Depression
![Double exposure image of a person and a landscape, showing a silhouette overlaid with a scenic view of mountains and a river.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/3114b1b3-d774-4b89-bb54-ee413f12581e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Depression
idea
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
![A man in sunglasses and a hat walks on a street with apartment buildings and a young man in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/e9bcc260-1e82-4f97-88da-aedefe4a0935/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Depression
idea
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
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/42f467fb-3b5e-48ed-a5ae-055ebadb86fe/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Depression
guide
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
![Abstract painting of a person on a cliff under stormy skies with colourful clouds and rain, contrasted by vibrant red and yellow below.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/2a8dd936-742f-4f34-b616-6a8eafb7dbbb/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Music
film
A music video moulded in clay finds joy in nature amid life’s sorrows
Directed by Lynn Tomlinson
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6301c74c-92da-46e9-aa1f-6fae445dbf90/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Emotions
idea
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
![A person and two children stand on shore promenade, surrounded by seagulls, with a large water fountain and cityscape in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9a57a852-66f1-4158-bc15-9d2933780cb1/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Mental health
idea
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
![Three red-and-white capsules on a light blue background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9fecf9c0-9341-445f-b0aa-66169825e9f6/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Depression
guide
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
![Silhouetted man playing guitar in a dimly lit room near a window with plants on the sill and music sheets on the counter.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6f90e11c-6e54-421f-8ca9-015d4e58d395/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Brain injury and dementia
film
The songs of Bob Dylan suffuse a poignant story of dementia and music
Directed by Harry Shaw
![A person raises their fist holding a megaphone, facing a building with green shutters and balconies displaying banners and a large photo.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/4a9d0270-d803-498f-a7ed-bea549ebc3f5/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Emotion regulation
idea
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
![Person in a yellow jacket and blue hat jogging through a forest, with green foliage in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/0d39f6ba-c576-46ca-aa03-37c0139f3225/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
The body and physical health
idea
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
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/3a4aff1d-3170-4787-a939-c309d9ede6b1/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Difficult emotions
guide
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
![A child’s drawing of a person in front of a red door, playing a pink electric guitar with lightning bolts around them.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/d428d04c-c463-4592-a92f-4d89b0c5e6b9/rosemary-ad-_after-dad_-landscape-1-v2.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Parenting and families
film
Ethan ponders his daughter’s future without him in this celebrated short
Directed by Ethan Barrett