Evaluating therapies
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In therapy or meditation, is it normal to feel worse at first?
A ‘no pain, no gain’ mentality might make sense when striving for change – but don’t confuse discomfort and distress
by Nicholas Van Dam
Values and beliefs
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Cultural taboos arise from a basic feature of the human mind
Unquestioned community rules on marriage, dining and even black cats often stem from our hunger to explain random events
by Kevin (Ze) Hong
Psychotherapy
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Think someone should see a therapist? Here’s how to bring it up
Your suggestion could be invaluable, and it doesn’t need to be perfect. These steps will help you get a caring message across
by Kathryn Gordon
Difficult emotions
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Feeling nothing can be as devastating as feeling too much
Emotional ‘emptiness’ is a damaging, underexplored phenomenon. Better understanding it could help steer people to fulfilment
by Christopher J Hopwood
Psychiatry
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What a psychiatric diagnosis means – and what it doesn’t mean
With stigma and misunderstanding surrounding mental health, it’s vital to know the benefits and limits of a formal diagnosis
by Awais Aftab
Cultural diversity
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What we lose by being overly scientific about healthcare
Empirical studies tell us about treatment outcomes, but they overlook the cultural dynamics that can help us feel better
by Ana Todorović
Bipolar disorder
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Our internal clocks could be key for preserving mental health
Circadian rhythms often seem ‘out of time’ in bipolar disorder. Scientists are exploring what goes wrong and how to help
by Jacob Crouse
The body and physical health
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Menopause was a French invention at a time of revolution
French doctors of the 1800s had a vested interest in pathologising women’s ageing, as do many commercial entities today
by Alison M Downham Moore
Thinkers and theories
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Why I’ll never forget the day I met Daniel Kahneman for lunch
He was an octogenarian Nobel-winning psychologist, I was a nervous 20-something film producer. Here’s what struck me most
by Namir Khaliq
Community
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Does embracing local customs help immigrants feel at home?
Moving from Belgrade to Toronto, learning the social ‘rules’ fostered my sense of belonging. But there’s an important caveat
by Ljiljana Radenović
Personality disorders
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Popular views of narcissism are distorted and too pessimistic
As therapists, we’ve treated people with narcissistic personality disorder. We have a more hopeful story to tell about them
by Giancarlo Dimaggio & Igor Weinberg
History of psychology and psychiatry
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In psychoanalysis, nostalgia was a sickness. It needn’t be
Nostalgia was, in Freud’s day, an illness steeped in the past. Today, it can be a joyful emotion that reframes the future
by Agnes Arnold-Forster