DrThomas Reilly

I am a consultant psychiatrist, interested in how hormones influence mental disorders.

It is widely recognised that times of hormonal fluctuation (such as the menstrual cycle, the postpartum period and the perimenopause) can increase the risk of mental illness. The mechanisms behind this risk are unknown and our current clinical management makes almost no use of hormones. This creates an opportunity to identify common and potentially modifiable risk factors for psychiatric disorders.

I completed my doctorate (DPhil) at the University of Oxford on The role of the Menstrual Cycle in Psychosis, with Professor Philip McGuire. I examined the largest collection of ‘menstrual psychosis’ cases and investigated hormone levels in women with psychotic disorders.

I moved to Imperial to take up an AHSC Post-Doctoral, Post-CCT Research Fellowship which will focus on the perimenopause in women with bipolar disorder. My clinical work is based at St Charles Hospital, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

Connect with me on Substack: https://rationalpsychiatry.substack.com/