The Mental Elf

Welcome to the Mental Elf

This 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.

You don’t have to waste time looking at dozens of websites and articles every week.

Our team of mental health experts post updates every day with short and snappy summaries that highlight evidence-based publications relevant to mental health practice in the UK and further afield.

You can be the first to hear about key guidance, systematic reviews and high quality research and information.

No jargon, no misinformation, no spin, just what you need.

Who started the Mental Elf?

The blog was started by André Tomlin in May 2011. André’s an Information Scientist and has worked in mental health since the late nineties, formerly at the University of Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Mental Health and since 2002 as MD of Minervation Ltd an evidence-based healthcare consultancy based in Oxford.

After  2 very successful years of blogging as the Mental Elf, André has invited colleagues to join him as contributors to the site. It’s great to involve a wide range of people in this venture, to bring in a fresh perspective and their considerable knowledge and clinical experience.

Who writes for the Mental Elf?

1. Clive Adams, Chair of Mental Health Services Research and Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group at the University of Nottingham
2. Eva Alisic, Psychologist and Research Fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia
3. Rachel Allan, Practice Leader for The Royal Mencap Society
4. Steve Appleton, Managing Director, Contact Consulting
5. John Baker, Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester
6. Amy Broadbent, Research Assistant
7. Martin Brunet, GP from the Binscombe Medical Centre
8. Lisa Burscheidt, Assistant Librarian at North East London NHS Foundation Trust
9. Sarah Carr, Senior Research Analyst at the Social Care Institute for Excellence
10. Brant Cebulla, Development Director for the Vitamin D Council in California, USA
11. Emma Cernis, Research Assistant, Oxford
12. Paul Christiansen, Lecturer at the University of Liverpool
13. Matt Field, Professor of Psychology at the University of Liverpool
14. Amy Green, Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Bristol
15. Helge Hasselmann, Research Masters Student in Clinical and Cognitive Neurosciences at Maastricht University
16. Simon Hatcher, Full Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Ottawa
17. Jessamy Hibberd, Chartered Clinical Psychologist
18. Mark Horowitz, Training Psychiatrist from Australia who is completing a PhD at King’s College London
19. Andrew Jones, Post-doctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool
20. Jennifer Lau, University Lecturer at the University of Oxford. Director of the Researching Emotional Disorders and Development (REDD) lab
21. Kirsten Lawson, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead for Liaison Psychiatry Services at Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust
22. Joanna Martin, PhD Student at Cardiff University
23. Marcus Munafò, Professor of Biological Psychology at the University of Bristol
24. Claire Mokrysz, PhD Student, University College London
25. Elly O’Brien, Information Scientist, London
26. Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Consultant in Public Health in Bradford & Airedale and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds
27. Gozde Ozakinci, Health Psychologist and Lecturer in health psychology at the University of St Andrews
28. Matt Ravenhall, Final year Biology student at the University of York
29. Abi Rose, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Liverpool
30. Christopher Sampson, Health Economist at the University of Nottingham
31. Mark Smith, IAPT Clinician working for Steps2Change and independent Psychotherapist Trainer
32. David Steele, Junior Doctor with an interest in psychology, psychiatry and public health
33. Caroline Struthers, Training Coordinator for The Cochrane Collaboration
34. Caroline Tomes, Public Health Specialty Registrar currently working in Cambridge
35. André Tomlin, Managing Director of Minervation Ltd
36. Kathryn Walsh, Research Associate at the University of Birmingham
37. Michael Walton, PhD student at Manchester Metropolitan University
38. Andrew Watson, Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh
39. Stephen Wood, Professor of Adolescent Brain Development and Mental Health at the University of Birmingham
40. Fabio Zucchelli, Sport and Exercise Psychology MSc student

We’re adding to our network of writers all the time, so find out more if you’re interested in getting involved yourself.

Who decides what evidence is included on the website?

We scour over 300 databases, journals, websites and other feeds to bring you the best available mental health evidence.  Items are selected using an evidence-based inclusion criteria to ensure they are relevant to UK practice and based on high quality research, policy and guidance.

The selection process has no input from any external bodies, publishers, sponsors or commercial organisations.

We critically appraise the material we find using the CASP critical appraisal checklists.

We plan to share a complete list of the sources we search in future.

Press coverage

• Keeping up to date with mental health research. André Tomlin, The Guardian, 15th Apr 2013.
• Treating mental illness in the digital age. Pete Etchells, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb 2013.
• The Mental Elf. Royal College of Psychiatrists useful resources, eNewsletter, Sep 2012.

Are there more elves for different health topics?

We are adding to our National Elf Service all the time.  Check out these other elves:

• The Commissioning Elf
• The Dental Elf
• The Diabetes Elf
• The Education Elf
• The Learning Disabilities Elf (WELD blog)
• The Lifestyle Elf
• The Musculoskeletal Elf