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Therapies and practical advice

Abstract painting of a woman with geometric shapes in pastel colours, featuring a blend of blues, greens and yellows.

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

Black and white drawing of swirling smoke and flames rising from the ground, bordered by a rough square outline.

The self

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Why bad doodles can reveal more about you than good drawings

For Marion Milner, ‘not being able’ is a valuable state – one that allows for new and unexpected forms of learning

by David Russell

Digital rendering of a modern architectural space with wooden beams, suspended rooms and large windows, overlooking a green atrium.

Architecture

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How the buildings you occupy might be affecting your brain

Cutting-edge research in the field of neuroarchitecture is revealing the public health implications of building design

by Cleo Valentine & Heather Mitcheltree

A bathroom scene featuring a metal toilet roll dispenser with a partially unrolled toilet paper, mounted on a tiled wall.

Human rights and justice

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Public toilets are vanishing and that’s a civic catastrophe

New research shows it is a nightmare for all of us, but especially for people with health issues and marginalised groups

by Guido Corradi

A child in a red shirt sits at a desk with a black and white cat. Sunlight and shadows create an intricate pattern through the window.

Psychoanalysis and the unconscious

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Three ways to get in touch with your Shadow self

Jung believed we all have a Shadow self. Facing up to it could help you live more fully and be more forgiving of others

by Ruth Williams

Two office workers, one standing and reviewing papers, the other seated and smoking, in a 1970s-style office with a telephone and stacks of paperwork.

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

A person walking a dog along a tree-lined path during sunset, with a warm orange glow illuminating the scene. The person wears a white and green top with a blue jacket tied around their waist. The dog is walking slightly ahead on a leash.

Emerging therapies

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Could dreams during anaesthesia help to heal life’s trauma?

Scientists are studying the dreamlike states produced by anaesthesia – and their potential benefits for people with PTSD

by Shayla Love

Three people wearing bathing suits and felt hats sit on a wooden bench in a sauna. The sauna is filled with steam, making the ambience hazy. The woman on the left is holding a bundle of twigs, likely for traditional sauna rituals. The mood appears relaxed and warm within the wooden interior.

The body and physical health

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You are your body: here’s how to feel more at home in it

Just because you live in a body, doesn’t mean you feel at one with it. Embodiment psychology can help you reconnect

by Elna Schütz

Two children come down a slide in a sepia-toned photo

Personality disorders

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To understand borderline personality, imagine having no history

For people with an unfairly stigmatised mental health condition, and the rest of us, it’s vital to connect past with present

by Alexander Kriss

Three senior male cyclists in racing outfits sit on chairs, each wearing a helmet and cycling shoes, resting between races. The cyclist on the left wears a white and light blue kit, the middle one wears a teal and yellow kit, and the cyclist on the right wears a blue and yellow kit.

Ageing

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Rather than fearing getting old, here’s how to embrace it

Whether you are 20 or 90, each moment of life presents an opportunity to focus on what really matters to you

by Berit Lewis

The African American singer and pianist Nina Simone is pictured alone, singing against a spotlight that resembles a moon in the darkness. She has her eyes closed.

Emerging therapies

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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

A joyful woman in a white hat and blue dress laughs with others playing drums and people watching in the background at an outdoor event.

Dissociation and detachment

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The therapeutic potential, and addictive lure, of losing yourself

In ketamine therapy and other contexts, dissociation is seen as an unwanted side-effect. But what if there’s more to it?

by Shayla Love