How to engage with life when you feel down
Withdrawing from activities you enjoy is both a product and cause of low mood. Break the cycle with behavioural activation
by Lucy Foulkes
Depression
How to decide whether to take antidepressants
They’re controversial yet they help countless people. To see if pills are right for you, these are the questions to ask
by Stephen Lawrie
Depression is more than low mood – it’s a change of consciousness
Understanding depression as an altered state of consciousness, like a dream or drug trip, could help people awaken from it
by Cecily Whiteley & Jonathan Birch
How to get over ‘never good enough’
Learn to spot unhealthy perfectionism, understand its emotional sources and find a way to silence that self-critical voice
by Margaret Rutherford
Why life is faster but depression is lower in bigger cities
Large cities might seem detrimental to mental health but a comparison of depression rates suggests bigger is better
by Andrew Stier
For young people, emotions are highly contagious social viruses
Like viruses, our internal mental states are socially transmissible, and it’s easier to catch happiness than depression
by Jack Andrews
How to use food to help your mood
Depression and low mood are not separate from the rest of your bodily health: the right diet can help reduce your risk
by Kimberley Wilson
Many people not only survive mental illness – they thrive
For people with depression, anxiety and other conditions, reaching high wellbeing – not just recovery – is a real possibility
by Jonathan Rottenberg & Andrew Devendorf
How to talk to a suicidal friend
Twice as many people worldwide die from suicide as from homicide. Here’s how to help your loved ones back from the brink
by Lindsay Weisner
Hope is the antidote to helplessness. Here’s how to cultivate it
If hopelessness is learned, then it can be unlearned: how groundbreaking studies paved the way to help cultivate hope
by Emily Esfahani Smith
As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen how chasing happiness leads to misery
My clinical work has shown me that happiness is a ghost that’s not worth pursuing – there are far wiser goals in life
by Rafa Euba
Even a single exercise session can help shift depression
The long-term benefits of regular exercise for mood are well-known. What’s surprising is that just one session can help
by Matthew Bourke & Rhiannon Patten
How to support someone with depression
Being there for someone can be challenging. A clinical psychologist shares what to say and do to help them feel less alone
by Emma Cotterill
What’s going on in depression to make negative beliefs so sticky?
Understanding why negative views persist in the face of contradictory evidence could help inform depression treatment
by Tobias Kube
A personalised alternative to antidepressants is on the way
A form of personalised, at-home, brain-based treatment for depression is getting close – but is psychiatry ready for it?
by Paul Fitzgerald
Could that tingle down the spine be a way to rediscover joy?
In new research, scientists have looked into the potential benefits of giving people with depression the aesthetic chills
by Shayla Love