King’s College London: YouTube partnership addresses mental health questions

YouTube is accessed by two billion users each month globally, with over 49 million in the UK alone. Viewers often turn to the channel for their health needs – be that information, community support or lifestyle advice.

As part of tackling an internet populated with information overload and misinformation about mental health and wellbeing, YouTube has collaborated with King’s and its partner NHS Trusts to connect viewers with advice from experts, debunk myths and signpost ways to get support.

The aim of the new video series ‘Mind of the Matter’ is to get to the truth about mental health direct from the experts, in one easy location.

The new video series, created in collaboration with clinicians and researchers at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s Health Partners, is the first time in the UK that YouTube has joined forces with a university and its partner NHS Trusts, with the intention of balancing the amount of ‘influencer-led’ content with simple, credible and reliable information from the experts.


The video series covers subjects such as ‘What is depression’ with Professor Sir Simon Wessley, ‘Understanding eating disorders’ with Professor Ulrike Schmidt and ‘What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?’ with Dr Idit Albert.


As mental health providers continue to see increase in demand for services, creating digital open-access content is one way to connect people who might be struggling with informative, accurate advice.

This is an important partnership and series which speaks to the very heart of our mission as a university to build knowledge with purpose that is of benefit to society. By enabling direct access to trusted expert advice on key topics in mental health, I hope this series positively impacts the people who need it in an immediate and accessible way.
– Professor Shitij Kapur, President & Principal of King’s College London

This partnership represents innovation around health matters in practice. We are ensuring that the strengths and expertise of our mental health professionals reach the widest possible audience. As the online landscape is ever-saturated with information, being able to signpost expert advisors is more important than ever before.
– Professor Richard Trembath, Senior Vice President (Health & Life Sciences) and Executive Director of King’s Health Partners