As a teenager, Alice struggled to manage the pressures of school and became obsessed with doing well. In hindsight, these were warning signs, she said. “I was really very young, innocent, and didn’t know how to manage myself emotionally at all.” As her anxiety and depression got worse, her parents tried everything from alternative therapies […]
Depression
What is women’s health?
Award-winning mental health consultant Amy McKeown wants us to understand women’s health and mental health better – and it’s not just about the menopause. “Women are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions than men, and women suffer from higher rates of depression and anxiety,” she says. “And in some conditions such as […]
The power of poetry
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Author and Head Talks ambassador Rachel Kelly suggests we consider poetry as part of our mental health toolkit. Poetry began to speak to her in the darkness of a spell in hospital during a crisis, starting with the work of George Herbert. His description of what it’s like to feel depressed as “guilty […]
From dream job to mental health crisis, Sean McCormack
Sean McCormack suffered his first mental health crisis six years after he had qualified as a vet – a career that was all he had ever wanted and worked for. “I felt like I would be letting people down if I gave up, so it took me a long time to admit to myself that […]
A crumb of comfort, Kitty Tait
When Kitty Tait was a teenager, she had crippling depression. Her parents tried everything to help, but it was the moment she baked her first loaf of bread that she began to see glimmers of hope. The routine and structure of baking bread has given her days a rhythm. Kitty and her father have now […]
The joy of sobriety, Millie Gooch
Almost four years ago, Millie Gooch gave up alcohol to save her rapidly declining mental health. When she first stopped drinking, she couldn’t find support and a community that reflected her experience of sobriety – most were related to recovery programmes. So she founded Sober Girl Society, a growing community who are either committed to […]
Vulnerability pays off, Paul McGregor
When Paul McGregor was 18, his father took his own life. He had been treated for depression and sectioned for a while after a previous attempt, but Paul and his family were still totally unprepared. From his father’s first trip to the doctor to his death was only six months. “My dad was very good […]
Every suicide is unnecessary, Owen Paterson MP
In 2020, Rose Paterson took her own life. She had never spoken of depression, never been on medication, and had never mentioned her pain to her family. She went missing one day, and when they found her body, the Patersons’ world collapsed. “It is incomprehensible that she could have torn herself away from this,” says […]
The most empowering work you can do, Christo Hudson
Christo Hudson had always wanted to be a pilot, and spent 12 years doing the job he loved, until it all stopped overnight with the pandemic. He suffered anxiety and bouts of depression, unable to see a way forward. “My dream was stolen from me. I had been completely defined by the job I had. […]
Author and journalist on happiness,
Author and journalist Oliver Burkeman reminds us that what will be pleasurable and fun for us isn’t always easy at the beginning: think of it as weight training, and do a little more every day at the point where it’s a tiny bit more uncomfortable than you’d choose. “The advice you don’t want to hear […]
Don’t suffer in silence, Jack Fowler & Marcus Tisson
Love Island star and mental health campaigner Jack Fowler and Don’t Suffer In Silence co-founder Marcus Tisson discuss the pressure to “man up” and how they want to open up discussion over mental health issues and suicide after Marcus lost his mother.
Former Olympic Hockey Gold Medallist, Helen Richardson-Walsh
Olympic gold medal-winning hockey player Helen Richardson-Walsh first felt that something was wrong in 2008, and the team doctor suggested she might have depression. “In that moment, where I was mentally and emotionally, it was a relief to learn I could take control.” A long spell away from the game through injury led to a […]
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