By Katherine May The problem with “I’d never have guessed” You’re autistic? I’d never have guessed! I’ve got used to this response over the last few years. Like thousands of other women, I’ve recently learned that I’m autistic, having struggled through to middle age feeling profoundly different to everyone else around me. I never seemed […]
Author, Speaker & Mentor Vikie Shanks was widowed when her husband took his own life. She was left to bring up seven children, six of whom are on the autistic spectrum. Two of her children have cerebral palsy. Vikie, on her own, had no choice but to cope and to enable her children and herself […]
The author and journalist Johann Hari was first diagnosed with depression as a teenager. In his new book, Lost Connections, he investigates broader approaches to mental health that go beyond medication. He argues that creating more meaningful connections with society and with nature, and having more control over our work and our lives, can provide […]
Wendy’s Story Social media started negatively impacting my mental health when my second baby was around 2 weeks old, I was 25. There was an incident one day when I was bathing him, he rolled his face into the water and a few heartbeats passed before I noticed. My son was fine, a little shaken […]
Adventurer Sarah Outen is an adventurer by land and sea. Her recent expeditions have included an attempt to travel around the northern hemisphere solely by human power. Sarah says she’s never been fearless. Sometimes she’s found that the most dangerous part of any journey is not the physical danger she’s found herself in, but what […]
Ex Builder Turned Mental Health Campaigner Ten years ago, Dave Lee was working as a builder. He was depressed, drinking heavily and attempted to end his life. Recovering, he looked for answers. Eventually he realised that he could only find those insights and answers inside himself. He describes the difference between the ‘personal mind’ and […]
Former Government Advisor on Mental Health Natasha Devon is a former advisor to the government on child mental health. She has personal experience of anxiety and eating disorders herself. Natasha would like to see a society where children are taught how to develop healthy habits that will stand them in good stead in the future. […]
Radio Host Broadcaster Mim Shaikh grew up with his mother suffering from severe mental health issues. It wasn’t until he went to school that he realised his family was different from others. However, today he feels this experience has helped him to become more sensitive and empathetic towards others going through mental pain. It’s also […]
Boxing Champion Audley Harrison grew up in a broken home in a tough part of London. By the age of 17 he had been expelled from schools and ended up in juvenile detention. Relying on willpower, he turned his life around, becoming a university graduate and a boxing sensation. Harrison, who is retired and lives […]
BBC Radio 1Xtra & BBC Asian Network’s DJ, Mim Shaikh’s spoken word video details his mother’s mental health and the affect it’s had on his life. ‘I wrote this sincere and honest open ‘Letter To My Mother’ where I express my most honest thoughts and feelings towards our lacking relationship whilst growing up. This is […]
Buddhist Monk Buddhist monk Venerable Pannavamsa is a well-known meditation teacher. Originally from Sri Lanka, he trained in Burma and now conducts courses in meditation and Buddhism at the London Buddhist Vihara. He explains how the principles behind Buddhist meditation — morality, focus and wisdom — can help us to avoid suffering and realise our […]
TV personality and former professional sportsman Josh Patterson looks as if he has it all — but it hasn’t always been like that. When his dream of making a career as a rugby player didn’t work out as he’d hoped, he was left in a dark place. He’d struggled with his mental attitude to the […]
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