By and large, the rise in public conversations about mental health over the past decades has been a positive development, says Lucy Foulkes, a psychologist at the University of Oxford and former Psyche editor. However, certain aspects of the mental health awareness movement – including imprecise, inflated and even flippant language, as well as the proliferation of non-experts using psychology-speak – are causing genuine societal harm.
In this lecture at the Royal Institution in London, Foulkes presents arguments from her book Losing Our Minds (2021) to make a meticulous yet empathetic case that several serious problems have emerged in the public discourse around mental health. More than just critique, Foulkes offers a constructive roadmap forward that’s deeply informed by her expertise and research.
