History and philosophy of mental health
![People at a rally holding flags and banners with various languages, advocating for voting rights and unity, standing behind a barrier on a city street.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/c56f5ca0-e638-40ff-91d8-c12adf15d5be/rt-nyc56683.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Community
idea
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
![A painting depicts three children dressed in old-fashioned clothing walking through a field of wildflowers at dusk. Two older children, one wearing a large brimmed hat, lead a younger child by the hand. The background shows a line of trees against a cloudy sky with a hint of sunset.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/204d319e-f914-4673-8d65-514ff7da6a22/rt-wichita-art-musuem-homer-in-the-mowing-m127_54.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
History of psychology and psychiatry
idea
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
![A vintage photo of six women wearing wide-brimmed hats, smiling and laughing together. One woman is holding a steering wheel, suggesting they might be on a fun outdoor adventure. The background shows a natural, slightly blurry setting.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/bf54d286-b986-4455-8705-b01af1d560f2/rt-walk-you-walk.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Film
idea
Why was a laughing woman seen as lethal, not least to herself?
When early cinema weaponised the sight of women’s laughter, it borrowed from flawed psychiatric ideas about female hysteria
by Maggie Hennefeld
![A black-and-white photo of a man, a woman and a child sitting around a cluttered dining table with food, bowls and plates. The man looks thoughtful.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/e5d1d4dd-e665-4aa4-bd7a-d16a1164d35d/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Socioeconomics of mental health
idea
Mental health is not an individual matter, but a political one
Decades ago, pioneering research linked mental illness and economic deprivation. It’s time to take the implications seriously
by Matthew Smith
![A person leans out of an open window on the second floor of an old brick building with ornate trim, near a fire escape and traffic light.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/f0166f54-1a2b-468d-8619-79c18da3feae/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
History and philosophy of mental health
idea
Can we diagnose suffering without knowing a person’s history?
Human bodies and mental states are always transforming. How can the DSM portray the full range of human suffering?
by Christos Tombras
![A stylised painting of a woman with short dark hair, bending her head forward against a pastel background with curved and dotted patterns.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/4fbfab55-73ea-4a7a-a765-2dc6dcc32718/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Hallucinations and delusions
idea
Philosophy can help us connect, even in the face of psychosis
How phenomenological tools can help foster a relationship of true listening between clinicians and people with psychosis
by Rosa Ritunnano & Kasim Qureshi