Sleep Lab » News (tag [suicidality])

Congratulations to Dr Pawley!

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:11:09 GMT

Congratulations to Michaela Pawley on passing her PhD viva! Michaela’s PhD showed that specific sleep behaviours in adolescence are meaningful risk factors for later self-harm and reported suicide attempts, making sleep health a potential target for prevention.

New paper by Michaela Pawley

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:07:00 GMT

Hot off the press! Click here for a summary or here for the full paper (open access).

Student successes!

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:16:07 GMT

Very happy that students in the lab are thriving and enjoying what they do! Occasionally, their daily grind gets recognised.

Congratulations to :

- Michaela Pawley for winning the PGR day best presentation award

- Peter To for securing funds to host and lead a R-workshop

- Lauren Wilkinson for winning the William Campbell Prize at the British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Newport, Wales

New paper on mental defeat as a predictor of future suicide risk

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 09:33:00 GMT

Suicide risk is double in people experiencing chronic pain. What can be done to reduce this risk?

Our lab followed up people experiencing chronic pain for a year, and found those who feel most mentally defeated by pain (at the start) showed the greatest risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour (at the end of the year). Existing symptoms of depression didn’t explain everything, instead they amplified the mental defeat-->suicide risk link. Implication: Mental defeat may be a worthy new treatment target for those struggling to cope with chronic pain.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.4779

Mental defeat predicts suicide risk

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:56:00 GMT

Check out our new paper published in the Journal of Pain on mental defeat and suicidality. This is our first publication based on data collected for the WITHIN study. We thank our staff and research participants for their invaluable contribution!

Results from this prospective cohort study suggest that mental defeat is a significant predictor of increased suicide risk among patients with chronic pain, along with depression, perceived stress, head pain, and active smoking status. These findings offer a novel avenue for assessment and preventative intervention before risk escalates.

New paper on suicidal thoughts and behaviour in chronic pain

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 08:25:38 GMT

A new paper on suicidal thoughts and behaviour in chronic pain published in Pain Medicine (the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine) is now available for viewing. The paper is a result of our collaboration with the UPenn team led by Dr Martin Cheatle and can be downloaded here .

WITHIN in Canada

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 12:39:00 GMT

The WITHIN team attended the 2022 World Congress on Pain, in Toronto, Canada, during the last week of September. We got to present our latest findings and talked to colleagues and friends from different parts of the world about research. It's been a wonderful experience all round.

15th World Congress on Pain

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 20:59:04 GMT

Dr. Tang gave a talk on pain and suicidality at the 15th World Congress on Pain in Buenos Aires. The topical workshop was organised by Dr. Martin Cheatle from U Penn and Dr. Lynn Webster, Vice President of Scientific Affairs.