Why I work in mental health research – Chloe Apsey

Why did you choose to do research into mental health/work in mental health research?

I decided when I was at school doing my GCSEs that I was interested in psychology and a career in working in mental health.

I opted to do my A levels in Psychology, Biology and English Literature, after completing the first year my grades were looking really promising and I got offered a provisional space at several Russell Group universities. I spent my last year of A levels studying hard trying to ensure I could achieve my place. Unfortunately, some personal issues meant that my anxiety started to get really bad, and I found it difficult to get into school and concentrate on the day’s idea. Consequently, I ended up with 3 Bs rather than the AAB’s I needed to get my spot in the unis I dreamt of.

I was absolutely heartbroken, which was not helped by the fact that the way the clearing system works meant that I had to get onto the phone the same afternoon and start asking around for leftover spaces. With psychology being such a popular course, my options were quite limited, but I ended up accepting a place at the University of Plymouth.

I spent the 3 years working extremely hard and proudly achieved a First for every year of my degree and a letter of commendation annually. I also had the opportunity to do a very unique dissertation due to being down in Plymouth, using a Hyperbaric Chamber and EEG to study the cognitive effects of Nitrogen Narcosis!

After graduating I applied for and was offered a place to do a Masters in Neuroscience at all the universities that I had initially wanted to attend. This included Cardiff University, who offered me a Masters Excellence Scholarship to study their Neuroimaging course. I enjoyed the course greatly and was keen to carry on a career in research!

I applied for a Psychology Assistant role at the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) to help with their research project into COVID-19. Sadly I didn’t get it (I was a bit nervous and overly chatty in the interview!). Luckily, a week later I got a call from the NCMH team informing me there was another position available working on a project into of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which they thought I’d be a perfect fit for as during my nervous ramblings I started talking about women’s mental health and the effects of hormones on the mood. Initially my position was only fixed for 3 months – but here I am now 3 years on and I have moved from a Psychology Assistant to a Research Assistant and have started a PhD researching PMDD.

My reason for telling you all this, is to say that if the initial linear route you once planned for doesn’t work out, there is an often a longer way round that gets you where you need to be and might even be more enjoyable than the first route.

What are you currently working on?

Both my job role and PhD is research is looking at the causes, triggers, and indicators of PMDD. PMDD affects 5.5% of women and AFAB (assigned female at birth) people who have periods. People with PMDD experience severe low mood, anxiety, irritability and other symptoms, during the 7-10 days before their period – which subside after the onset of their cycle.

The diagnostic criteria form PMDD requires a daily rating for two consecutive cycles in order to receive a diagnosis. However, due to the methodological issues associated with this, a lot of research has failed to adopt standardised measures leading to a lot of confusion and errors in the existing literature.

Our aim is to have the largest genetic study of PMDD which uses prospective mood monitoring to confirm diagnosis. We are also in the process of working with the School of Computer Science at Cardiff University to develop a Mood and Menstrual tracking app to support our data collection but also as a hopefully a future diagnostic tool.

Additionally, as part of my PhD we are collaborating with the Menstrual tracking app Clue. They are providing us with access to their data to look at how people with PMDD track their symptoms.

What changes have you seen in attitudes towards mental health during your career?

The conversations around menstruation and mental health are definitely becoming more common and relaxed which is fantastic. These conversations allow for people to have more space to communicate their feelings and  gain access to the support they need.

What do you think the key challenges are for mental health?

Unfortunately, along with greater education in the media and social media comes  a lot of miseducation. PMDD is a newly recognised diagnosis and the literature out there is limited but a lot of the posts online talk about the topic as a if it’s an exact science. There are a lot of good resources out there, especially from clinician-advised sources such as the International Associated of Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD). However, sometimes social media can be a bit misleading.

What advice would you give to people starting out in a career in mental health research?

Try and gain as much experience as possible, especially working with people with lived experience. I worked as a support worker with children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Traumatic brain injury during my studies. This experience has been invaluable as I gained insights to the real-life implications of my work. Also, ask questions whenever possible. If you are still studying or attending a seminar, try and ask questions or stay behind and talk to the lecturers – especially if you find the topic particularly interesting!