Participated in 10 press briefings hosted by the UK Science Media Centre. These have included: violence in mental illness; impacts of head injury; prison mental health; rise in antidepressant medication. These have led to more than 100 newspaper articles.
Conducted interviews with different media outlets on research on suicide, violence, trauma, and prison health, including with all national newspapers in the UK (incl. Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Mail), some magazines (e.g. Economist, Spectator, Newsweek, Big Issue), national radio (e.g. Radio 4’s Today programme, BBC World Service, Woman’s Hour) and TV (Channel 4, Sky, ITV). Also interviewed by international media (including The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Reuters).
2024/25 activity
BBC Radio 4’s World At One. Interviewed on lessons for mental health services from Valdo Calocane case
BBC World Service. Interviewed for Documentary Podcast. Prison of the mind. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0kjmrbp
Times Radio lunchtime news: Interviewed on sentencing of Axel Rudakubani.
BBC News: Advice about Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ mini-series.
BBC Panorama: Advice about documentary on the Calocane case.
Mail on Sunday: Advice about risks of varenicline.
Channel 4 News: Interviewed about increase in UK prescriptions for gabapentinoids.
Previously
Mortality rates in people in detained in hospital and in prison settings: Independent
Cited in Guardian analysis on recent homicides in the UK perpetrated by peolple with severe mental illness
Article in the Conversation on new research on beta-blockers and associations with crime
Violence and mental illness: five minutes with Seena Fazel (in the BMJ).
Common nerve pain drug linked to suicidal behavior, overdose. Reuters.
Prison suicide: BBC website
Violence risk assessment tool in severe mental illness – ‘a tremendous step forward’: American Council on Science and Health
‘A single concussion’: New York Times
Head injury in children and adolescents: PLoS Science AMA
Risk of violent reoffending in prisoners with mental illness: Guardian
Antidepressants and risk of violent crimes: Guardian
“Schizophrenia associated with increased rates of violence and suicide”: BMJ News
“Mental Illness Can Shorten Lives More Than Chain-Smoking”: National Public Radio
“Medications Cut Violence Among Mentally Ill in Study”: Wall Street Journal
Sexual offending – familial risks. BBC Radio 4 Today.
‘Coin-toss justice’: New Scientist
Podcasts:
“Evidence-based strategies for suicide and self-harm prevention”, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford (2023)
“Can computers predict crime”? Oxford Sparks (2019)
“Prediction models in psychiatry”, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford (2019)
“Perpetration of violence”, The Mental Elf, (2018)
Blogs
Covid-19 in prisons: why prioritizing staff and prison populations for vaccination matters. 2021. Penal Reform International https://www.penalreform.org/blog/covid-19-in-prisons-why-prioritising-staff-and/
The drugs don’t work? Antipsychotics, big pharma, and psychiatry. 2013. PLoS Blogs https://speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2013/12/18/book-review-the-drugs-dont-work-antipsychotics-big-pharma-and-psychiatry/