Associate Professor UCL & Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in intellectual disabilities NELFT
London, England
Joined August 2011
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Bhathika Perera retweeted
Recruiting a post-doc at UCL! Using linked administrative data from health and education, the Research Fellow in Data Science with identify children with intellectual disability and investigate maternal mental health outcomes. Apply here: lnkd.in/eSghXw8m
Interested in research in gambling and neurodivergence (ADHD, autism or learning disability)?
We’re looking for experts by experience to get involved!
DM for more details 💬
@ADHDFoundation_ @UKAAN @Autism @LdSenate @KenCourtenay @likahassiotis @VasoTotsika
Bhathika Perera retweeted
£50 million boost for groundbreaking mental health research gov.uk/government/news/50-mi… @psychiatryofid must make sure pple w/#id will also be fully included in all of the plans going frw experience w/ the new 10 yr plan indicates vigilance
Bhathika Perera retweeted
Our new paper @TheBJPsych highlights the omission of people with intellectual disability in the NHS Long term Plan. It examines critically the risk of this exclusion. We propose course correction to the Plan delivery to be inclusive FREE ACCESS/DOWNLOAD
doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2025.104…
Bhathika Perera retweeted
Updated flyer with registration link.
25th Academic Conference (F2F only)
On 3.10.25
At Fielder Centre, Hatfield
Registration link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
Bhathika Perera retweeted
🧵SSRI Withdrawal Is Real But So Are Other Possibilities 🚨1/11
This slide shows the withdrawal (discontinuation) symptoms from SSRIs-based on the Horowitz & Taylor paper (2019).
It’s a helpful summary. Right?
But now imagine this:
Someone stops their SSRI... and these symptoms continue for months or even years.
Protracted withdrawal? Easy ? Not quite 👇
Bhathika Perera retweeted
8/ We know people do get better with gradual / hyperbolic tapering / reinstatement.
That is one option
But others stay stuck for years.
Calling it all ‘protracted withdrawal’ risks withholding treatment that could help.
Bhathika Perera retweeted
6/ From a clinician’s (or problem-solver’s) perspective, this narrow framing is risky.
We risk ignoring other valid and treatable explanations:
• Relapse of illness ( may or may not look like the original)
• New diagnosis (e.g., dysautonomia, PTSD, POTS)
• Hormonal or inflammatory drivers
• Pain reactivation
• Coincidental medical issues
Agitated depression ….
Bhathika Perera retweeted
Systematic review and meta-analysis: Stopping antidepressants leads to slight symptom increases compared to placebo, but these symptoms are not clinically significant and do not include mood changes. ja.ma/4lNdBIu
Bhathika Perera retweeted
👉🏻 🆕 The Mental Health Bill (2025) for England and Wales re #id and #autism here we go again @likahassiotis @haritsa1 @bathika @regialexar et al thank you @PeterBeazley for coordinating this important statement cambridge.org/core/journals/…
Bhathika Perera retweeted
Apparently this is the state of the doctors mess at Solihull hospital, a part of @uhbtrust.
Is there a reason you are currently growing a biohazard for your doctors to sit next to whilst they rest?
Completely unacceptable.
Bhathika Perera retweeted
🆕 Congrats to my colleague @bathika @UCLPsychiatry for successfully leading a ROK-UK funded collab to develop smart clinical trial solutions for ppl w/ ID and #autistic ppl @NIHRresearch @VasoTotsika limnk 👉🏻 nihr.ac.uk/news/7-uk-republi…
Bhathika Perera retweeted
Do side effects to clozapine occur at the same plasma concentration in smokers compared to non-smokers?
We think not. Take a look at our new paper to see what's going on...
Bhathika Perera retweeted
I am super excited to welcome my new #NIHR doctoral fellow #SonyaRudra who is starting her PhD journey today at UCL #DivisionofPsychiatry her work will cover linked projects relating to outcomes of children of parents with intellectual disabilities.
Last day with my office mate! amicable separation as he says 😌
Can’t sneak into his endless supply of snacks 🍫 without getting caught anymore!
@ProfRobHoward
Can ADHD be helpful in a medical career? Can it also cause problems for some? We screened doctors with mental health difficulties for ADHD. 1 in 3 doctors presenting with mental health problems screened positive for ADHD @rcpsych @UCLPsychiatry
academic.oup.com/occmed/arti…
Bhathika Perera retweeted
Results that will dismay the “critical” psychiatrists and their more aggressive outriders. But good news for lovers everywhere.
Speculation has suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) negatively impacts romantic love outcomes - study shows SSRI do not impact intensity of romantic love, obsessive thinking about a loved one, commitment or sexual frequency
sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
