Part A: High rates of burnout among nurses and care workers are well-documented. In learning disability settings, one factor that may contribute to burnout among staff is ‘challenging behaviour’ (CB). In neurological settings, however, there is a lack of research into the relationship between staff burnout and CB. The current study aimed to explore nurses’ and healthcare assistants’ experiences of working with CB in adults with brain injuries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants, and reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) was employed. Five themes were generated, in which participants agreed that their jobs can be “really tough”, but that “it isn’t even the patients” that were the ‘main’ challenge. Instead, wider systemic issues were highlighted. Participants had a mentality towards CB of “I don’t let it get to me”, and mostly found their work both rewarding and stimulating. Real-world implications and future research directions are proposed.

Part B: Tourette Syndrome (TS) can negatively impact almost every aspect of daily life. Evidence suggests that individuals with TS are highly vulnerable to mental health problems, and that social support is key. One platform where these individuals may choose to share their experiences of TS is TikTok. However, recent research on TS on TikTok has instead focused on the phenomenon of ‘TikTok tics’. The current study aimed to explore the mental health implications of TS as seen on TikTok. Qualitative content analysis was employed to analyse 83 short videos. Eight categories were generated, in which users highlighted the prevalence of mental health problems in TS, as well as its co-morbidity with other conditions. Many videos were aimed at raising awareness and educating, as well as sharing personal stories. Some users had been accused of ‘faking it’ amidst the ‘TikTok tics’ phenomenon. Implications for TikTok and services, and recommendations for future research, are made.