A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Debunking the myths and sharing the important truths about this incredibly common mental health issue. Firstly, here's what anxiety is not: it's not worrying that your train has been cancelled or that your card won't be accepted in a restaurant. It's not being scared before a medical test. Anxiety is an inappropriate response to a real or perceived [...]
Something changed and getting out of bed was no longer the "hardest thing in the world" for this teenager. The depression had hung heavy over Courtney, sapping her of motivation for years despite the medications and therapy. Then last year – aged 17 – she joined a world-first trial that is beaming magnetic fields onto the brains [...]
Mental disorders are currently defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which includes hundreds of distinct diagnostic categories, but a new study we worked on suggests we could do better. Each category in the DSM has a checklist of criteria. If you meet “enough” (often, just over half) of these criteria, [...]
Why are we so shocked when we, or someone we know, becomes ill? Why are many people scared of illness and unable to support their loved ones when illness strikes? And why do so many people still think “it won’t happen to me”? These questions strike at the heart of our relationship between sickness and [...]
When you think of paranormal experiences it often conjures images of ghosts, aliens or witchcraft. But it can also include hearing voices, out-of-body experiences, or even strong spiritual or superstitious beliefs. Such experiences are quite common – 75% of people in Britain have said that they have had one or more paranormal experiences in their [...]
Anxiety and ADHD are very different, but sometimes the symptoms can look similar. The correct diagnosis is critical to guide treatment and to make sense of things when kids seem to be struggling or when something doesn’t feel quite right. As much as the right diagnosis can heal, the wrong one can also harm. Understanding [...]
Flickr Images Scientists say they have established the first successful treatment for autism, after training parents in how best to respond to the needs of children with the condition. The study, published in The Lancet, found “striking” and “remarkable” long-term changes after toddlers were enrolled in intensive communication programmes, which aimed to coax them [...]
Shutterstock Images Creating an effective treatment for schizophrenia requires a better understanding of its biology, of the genes that cause it. Using technology to illuminate chromosomes, scientists confirmed the underlying genetics of this mental disorder. The identified genetic disruptions occur at a crucial time in brain development. The science team hopes its research, [...]
Flickr Images One thing to keep in mind when you’re scheduling a doctor’s appointment: All signs point to morning as the best time to be a patient. It has less to do with the doctors and everything to do with the patients’ hormone levels. Past research has shown that levels of the stress [...]
In the latest Beckley/Imperial study, we selected 12 people who had experienced depression over an average of 18 years, despite all that modern medicine can offer. Instead of daily medication, we wanted to know if their condition would improve after an “inner journey” on a 25mg dose of the psychedelic drug psilocybin. We also wanted to [...]
