The Mental Elf

The Mental Elf Helping you keep up to date with mental health research, policy and guidance Welcome to the Mental Elf. No bias, no misinformation, no spin, just what you need.

Our website will help you find just what you need to keep up-to-date with all of the important and reliable mental health research and guidance. Our team of mental health experts post blogs every week day with short and snappy summaries that highlight evidence-based publications relevant to mental health practice in the UK and further afield. We scour over 500 sources of evidence (journals, databa

ses, websites) every week, to find key guidance, systematic reviews and other high quality research and reports that will help make your practice more evidence-based. The selection process has no input from any external bodies, publishers, sponsors or commercial organisations. http://www.nationalelfservice.net/mental-health/

☕ Does your morning cup do anything for your brain?A huge US study followed more than 130,000 people for up to 43 years....
04/09/2026

☕ Does your morning cup do anything for your brain?

A huge US study followed more than 130,000 people for up to 43 years. Those who drank a couple of cups of coffee or tea a day were less likely to develop dementia. Decaf made no difference.

Reassuring, but not proof. Coffee drinkers differ from non-drinkers in lots of ways that are hard to measure.

Enjoy your brew, and keep walking too.

https://buff.ly/lUOcjlu

🥗 What would you want researchers to find out?People taking medication for severe mental illness are often told to watch...
03/09/2026

🥗 What would you want researchers to find out?

People taking medication for severe mental illness are often told to watch their weight and their blood sugar. Both matter. But when patients, carers and clinicians were asked what research should tackle next, they wanted something else measured too: whether looking after metabolic health also helps people feel better, think more clearly and get more out of their days.

💚 Their priorities are now published.

https://buff.ly/NwciamN

🇦🇺 What happens when a country bans under-16s from social media?Australia tried it. Three months on, 86% of under-16s ha...
02/09/2026

🇦🇺 What happens when a country bans under-16s from social media?

Australia tried it. Three months on, 86% of under-16s had still been on at least one of the banned platforms in the previous week, using borrowed accounts, fake accounts or a private browser.

📱 The study never measured mental health, even though protecting young people's mental health is the main reason the ban exists.

https://buff.ly/8RZSEPT

Does the pressure to do well at school follow young people into adulthood?🎓 Researchers tracked nearly 5,000 young peopl...
31/08/2026

Does the pressure to do well at school follow young people into adulthood?

🎓 Researchers tracked nearly 5,000 young people in England from age 15 onwards. Those who felt more pressured by schoolwork reported more symptoms of depression, and that pattern was still there years later when they were in their twenties.

The study cannot prove that pressure caused the difficulties, but it is a reminder that exam years leave a mark.

https://buff.ly/HEKdYwB

What should good mental health crisis care actually achieve?🌳 Open Dialogue tries to answer that by changing how service...
29/08/2026

What should good mental health crisis care actually achieve?

🌳 Open Dialogue tries to answer that by changing how services work: responding quickly, keeping the same people involved, bringing in family and friends, and making decisions together.

The first big NHS trial has now reported. It did not delay relapse. But far fewer people ended up in hospital, and they felt better about the care they got.

https://buff.ly/mp8StLn

Do social programmes for housing, jobs and mental health actually work for everyone?🤝 A new review of 266 studies looked...
13/08/2026

Do social programmes for housing, jobs and mental health actually work for everyone?

🤝 A new review of 266 studies looked at support like Individual Placement and Support for jobs, and Housing First for homelessness. Both have strong evidence behind them.

But hardly any studies checked whether they worked as well for women, minority ethnic groups or people on lower incomes. Most research didn't even ask.

If we don't know who benefits, we risk leaving people who need help behind.

https://buff.ly/hwDznGo

What does it take to stop domestic violence and abuse passing from one generation to the next? 🌳 A new study of the For ...
12/08/2026

What does it take to stop domestic violence and abuse passing from one generation to the next?

🌳 A new study of the For Baby's Sake programme followed 26 mums and 13 dads for two years, offering therapy to the whole family rather than just the person using violence.

Most mums learned to recognise abuse and protect their children. Fewer dads faced up to their own violence, though many became calmer, more confident parents.

buff.ly/9i0GVDX

When a child is diagnosed with a mental health difficulty, what happens to their parents?A huge study of over 1.6 millio...
10/08/2026

When a child is diagnosed with a mental health difficulty, what happens to their parents?

A huge study of over 1.6 million Finnish and Danish families found parents were more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder themselves in the months that followed, especially early on.

But researchers are careful not to jump to conclusions. Shared genes, family stress and caregiving demands could all be part of the story, not just one causing the other.

https://buff.ly/wI4DRnY

07/08/2026

💷 Income, mental health and physical health shape each other.

🔍 A nationwide Danish study of 5.3 million people asked what happens when low income and mental illness meet.

😔 The two risks didn't multiply on paper, but the real burden still landed hardest on those with the least.

🩺 COPD alone showed 716 extra cases per 100,000 in the poorest group, versus 337 in the richest.

🤝 Treating mind or body alone won't close that gap.

🌳 Read full breakdown on The Mental Elf.

https://buff.ly/QWglKzh

🚪 What happens to a young person with ADHD the day they turn from a "paediatric patient" into an adult expected to manag...
06/08/2026

🚪 What happens to a young person with ADHD the day they turn from a "paediatric patient" into an adult expected to manage everything alone?

For many, it's a cliff edge. A new study following 805 ADHD youth across 11 countries found the move from child to adult mental health care is often abrupt, poorly explained, and left almost entirely in young people's own hands.

What young people are asking for is proactive, shared transition planning, not a sudden handover.

https://buff.ly/x0TXJvg

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