An estimated 10% of youngsters in the UK have had an official diagnosis of a mental health condition. “The complexities of modern life add further cognitive strain and we are seeing a rise in these diagnoses,” says Professor Jo Williams from the University of Edinburgh. She has been researching the impact of pets on the […]
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Paws for thought, Professor Jo Williams (and Boomer)
Psychotherapist, Lou Lebentz
Lou Lebentz is a therapist and trauma specialist. She came to her work through her own experiences of trauma, addiction and eventually psychosis. Lou says that years of trauma are like a shaken-up bottle of fizzy drink — at some point it will explode. She sees her role as helping clients to open the bottle […]
Psychotherapist & Former Mental Health Nurse Lead, Owen O’Kane
Owen O’Kane is a psychotherapist with a medical background. He’s the author of Ten to Zen, a guide to meditation and mindfulness that he says anyone can use to calm their mind. Owen grew up amid the Troubles in Northern Ireland and has seen how anxiety affects a place and its people. He has also […]
Globally recognised teacher of Science-Based Mindfulness, Dr Reena Kotecha
While Dr Reena Kotecha was working in the health service, she began to realise she was burnt out. She learned that she had to look after herself in order to help her patients. When Dr Reena took time out with anxiety and depression, she studied meditation, mindfulness and the traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda. Now she […]
A map to find your way through life, Justine Hardy
Justine Hardy is a trauma therapist who works with people in conflict zones and other desperate circumstances. But she says that the devastation of feeling lost in a dark place in your life can happen to anyone, without an obvious reason. Trying to find a way out, Justine says, is the most important thing. When working with refugees, Justine tries to find […]
Former Metropolitan Police Commander, John Sutherland
John Sutherland was a police officer for more than 20 years, rising to become a Borough Commander in London. He was overcome by exhaustion, anxiety and then depression that ‘broke him into a thousand tiny pieces’. The stress of a job that brought him constantly into ‘the hurting places of life’ such as crime scenes and […]
The stress of student life, Students, Edinburgh University
Student life isn’t always the best time of your life. In fact, it can be one of the most overwhelming. Four students at Edinburgh discussed the pressures of life at university, often far away from home, friends and family. Stay connected to what feels true to you, whether people you love, or activities you enjoy, […]
The Road to Recovery, Lucy Jackson
Actress and mental health blogger Lucy Jackson had no idea she had depression, anxiety, OCD and borderline personality disorder. She didn’t even think she had an eating disorder. But a stay in a treatment facility exposed her to new bad habits. Eating disorders are addictions, she says, and should be treated as such. She admits […]
Not all champagne and skittles, Simon Webbe
Singer and songwriter Simon Webbe — former member of Blue and Strictly contestant — broke down on TV and realised that he had to open up about his depression. He had lost close friends to suicide and now tells others the importance of talking to someone about your feelings. Simon finds talking, exercise, and creating […]
Making real connections, Jamie Jewitt
Model and former Love Island contestant Jamie Jewitt realised that he was trying to live up to an image of success that was created by the industry he worked in. He worries that social media makes that image pervasive: there’s pressure to make your whole life look perfect. Now he tries to project a more […]
Being brave is beautiful, Petra Velzeboer
Petra Velzeboer was brought up in a cult, the Children of God. Lacking education but feeling that she was meant to save the world, she used alcohol and drugs to try to cope. Lonely after the birth of her children, she reached rock bottom but realised she had a choice. Petra chose to pursue happiness. […]
British Rapper, Poet and Musician, Dizraeli (Rowan Sawday)
Rowan Sawday, who performs as Dizraeli, is a rapper, poet and musician. When he was so depressed that he couldn’t listen to music any more, he admitted that he needed help. With the aid of meditation, mindfulness and exercise, as well as therapy, he found his feet again. He says that as a culture, we […]