Rephonic
Artwork for The Mental Elf

The Mental Elf

The Mental Elf
Mental Health
Climate Change
Eco-Anxiety
Collective Action
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Health Inequalities
Learning Disabilities
Neurodevelopmental Conditions
Cancer Screening
Multimorbidity
Marginalized Communities
Cardiovascular Disease
Cosmetic Psychopharmacology
Personality Disorder
Education
Adolescence
Peer Relationships
Nurture-U
ADHD
Mental Health Services

Welcome to the Mental Elf podcast, which features interviews with leading experts in mental health: researchers, clinicians, practitioners and experts by experience.

I will help you keep up to date with the latest reliable mental health research.

Our podcasts are recorded at major mental health events and conferences, and explore a wide range of topics relevant to people who work in mental health ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes792Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Health & FitnessScienceMental Health

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Mental Elf

Latest Episodes

Professor Eileen Joyce and Professor Trevor Robbins, two of her closest colleagues and former PhD students, join André Tomlin to remember Professor Susan (Sue) Iversen (1940–2025), the scientist who fused psychopharmacology and neuropsychology and he... more

Depression is not one thing, and treating it as if it were may be why so many people don't get better. In this episode, Prof Brenda Penninx offers a sharper way to think about it.

Recorded ahead of her guest lecture at the British Association for Ps... more

Catherine Harmer, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Oxford and outgoing president of the British Association of Psychopharmacology (BAP), and Naomi Fineberg, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Hertfordshire and incoming BAP president, ... more

Oxford psychologist Dr Lucy Foulkes discusses myths and research around adolescent mental health ahead of her public lecture at the British Association of Psychopharmacology Conference (Sunday, 19 July).

She critiques Keir Starmer’s proposal to ban... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

'Mind the Kids': an ACAMH podcast
'Mind the Kids': an ACAMH podcastThe Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Recent Guests

Trevor Robbins
Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience; one of Sue Iversen's collaborators and mentees
Cambridge University (and related institutions)
Episode: Remembering Sue Iversen: A Tribute from Eileen Joyce & Trevor Robbins
Eileen Joyce
Psychiatrist; researcher who trained under Sue and continued to apply her framework in clinical practice
Independent / Academic Medicine
Episode: Remembering Sue Iversen: A Tribute from Eileen Joyce & Trevor Robbins
Brenda Penninx
Professor at Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; researcher in depression and anxiety disorders
Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Episode: Immuno-metabolic depression & the future of precision psychiatry — Brenda Penninx (Amsterdam UMC)
Ed Watkins
Professor of Clinical Psychology
University of Exeter
Episode: Nurture-U Episode 4: Taking Action - What Next for Student Wellbeing?
Steve West
Professor and Vice Chancellor
University of the West of England
Episode: Nurture-U Episode 4: Taking Action - What Next for Student Wellbeing?
Jane Harris
Head of Student Welfare and Support Services
University of Oxford
Episode: Nurture-U Episode 4: Taking Action - What Next for Student Wellbeing?
Kate Wicklow
Director of Policy and Strategy
GuildHE
Episode: Nurture-U Episode 4: Taking Action - What Next for Student Wellbeing?
Yanting Sun
Former student at King's College London
Student representative
Episode: Nurture-U Episode 4: Taking Action - What Next for Student Wellbeing?
Rida Ali
Student (Exeter)
Student representative
Episode: Nurture-U Episode 4: Taking Action - What Next for Student Wellbeing?

Host

André
Host of The Mental Elf (and occasional episodes of related ReSET content)

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#178
Netherlands/Science

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Inside the British Association of Psychopharmacology with Prof Catherine Harmer and Prof Naomi Fineberg
Q: What are the main challenges for early career researchers and how is the BAP addressing them?
There are funding bottlenecks for PhD students and subsequent academic posts, creating a pipeline problem. The BAP, in collaboration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, is working to improve training, mentorship, and career development pathways to retain talent in clinical and preclinical spaces.
Inside the British Association of Psychopharmacology with Prof Catherine Harmer and Prof Naomi Fineberg
Q: How does the BAP balance professional research with lived experience in shaping its programs?
The BAP has developed a lived experience panel that includes people with mental health experiences or loved ones, integrating their perspectives into strategy, the summer meeting, and guideline dissemination to ensure research aligns with real-world needs.
Immuno-metabolic depression & the future of precision psychiatry — Brenda Penninx (Amsterdam UMC)
Q: What does this mean for treatment?
We should target the specific subgroup with immunometabolic depression and consider both anti-inflammatory strategies and lifestyle interventions, recognizing that not all patients respond to standard antidepressants and that precise subgroup identification is crucial for meaningful gains.
Immuno-metabolic depression & the future of precision psychiatry — Brenda Penninx (Amsterdam UMC)
Q: Do we know cause or consequence? Do we know whether inflammation and metabolic dysregulation are driving the depression or they're a side effect of the depression?
There is no simple cause-and-effect relationship; longitudinal data show immunometabolic dysregulations can predict worsening of depression, while depression can also exacerbate immune/metabolic issues, suggesting a bidirectional, cyclical relationship.
Nurture-U Episode 3: Changing Systems - Compassionate Campus
Q: Why isn't individual support enough?
Because the data and lived experience suggest a systemic layer to student distress; without changing the culture, communication, and community within universities, individual interventions will miss the larger environmental causes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Mental Elf

What is The Mental Elf about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show consistently centers on mental health research, practice, and policy, with a strong emphasis on prevention, school-based mental health, and the role of relationships and trust in therapeutic and educational settings. Episodes feature researchers, clinicians, and practitioners discussing how early intervention, social connections, and emotion regulation influence well-being, learning, and resilience in young people, as well as broader systemic issues like universal versus targeted interventions and the impact of structural factors on care. A notable pattern is the translation of complex research into practical strategies for educators, therapists, and policymakers, often anchored by real-world case discussions and trial findings. Th... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Mental Elf?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Mental Elf. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Mental Elf and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Mental Elf get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Mental Elf, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Mental Elf?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Mental Elf, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Mental Elf have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Mental Elf has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Mental Elf?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Mental Elf:

1. Politics Weekly America
2. 'Mind the Kids': an ACAMH podcast
3. The Rest Is Politics
4. The Rest Is Politics: US
5. The Rest Is Politics: Leading

How many episodes of The Mental Elf are there?

The Mental Elf launched 10 years ago and published 792 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Mental Elf?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Mental Elf?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Mental Elf from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Mental Elf?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Mental Elf. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Mental Elf?

Recent guests on The Mental Elf include:

1. Trevor Robbins
2. Eileen Joyce
3. Brenda Penninx
4. Ed Watkins
5. Steve West
6. Jane Harris
7. Kate Wicklow
8. Yanting Sun

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days