Image: April Hargreaves
‘For young people to thrive, they need strong ties to their community and easy access to mental health services,’ says NCI’s Dr April Hargreaves.
During the course of her research working with people facing mental health issues, psychologist Dr April Hargreaves was struck by how often participants reported feeling isolated and lonely.
“They went as far as to say that this was their greatest difficulty in life – more so than any symptoms of their condition itself,” Hargreaves says.
“It quickly became clear that this loneliness wasn’t just random – it was tied to the social stigma they faced because of their mental health issues and diagnoses.”
This realisation led Hargreaves to set up the SAMI (Stigma and Mental Health Ireland) Lab with her colleagues Dr David Mothersill and Dr Gerard Loughnane at the National College of Ireland (NCI).
“At SAMI, our work focuses mostly on understanding and tackling mental health stigma across a range of mental and neurological conditions,” she explains.
“But we’re also broadly interested in mental health itself. We’re asking questions like: What factors influence mental health? What drives mental health stigma? Are there specific groups that are more vulnerable to mental health challenges, and if so, what can we do to help?”
Hargreaves has a degree in psychology from University College Dublin, an MSc in neuroscience from the Institute of Psychiatry in London and a PhD in neuropsychology from Trinity College Dublin.
She lectures in psychology at NCI and is also vice-dean of postgraduate studies and research.
Tell us about your current research.
At the SAMI Lab, we’re currently diving into some fascinating research on how people perceive and behave towards those with mental, neurological and substance use conditions – both in Ireland and Liberia.
One of our main goals is to identify which aspects of stigma are common across cultures and which are specific to certain cultural contexts.
We’re collaborating with some brilliant colleagues, including S Benedict Dossen from The Carter Center and Ikenna Ebuenyi, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting findings. For example, different conditions, such as schizophrenia and epilepsy, face different levels of stigma depending on the cultural background. But there are also some universal drivers of stigma, such as the perception that some conditions are dangerous or unpredictable, leading to a desire to distance oneself from those individuals.
We’re planning to expand this research to include countries such as the US and Romania, and dig deeper into how the media, familiarity and perceived danger shape these stigmatising attitudes.
Another big focus for the SAMI Lab lately has been the mental health of college students in Ireland, particularly during the switch to online learning during Covid-19.
Over the past two decades, we’ve seen a steady decline in young people’s mental health globally, with the prevalence of mental illness rising from around 15pc to nearly 50pc.
But it wasn’t clear whether online learning, and the reduction in face-to-face socialising, made things better or worse. Our research shows that students who experienced a negative impact on their social life, had pre-existing mental health issues or identified as LGBTQ, were more likely to struggle with their mental health. This underscores the vital importance of social connection and peer support for young people today, especially for specific vulnerable groups.
In your opinion, why is your research important?
Our research tackles important global challenges related to stigma and mental health, offering valuable insights to improve how we understand and support people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders. By examining how stigma differs across cultures, we aim to create more targeted and effective solutions, ultimately building more compassionate and inclusive societies.
We also focus on youth mental health, highlighting the crucial role that social connections and peer support play, especially for vulnerable groups. Our findings could help shape future policies, education systems and mental health programmes to better serve young people.
For young people to thrive, they need strong ties to their community and easy access to mental health services. However, seeking help can be a challenge, as stigma around mental health often discourages young people from reaching out. This makes addressing stigma a key part of improving youth mental health. In fact, our research shows that these two areas – stigma and youth mental health – are deeply connected and must be addressed together.
What inspired you to become a researcher?
I’ve always been driven by curiosity – so much so that it often got me into trouble growing up! My parents and teachers would get exasperated with me for constantly asking questions. Looking back, it seems almost inevitable that I’d end up in a field where curiosity, inquiry and finding answers are at the core of what I do. On top of that, I’ve always loved creativity, and science lets me bring creative thinking into solving problems.
One particular moment from biology class stands out as a turning point for me, solidifying my decision to pursue science. We were studying the heart, and I became completely captivated by the valves and the way the heart pumps blood. I was so engrossed that I asked five questions in a row, raising my hand immediately after the teacher had answered my last question. I was so eager to understand, but by the end, my teacher was visibly frustrated. She thought I was trying to challenge her in front of the class, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. After class, she pulled me aside and scolded me for showing off.
I was stunned that my genuine curiosity had been so misunderstood. But in that moment, I realised something important: if I, someone who usually avoided confrontation, was willing to keep asking questions even when it led to trouble, then this was more than just a passing interest – it was a real passion.
What are some of the biggest challenges or misconceptions you face as a researcher in your field?
The biggest challenge here is clear: finances. There is a significant shortage of funding available to researchers, which seriously limits scientific progress. This lack of resources often pushes researchers to focus on ‘trendy’ topics where funding is more accessible, leaving other important areas underexplored. As a result, certain fields remain neglected, while global attention is funnelled toward specific areas of science, often at the expense of others.
Another major hurdle is the ‘publish or perish’ pressure in academia. To secure promotions or even maintain their jobs, researchers are expected to publish frequently in high-impact journals. While quality is important, so is quantity, and this constant need to produce can be overwhelming. Contrary to the popular image of researchers having ample time to dive deeply into their areas of interest, this pressure leaves little room for deep reflection or creative problem-solving. In the end, both the system and scientific innovation suffer.
Do you think public engagement with science and data has changed in recent years?
There’s been a noticeable surge in the public’s interest in science-based information and research. I think it’s less about Covid-19 and more a response to the ‘age of misinformation’ we’re living in. People are beginning to realise that we can’t just trust everything we see online or hear from others – we need to do some of the work ourselves to find the truth. In a sense, the public has become a group of amateur scientists, learning to spot misinformation and dig deeper for facts, which is fantastic.
But for this growing curiosity to thrive, we need to make scientific research more accessible. This is something I’m particularly passionate about. The way research is typically written, with its complex academic language, often alienates the average person. I strongly believe that every research article should have a version written in plain, everyday language so that anyone who’s interested can understand it. Of course, making this a reality would require a major shift in how academia operates, and as we know, institutions like this can be tough to change. But it’s a change worth fighting for.
How do you encourage engagement with your own work?
A key aspect of our work on mental health stigma is making sure the public has access to our research. We’ve shared our findings with various organisations, such as DePaul Ireland, appeared on the US podcast Adam Learns Random Stuff, and participated in National College of Ireland’s Culture Night events.
We’re also actively engaged in community outreach, bringing our research to young people in the local area, encouraging them to ask questions and get involved.
Beyond our immediate community, we’ve expanded these efforts across Ireland, offering the public opportunities to engage with us, ask questions and receive easy-to-understand summaries of our research and that of others. The enthusiasm and genuine curiosity we encounter are always incredibly inspiring.
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