Mental Health

The last seven months as Acting CEO of Mental Health Australia has been a rollercoaster of challenges, many rewarding and some, like the bushfires and coronavirus, quite confronting. Above all I would like thank the staff, board, and members for supporting me in the role during this time. From breaking a Guinness World Record on

Thinking and decision making are among the cognitive processes affected by stress. The hippocampus and amygdala (to simplify this) kick the pre-frontal cortex off line, so to speak, depending on how activated we are. Putting it simply, when our bodies (and minds) are scanning for threat, we’re not using the thinking part of our brains

Toronto, Ellen L. K. 2009.  Time Out of Mind: Dissociation in the Virtual World. Psychoanalytic Psychology.  26 (2) 117-133), I have described the case of the young woman whose use of the Internet had cordoned off an important part of her psychic life. In doing so she performed her work responsibilities well but paid a

Today I love that yesterday I made date squares and they were as good as any I’ve ever made before and I’ve made lots. I love that my new oven has yet to fail me, wow what a great thing it is. I do regret that it doesn’t open sideways, but that is a small

I see it in my daughter’s life, and I see it in the mental health industry that has grown up in support of supposed pathologies that a short time ago would never have been considered mental illnesses. The ideals I see threatened: work and responsibility. In my daughter’s life we’re beginning week seven of homeschooling

How could this happen? Yup. Government late to the problem and lacking solutions? Yup. Raw fear? Yup. Hospitals overflowing? Yup. Uncertainty about who is well and who is not? Yup. Lack of clarity regarding transmission and lethality? Yup. As gay men of a certain age, my colleague Dr. David Fawcett and I are having some

Today I love that I bought some yeast sight unseen by ordering it on the phone and when I got it it is four times the quantity that I normally buy and so I won’t have to go looking for yeast for quite some time I reckon. I love that I am now contemplating baking

I thought I’d do it, well, better. But I’m not calmer and I’m not doing it better at all. Instead, somehow my mind has been remarkably persistent thus far about trying to translate “stay at home” to mean “put my whole life on hold” and then convince me it is right. And unfortunately, my mind

But then I got thinking, are WE safe at home? WE? Yes, WE! Those of us with ADHD. Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not suggesting we should be allowed to roam around freely, ignoring isolation rules and just being all manner of foolish. I’m simply asking the question, are we really and truly

One useful way to check in with ourselves and, if need be, recalibrate our attitudes and actions is to conduct an evening review of our day. The suggestions below are meant to be done in a spirit of self-compassion and gentleness. This is not an opportunity to beat ourselves up for perceived shortcomings or to

But even if you have that empathy in a theoretical sense, applying it in the moment is harder. In fact, applying skills in the moment is where people with ADHD often experience challenges. Symptoms like impulsivity and not thinking situations through fully can interfere with us putting the theoretical knowledge we have – or in

Previous research has suggested that there is a link between depression and tea drinking. Now, a new study is investigating this relationship further. Depression is common among older adults, with 7% of those over the age of 60 years reporting “major depressive disorder.” Accordingly, research is underway to identify possible causes, which include genetic predisposition,

A new, largest-of-its-kind study finds more evidence of the genetic underpinnings of schizophrenia. The findings may ultimately lead to the development of new drugs. Share on PinterestResearchers have uncovered a new gene that may explain the onset of schizophrenia. The new study appears in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Elliott Rees, a research fellow at the

Reading the news can be stress-inducing at the best of times. When the news is particularly worrying, many of us experience levels of anxiety so high that we can have difficulty coping. So how can we stay (reasonably) anxiety-free when the media bombards us with headlines that spook us? Share on PinterestDoes the news get

People may think that valuing happiness leads to a happier life. However, new research has found that wanting to feel happy can also have a negative outcome. Previous studies have concluded that excessively valuing happiness can cause a person to feel less happy. In some cases, it may even be associated with symptoms of depression.

Feeling depressed before and during a menstrual period is common. Experts believe that these emotional changes occur as a result of fluctuating hormone levels. Most people who menstruate will experience some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), including moodiness and headaches. However, some individuals can develop more severe symptoms, such as depression and anger. Hormones can

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are both eating disorders in which a person tries to lose weight in unhealthful ways. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 0.6% of adults in the United States experienced anorexia between 2001 and 2003, compared to 0.3% who experienced bulimia. There are essential differences between anorexia and bulimia,

Throughout evolutionary history, fear has helped humans stay safe and thrive. But in the modern world, many fear responses — such as phobias — are, at best, unhelpful and, at worst, debilitating. Yet, accumulating evidence shows that mindfulness practice could help us unlearn these responses. Share on PinterestMore evidence suggests that mindfulness may help us

New research shows how the use of a multisensory illusion may help treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The new method could bypass the disadvantages of exposure therapy. Share on PinterestContamination fears may cause people with OCD to wash their hands excessively. In 1998, researchers Matthew Botvinick and Jonathan Cohen of the University of Pittsburgh, PA, detailed

A new report has found that more than half of the people with mental health conditions currently confined in Los Angeles county jails would benefit from mental health treatment in specialized community centers instead of incarceration. Share on PinterestThousands of LA jail inmates would benefit from receiving mental health support away from prison, a new

Alcohol can make a person feel depressed and may even trigger or worsen depression. Depression is also a risk factor for using alcohol, since people who feel depressed may use alcohol to ease their symptoms. Several studies, including a 2013 study that used a nationally representative sample, have found that people who drink to manage

Can diet impact mental health? A new review takes a look at the evidence. Overall, the authors conclude that although nutrition certainly does appear to have an impact, there are still many gaps in our knowledge. Nutrition is big business, and the public is growing increasingly interested in how food affects health. At the same

The world has been facing a suicide crisis over the past few years. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of people die by suicide each year. But new research shows that a $1 increase in the minimum wage might prevent thousands of deaths. Share on PinterestAs little as a $1 increase to the

Most of us are familiar with the physical health effects of smoking, but can the habit also affect our mental and emotional well-being? A new study suggests that it can, after finding a link between smoking cigarettes and depression. Share on PinterestA new study examines the link between mental health and smoking among students. The

Schizophrenia affects millions of people around the world and is a chief contributor to disability. Researchers are still working to uncover all the risk factors that could facilitate the development of this condition. A new study suggests that air pollution may be one of them. Share on PinterestResearchers have found some evidence that exposure to

If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) encompasses a range of potential physical and emotional symptoms in the weeks leading up to menses (the period). Some females are more likely to experience physical symptoms, whereas others may be likelier to

Anxiety commonly causes a change in appetite. Some people with anxiety tend to overeat or consume a lot of unhealthful foods. Others, however, lose their desire to eat when they feel stressed and anxious. Anxiety is a mental health condition that affects 40 million adults in the United States each year. Changes in appetite are

A new study from the University of California, Berkeley has identified and mapped the 13 subjective experiences that different kinds of music can evoke in people. Share on PinterestResearchers have now mapped the main 13 categories of emotion that music can evoke in us. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted a