firearm injury; AI & the placebo effect; and the strange, dark life of the inventor of the EEG.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/a-real-pain
That's the lead item in this week's Thought Formation.
Also featured: #mentalhealth & firearm injury; AI & the placebo effect; and the strange, dark life of the inventor of the EEG.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/a-real-pain
This week's Thought Formation: psychotherapy, nostalgia, the stomach-brain connection, and specific phobias.
Includes one of the greatest sentences I've read in the medical literature: "Men may have a more cavalier attitude to vomiting than women."
#mentalhealth
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Includes one of the greatest sentences I've read in the medical literature: "Men may have a more cavalier attitude to vomiting than women."
#mentalhealth
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Why do young people benefit less from talking therapies?
Plus: The return of nostalgia; sex differences in phobias; and thinking with your stomach
open.substack.com
August 8, 2025 at 12:23 PM
This week's Thought Formation: psychotherapy, nostalgia, the stomach-brain connection, and specific phobias.
Includes one of the greatest sentences I've read in the medical literature: "Men may have a more cavalier attitude to vomiting than women."
#mentalhealth
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Includes one of the greatest sentences I've read in the medical literature: "Men may have a more cavalier attitude to vomiting than women."
#mentalhealth
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
“Depression ain’t funny.”
Wasn’t aware of this until the Sunday Times reprinted it. Ozzy Osbourne’s advice to a reader with depression. Rarely seen someone talking about #mentalhealth and the pros/cons of antidepressants with such an amazing combination of empathy, clarity, frankness, and humour.
Wasn’t aware of this until the Sunday Times reprinted it. Ozzy Osbourne’s advice to a reader with depression. Rarely seen someone talking about #mentalhealth and the pros/cons of antidepressants with such an amazing combination of empathy, clarity, frankness, and humour.
July 27, 2025 at 8:40 AM
“Depression ain’t funny.”
Wasn’t aware of this until the Sunday Times reprinted it. Ozzy Osbourne’s advice to a reader with depression. Rarely seen someone talking about #mentalhealth and the pros/cons of antidepressants with such an amazing combination of empathy, clarity, frankness, and humour.
Wasn’t aware of this until the Sunday Times reprinted it. Ozzy Osbourne’s advice to a reader with depression. Rarely seen someone talking about #mentalhealth and the pros/cons of antidepressants with such an amazing combination of empathy, clarity, frankness, and humour.
Reposted by Niall Boyce
Psychedelics in mental health: still a field full of hype, hope… & huge gaps in evidence buff.ly/nBGYa3B
New blog by leading experts sets out 5 priorities to move the field forward — from better trial design to preparing health systems. Let’s unpack them 👇
🧵 THREAD
#Psychedelics #MentalHealth
New blog by leading experts sets out 5 priorities to move the field forward — from better trial design to preparing health systems. Let’s unpack them 👇
🧵 THREAD
#Psychedelics #MentalHealth
July 9, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Psychedelics in mental health: still a field full of hype, hope… & huge gaps in evidence buff.ly/nBGYa3B
New blog by leading experts sets out 5 priorities to move the field forward — from better trial design to preparing health systems. Let’s unpack them 👇
🧵 THREAD
#Psychedelics #MentalHealth
New blog by leading experts sets out 5 priorities to move the field forward — from better trial design to preparing health systems. Let’s unpack them 👇
🧵 THREAD
#Psychedelics #MentalHealth
Finally saw ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, and I think that over the past 30 years, Wes Anderson’s output has gone from ‘Rushmore’ to the kind of films Max from ‘Rushmore’ would make.
June 24, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Finally saw ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, and I think that over the past 30 years, Wes Anderson’s output has gone from ‘Rushmore’ to the kind of films Max from ‘Rushmore’ would make.
Reposted by Niall Boyce
Want to work with us on developing one of the biggest prizes in mental health science? Submit your EOI by 24th June and you'll get access to our webinar for further information!
We’re launching a major new prize in mental health — and we’re looking for a supplier to help us run it.
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous and technically robust.
Learn more ⤵️
wellcome.org/about-us/wor...
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous and technically robust.
Learn more ⤵️
wellcome.org/about-us/wor...
June 20, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Want to work with us on developing one of the biggest prizes in mental health science? Submit your EOI by 24th June and you'll get access to our webinar for further information!
Reposted by Niall Boyce
We're looking for a supplier to help design & facilitate the first cycle of a major new prize in mental health science.
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous & technically robust.
Submit your EOI by 24 June!
Find out more ⬇️
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous & technically robust.
Submit your EOI by 24 June!
Find out more ⬇️
We’re launching a major new prize in mental health — and we’re looking for a supplier to help us run it.
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous and technically robust.
Learn more ⤵️
wellcome.org/about-us/wor...
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous and technically robust.
Learn more ⤵️
wellcome.org/about-us/wor...
June 13, 2025 at 1:53 PM
We're looking for a supplier to help design & facilitate the first cycle of a major new prize in mental health science.
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous & technically robust.
Submit your EOI by 24 June!
Find out more ⬇️
Interested suppliers must be able to run a global prize that is inclusive, impactful, academically rigorous & technically robust.
Submit your EOI by 24 June!
Find out more ⬇️
Reposted by Niall Boyce
🚨New Contract Opportunity in Mental Health🚨
And it's a big one! Read on for more info and details
Can your organisation help us build a depressed mood mission map?
EOI: 02/07
Full Applications: 08/08
Register for our live webinar on 19th June:
wellcome-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
And it's a big one! Read on for more info and details
Can your organisation help us build a depressed mood mission map?
EOI: 02/07
Full Applications: 08/08
Register for our live webinar on 19th June:
wellcome-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Wellcome Mental Health Catalyst: towards new and better treatments for depressed mood . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about join...
This webinar is for the RFP titled "Wellcome Mental Health Catalyst: towards new and better treatments for depressed mood". There will be a presentation from the Wellcome team, followed by an opportun...
wellcome-org.zoom.us
June 11, 2025 at 10:47 AM
🚨New Contract Opportunity in Mental Health🚨
And it's a big one! Read on for more info and details
Can your organisation help us build a depressed mood mission map?
EOI: 02/07
Full Applications: 08/08
Register for our live webinar on 19th June:
wellcome-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
And it's a big one! Read on for more info and details
Can your organisation help us build a depressed mood mission map?
EOI: 02/07
Full Applications: 08/08
Register for our live webinar on 19th June:
wellcome-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
What's holding back drug repurposing in mental health? That's the big question in this week's Thought Formation.
Plus: the long shadow of 9/11, rethinking schizophrenia, and worrying figures on the mental health of medical students.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus: the long shadow of 9/11, rethinking schizophrenia, and worrying figures on the mental health of medical students.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Re-make, re-model
What's stopping drug repurposing in mental health? Plus: the long shadow of 9/11, autism and schizophrenia, and trouble at medical school
open.substack.com
June 6, 2025 at 11:06 AM
What's holding back drug repurposing in mental health? That's the big question in this week's Thought Formation.
Plus: the long shadow of 9/11, rethinking schizophrenia, and worrying figures on the mental health of medical students.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus: the long shadow of 9/11, rethinking schizophrenia, and worrying figures on the mental health of medical students.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Not entirely sure what this means, but it’s definitely the first time I’ve seen a fashion collection inspired by a neurotransmitter.
June 5, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Not entirely sure what this means, but it’s definitely the first time I’ve seen a fashion collection inspired by a neurotransmitter.
What is "metaphorical brain talk", and how might it damage trust in psychiatry?
That's just one of the questions answered in this week's Thought Formation, my pick of recent #mentalhealth articles.
It's all here, all free, and I hope you enjoy it.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
That's just one of the questions answered in this week's Thought Formation, my pick of recent #mentalhealth articles.
It's all here, all free, and I hope you enjoy it.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Too much brain talk?
Plus: Ozempic and mental health; the side-effects of psychotherapy; and a social imbalance in psychedelic trials
open.substack.com
May 23, 2025 at 6:59 AM
What is "metaphorical brain talk", and how might it damage trust in psychiatry?
That's just one of the questions answered in this week's Thought Formation, my pick of recent #mentalhealth articles.
It's all here, all free, and I hope you enjoy it.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
That's just one of the questions answered in this week's Thought Formation, my pick of recent #mentalhealth articles.
It's all here, all free, and I hope you enjoy it.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
‘“All the younger people...were just much more optimistic and hopeful.” It was the older generation, she realised “who were panicked and anxiety-driven”.’
My interview with Sarah Baird, Co-Chair of @thelancet.com Commission on adolescent health & wellbeing.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
My interview with Sarah Baird, Co-Chair of @thelancet.com Commission on adolescent health & wellbeing.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Sarah Baird: understanding, action, and optimism
When Sarah Baird appears on my computer screen, things are not quite as expected.
For one thing, while she is Professor of Global Health and Economics in the Department
of Global Health of the Milken ...
www.thelancet.com
May 21, 2025 at 8:23 AM
‘“All the younger people...were just much more optimistic and hopeful.” It was the older generation, she realised “who were panicked and anxiety-driven”.’
My interview with Sarah Baird, Co-Chair of @thelancet.com Commission on adolescent health & wellbeing.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
My interview with Sarah Baird, Co-Chair of @thelancet.com Commission on adolescent health & wellbeing.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
I thought specialising in psychiatry meant that I was done with the Krebs cycle. But just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
Plus: should psychiatrists help patients to date? How does lamotrigine work? And VR in Antarctica.
All here, and all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus: should psychiatrists help patients to date? How does lamotrigine work? And VR in Antarctica.
All here, and all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Should psychiatrists help patients to date?
Plus: how lamotrigine might work in bipolar depression; virtual reality in Antarctica; and the ketogenic diet for mental health
open.substack.com
May 16, 2025 at 8:35 AM
I thought specialising in psychiatry meant that I was done with the Krebs cycle. But just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
Plus: should psychiatrists help patients to date? How does lamotrigine work? And VR in Antarctica.
All here, and all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus: should psychiatrists help patients to date? How does lamotrigine work? And VR in Antarctica.
All here, and all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Reposted by Niall Boyce
Morning #BNA2025! ☀️
Wondering what funders are thinking about the future of UK #MentalHealthResearch?
Join us at 2pm in Room 12 for the @iamhrf.bsky.social session to find out!
Wondering what funders are thinking about the future of UK #MentalHealthResearch?
Join us at 2pm in Room 12 for the @iamhrf.bsky.social session to find out!
April 30, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Morning #BNA2025! ☀️
Wondering what funders are thinking about the future of UK #MentalHealthResearch?
Join us at 2pm in Room 12 for the @iamhrf.bsky.social session to find out!
Wondering what funders are thinking about the future of UK #MentalHealthResearch?
Join us at 2pm in Room 12 for the @iamhrf.bsky.social session to find out!
This week’s Thought Formation highlights two papers on controversial diagnoses: prolonged grief disorder & adult ADHD.
Plus:
- Can the retina help us understand schizophrenia?
- Simple, but good advice to help carers of people with psychosis.
All free, as ever.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus:
- Can the retina help us understand schizophrenia?
- Simple, but good advice to help carers of people with psychosis.
All free, as ever.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
When does grief become a mental health problem?
Plus: defining adult ADHD; schizophrenia and the eye; and what carers of people with psychosis need to know
open.substack.com
April 25, 2025 at 7:25 AM
This week’s Thought Formation highlights two papers on controversial diagnoses: prolonged grief disorder & adult ADHD.
Plus:
- Can the retina help us understand schizophrenia?
- Simple, but good advice to help carers of people with psychosis.
All free, as ever.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus:
- Can the retina help us understand schizophrenia?
- Simple, but good advice to help carers of people with psychosis.
All free, as ever.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
If you'd like a free 5-minute read on interesting new #mentalhealth research, why not subscribe to Thought Formation?
Tomorrow's will cover "prolonged grief disorder", adult ADHD, retinal changes with schizophrenia, and what to say to help carers.
Sign up here:
thoughtformation.substack.com
Tomorrow's will cover "prolonged grief disorder", adult ADHD, retinal changes with schizophrenia, and what to say to help carers.
Sign up here:
thoughtformation.substack.com
Thought Formation | Niall Boyce | Substack
First thoughts on new mental health research. Click to read Thought Formation, by Niall Boyce, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
thoughtformation.substack.com
April 24, 2025 at 9:21 AM
If you'd like a free 5-minute read on interesting new #mentalhealth research, why not subscribe to Thought Formation?
Tomorrow's will cover "prolonged grief disorder", adult ADHD, retinal changes with schizophrenia, and what to say to help carers.
Sign up here:
thoughtformation.substack.com
Tomorrow's will cover "prolonged grief disorder", adult ADHD, retinal changes with schizophrenia, and what to say to help carers.
Sign up here:
thoughtformation.substack.com
Big questions:
- What's the difference between Portugal and British Columbia?
- Does CBT work?
- What's the problem with trials of #mentalhealth apps?
- And can dogs help with your mental health?
All for free in this week's Thought Formation.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
- What's the difference between Portugal and British Columbia?
- Does CBT work?
- What's the problem with trials of #mentalhealth apps?
- And can dogs help with your mental health?
All for free in this week's Thought Formation.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Substance misuse: decriminalisation alone is not enough
Also: Does CBT work?; the need for better RCTs of mental health apps; and dogs as mental health intervention.
open.substack.com
April 17, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Big questions:
- What's the difference between Portugal and British Columbia?
- Does CBT work?
- What's the problem with trials of #mentalhealth apps?
- And can dogs help with your mental health?
All for free in this week's Thought Formation.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
- What's the difference between Portugal and British Columbia?
- Does CBT work?
- What's the problem with trials of #mentalhealth apps?
- And can dogs help with your mental health?
All for free in this week's Thought Formation.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
This week's Thought Formation looks at why we might need to refocus our efforts on #climatechange and #mentalhealth.
Plus: Childhood adversity and psychosis; the problem with mental health problems as "brain diseases"; and what is "Mushtella"?
All here, all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus: Childhood adversity and psychosis; the problem with mental health problems as "brain diseases"; and what is "Mushtella"?
All here, all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Can we prevent PTSD after disasters?
Plus: selling psilocybin in Canada; mental health problems as "brain diseases"; and the definitive evidence (for now) on childhood adversity and psychosis
open.substack.com
April 4, 2025 at 7:14 AM
This week's Thought Formation looks at why we might need to refocus our efforts on #climatechange and #mentalhealth.
Plus: Childhood adversity and psychosis; the problem with mental health problems as "brain diseases"; and what is "Mushtella"?
All here, all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Plus: Childhood adversity and psychosis; the problem with mental health problems as "brain diseases"; and what is "Mushtella"?
All here, all free.
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtf...
Reposted by Niall Boyce
“I really don’t believe in one answer, and I practise that in medicine...I’ve always lived in the grey, I think.”
This weekend, Dr Libby Sallnow @uclbrainscience.bsky.social Marie Curie Research Dept was interviewed by @thelancet.bsky.social on her work:
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
This weekend, Dr Libby Sallnow @uclbrainscience.bsky.social Marie Curie Research Dept was interviewed by @thelancet.bsky.social on her work:
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Libby Sallnow: the gentle disruptor
Libby Sallnow is Associate Professor in Palliative Care in the Marie Curie Palliative
Care Research Department at University College London, UK, and a consultant at the
Central and North West London N...
www.thelancet.com
March 11, 2025 at 12:14 PM
“I really don’t believe in one answer, and I practise that in medicine...I’ve always lived in the grey, I think.”
This weekend, Dr Libby Sallnow @uclbrainscience.bsky.social Marie Curie Research Dept was interviewed by @thelancet.bsky.social on her work:
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
This weekend, Dr Libby Sallnow @uclbrainscience.bsky.social Marie Curie Research Dept was interviewed by @thelancet.bsky.social on her work:
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
"The best response to criticism of our field is not words, but rather positive results."
@lynseyb.bsky.social and me in the BJPsych on how to build a better future for mental health science.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
@lynseyb.bsky.social and me in the BJPsych on how to build a better future for mental health science.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
A better future for mental health science | The British Journal of Psychiatry | Cambridge Core
A better future for mental health science
www.cambridge.org
March 10, 2025 at 9:07 AM
"The best response to criticism of our field is not words, but rather positive results."
@lynseyb.bsky.social and me in the BJPsych on how to build a better future for mental health science.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
@lynseyb.bsky.social and me in the BJPsych on how to build a better future for mental health science.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
“Grief is something that is universal.”
Libby Sallnow wants to change the conversation around death and dying. Here's my interview with her for @thelancet.bsky.social.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Libby Sallnow wants to change the conversation around death and dying. Here's my interview with her for @thelancet.bsky.social.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Libby Sallnow: the gentle disruptor
Libby Sallnow is Associate Professor in Palliative Care in the Marie Curie Palliative
Care Research Department at University College London, UK, and a consultant at the
Central and North West London N...
www.thelancet.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:29 PM
“Grief is something that is universal.”
Libby Sallnow wants to change the conversation around death and dying. Here's my interview with her for @thelancet.bsky.social.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Libby Sallnow wants to change the conversation around death and dying. Here's my interview with her for @thelancet.bsky.social.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Thought Formation time!
This week: listening to people who hear voices; anticholinergics and cognitive impairment; new data on physician suicide; & the benefits of mixed methods.
Sign up here for a free weekly update on what's new in #mentalhealth:
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/listening-...
This week: listening to people who hear voices; anticholinergics and cognitive impairment; new data on physician suicide; & the benefits of mixed methods.
Sign up here for a free weekly update on what's new in #mentalhealth:
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/listening-...
Listening to people who hear voices
Plus: anticholinergics and cognitive impairment in psychosis; new figures on physician suicide; and the benefits of mixed methods research
thoughtformation.substack.com
March 7, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Thought Formation time!
This week: listening to people who hear voices; anticholinergics and cognitive impairment; new data on physician suicide; & the benefits of mixed methods.
Sign up here for a free weekly update on what's new in #mentalhealth:
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/listening-...
This week: listening to people who hear voices; anticholinergics and cognitive impairment; new data on physician suicide; & the benefits of mixed methods.
Sign up here for a free weekly update on what's new in #mentalhealth:
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/listening-...
@benaaronovitch.bsky.social Hello, Ben. Would you be able to DM me, please (it's Niall, formerly of Lancet Psychiatry; we were in touch when you were writing 'The Hanging Tree')? Thank you!
March 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM
@benaaronovitch.bsky.social Hello, Ben. Would you be able to DM me, please (it's Niall, formerly of Lancet Psychiatry; we were in touch when you were writing 'The Hanging Tree')? Thank you!
Reposted by Niall Boyce
Coming soon - a new @wellcometrust.bsky.social funded Generative AI for Mental Health Research Accelerator - aiming to support foundational research on the application of generative AI to improve measurement of and intervention in anxiety, depression, & psychosis.
Learn more - mexa.app/accelerator
Learn more - mexa.app/accelerator
MEXA
MEXA - Mental Health x AI
mexa.app
March 4, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Coming soon - a new @wellcometrust.bsky.social funded Generative AI for Mental Health Research Accelerator - aiming to support foundational research on the application of generative AI to improve measurement of and intervention in anxiety, depression, & psychosis.
Learn more - mexa.app/accelerator
Learn more - mexa.app/accelerator
What's it like to take psychedelic mushrooms?
"My roommates came outside and, again, I was disappointed in their banter."
Also this week: what we want from therapy; adverse childhood experiences and psychosis; homelessness, addiction, and treatment.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/the-ups-an...
"My roommates came outside and, again, I was disappointed in their banter."
Also this week: what we want from therapy; adverse childhood experiences and psychosis; homelessness, addiction, and treatment.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/the-ups-an...
The ups and downs of psychedelic mushrooms
Plus: What we really want from therapy (and life); adverse childhood experiences and long-term outcomes in people at risk of psychosis; and homelessness, addiction, and treatment
thoughtformation.substack.com
February 28, 2025 at 10:24 AM
What's it like to take psychedelic mushrooms?
"My roommates came outside and, again, I was disappointed in their banter."
Also this week: what we want from therapy; adverse childhood experiences and psychosis; homelessness, addiction, and treatment.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/the-ups-an...
"My roommates came outside and, again, I was disappointed in their banter."
Also this week: what we want from therapy; adverse childhood experiences and psychosis; homelessness, addiction, and treatment.
thoughtformation.substack.com/p/the-ups-an...