Mental health

Disorders and difficulties Therapies and practical advice Perspectives and controversies

A double exposure image of a person using a smartphone overlaid with a bustling city street scene with cars and tall buildings.

Technology and media

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What I learned from sharing my private self with an AI journal

‘Quantified self’ apps analyse our physical and behavioural data. Now, AI journals want to access our emotional lives too

by Angela Chen

a frightened child whose face is partially obscured peers down from by a play area structure

Trauma and PTSD

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The shadows cast by childhood abuse and neglect are not the same

Unravelling the pathways from different forms of childhood maltreatment to mental illness could lead to better treatments

by Anne Alkema & Marco Boks

Photo of five burned matchsticks with blackened, charred tips, arranged in a row on a white background. The order shows partially burnt matches through to a fully burnt match.

Mental health

guide

How to recover from burnout

Feeling worn down, checked out, or bitter about work? The answer is not to ‘just work harder’. Try these steps instead

by Debbie Sorensen

Illustration of a young woman with a bob haircut, red skin and two different coloured eyes. She holds her hands up to her cheeks.

Mental health

film

Fixating on her body, a woman grapples with strange distortions of the self

Directed by Chenghua Yang

A man wearing a hat and a suit, holding a microphone on stage, with dramatic lighting in the background.

Laughter and comedy

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Absurdist comedy is uniquely brilliant at conveying human pain

On stage as Mr Fruit Salad, I’ve seen how the bizarre and ridiculous can convey deep meaning in a way that resonates

by Joz Norris

A man is silhouetted presenting to a video camera and lit by a ring light

Mental health

idea

Why we’re hopeful about mental health videos on TikTok

People are broadcasting their psychological self-diagnoses on TikTok. Some experts are worried, but we see an opportunity

by Elliot Jurist & Julia Jurist

Two women in printed dresses stand at a concrete railing, overlooking a beach and cliffs with the sea stretching into the horizon.

Emerging therapies

guide

How to look after your emotional health

Find out which of your emotional needs you’ve been neglecting and use tips from human givens therapy to address them

by Denise Winn

Illustration of a person in a bathtub, their head covered by vibrant, multicoloured flowers, against a pink-tiled background.

Bipolar disorder

film

What’s it like to feel betrayed by your brain? A memoir of bipolar disorder

Directed by Melanie Cura Daball

Two individuals are shown sitting closely, one appearing to comfort the other by holding their hand. The setting seems intimate and supportive.

Attachment and parenting

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Six steps to self-compassion when your parent has mental illness

Growing up with a parent with mental illness can be very tough. Learning to exercise self-compassion can truly help

by Addy Dunkley-Smith

A painting of a woman floating on her back in a stream, surrounded by flowers and greenery, wearing a dress.

Memoir

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If madness is like drowning, then writing is my raft ashore

I imagine madness as a kind of watery death, like Ophelia’s. The only way I can get to safety is by writing myself ashore

by Azania Imtiaz Khatri-Patel

Silhouette of a person standing behind a frosted glass partition next to a wooden door with a round window.

Conflict and conflict resolution

guide

How to deal with being bullied at work

You might understandably feel trapped and powerless, but there is a range of steps you can take to improve your situation

by Pat Ferris

Close-up of a woman wearing a flight helmet with a microphone, looking ahead with a focused expression.

Mental health

film

Denise finds a hard-earned freedom in Colorado’s alpine skies

Directed by Lindsey Hagen