Through the (Medical) Scanner Darkly
Surveillance technologies are rapidly transforming mental health care, promising safety but delivering complex ethical challenges. Drawing on Griffiths et al. (2024) and Foucault’s concept of the panopticon, this reflection considers whether “smart wards” enhance care or merely extend institutional control. In an age of data-driven vigilance, the question is not how much more we can…
National Suicide Prevention Day: Life Events, Loss, and the Work Ahead
Moving house is one of life’s big transitions. Boxes, memories, and a long to-do list. For most, it’s stressful but manageable. For others, especially those already carrying heavy burdens, such major life events can act as tipping points. Today, on National Suicide Prevention Day, I find myself in the middle of one of those life…
What Future for the Humanities in Britain? My Friends – Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night!
We are facing a culling of creative arts, and it terrifies me. Currently, I work as an Occupational Health Researcher and Suicidologist at the University of Glasgow within the School of Health and Wellbeing, but I never aimed to be in medicine. Initially, I trained as a historian. My undergraduate and master’s degrees were based…
Occupational Health Research, Historical Study & Suicidology - Dr Simon H. Walker 