Joker and the misrepresentation of mental disorders
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Joker, every edgy boy’s new favourite film, opened this weekend to polarising reviews. Some critics praised the gritty look into the origins of everyone’s favourite psychotic…
The new Home Secretary: tough on crime, weak on drugs
The new Home Secretary has defiantly stated that she wants criminals “to literally feel terror at the thought of committing offences”. 20,000 new police officers have been promised, new powers…
Iran are using dual nationals as political pawns, and we are letting them
Nine months ago, I wrote about British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe being falsely imprisoned in Iran; this week, she has been moved from her cell to a psychiatric ward. Nazanin…
Psychosis still exists in a heavily stigmatised dialogue
Social media has contributed massively to improving our awareness of mental health. The government are on board with anti-stigma campaigns and mental health awareness week, which draw our attention to…
‘You’re overthinking’ is often used derogatorily
We have all been on the receiving end of a text or comment that leaves us thinking, ‘wait, what?’. The ensuing internal dialogue of ‘what did that actually mean, why…
The media must be held accountable for damaging narratives
Mental Health Awareness is something that our generation has really taken hold of and put to the forefront of the change we want to see in society. We are at…
Stoicism is the solution, not cause, of toxic masculinity
The relationship between men and their emotions is an often discussed yet broadly defined subject. ‘Toxic masculinity’, a concept becoming ever more present in political, social, and artistic culture, often…
A 21st century ghost story: reply to your messages
No instalment of Paranormal Activity ever held a candle to the fear that accompanies the millennial social norm of ghosting. Whether you have ghosted, suffered the pain of being a…
Where is the problem with children and screen time?
There is little evidence to back the theory that excessive screen-time could slow brain development, and prevent sufficient sleep in children, and I am becoming increasingly aware of the reasons…
Veganism can be a disguise for eating disorders
You may already know that I am vegan. I have written a few articles about the movement, openly praising and promoting the rejection of animal products on moral, environmental and…
If you can, choose your own signs
I’ve always been quite a symbol-orientated person (which kind of sounds like I just love a good asterisk). When I was smaller and a bit more mad, I used to…
Apps that ‘improve’ mental health are depressingly ironic
It is a great concept in theory. Smartphones and apps have revolutionised every aspect of our daily lives; from expert-level advice to professional-quality photographs, it seemed natural that they might…
Does the self-help industry help or hinder mental health treatment worldwide?
When researching the self-help industry and its authenticity in treating those with mental health problems world-wide, there are countless publications online discrediting the industry as ‘wasting your money and time’…
Why does happiness always feel like a test?
Bridget Jones said many invaluable words of wisdom in her time, my personal favourite being ‘I was so stupid I didn’t mean what I meant.’ But another of her best…
Social media: the shit-show we can’t stop buying tickets to
Whilst scrolling mindlessly through Instagram, I came across a quote by Nayyirah Waheed which stopped me in my tracks. “Would you still want to travel to that country if you…
A Star is Born makes a statement about male mental health
After the unveiling of a statue to fellow lost rock god Chris Cornell in Seattle last week and following a summer of the #ItsOkayToNotBeOkay movement, momentum is finally picking up…
We need to stop trivialising mental illness
This week, instead of commenting on something I’ve read in the news or a global issue I feel passionate about I thought I would write about something more personal. For…
The need for hygge during times of militant politics
During the last few weeks, the everlasting chore of wearying news manages to bring around an aura of despair that we all feel. This last week alone has brought the…
Our response to mental health can, and must, improve
Among the latest news, one topic that has particularly stood out recently is that of mental illness and drug addiction. In the last few years, there have been outcries on…
Trauma is inevitable, but your response to it isn’t
Now that we’ve hit our early twenties, most of us are carrying some emotional baggage around. Some of it is heavier than others, but you’re incredibly lucky if you’ve managed…
Don’t blame Ariana Grande for Mac Miller’s death
On Friday, news broke that Mac Miller had died of a suspected overdose in his California home. As his peers, such as Chance the Rapper and Kehlani, mourned him, fans…
Stop saying you’ve got mental health problems if you don’t
Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint the source of a feeling: am I having a bad week? Is it the hormones in my contraception? Am I suffering from a mental health…
Male Suicide: the killer that dare not speak its name
Every two hours, a man in Britain kills himself. Last week, this statistic became a cruel reality. As some readers may know, a beloved student at the University of Edinburgh…
Addiction is an illness, not a choice
The response to Demi Lovato’s apparent addiction relapse has been dramatically polarised.On one side, people are eager to support those with addiction just as they would like to be open…
Mental health affects everyone, even Ariana Grande
Upon hearing a celebrity with a current net worth of $35 million talk of their struggles with mental health problems, you can be forgiven for rolling your eyes slightly. After all,…
Mentioning Down Syndrome is a dirty pro-life tactic
As the Irish referendum looms, more and more dirty tactics have emerged from the pro-life camp. With the aim of persuading the country to vote against repealing the 8th amendment,…
Friendship is vital for your mental health, regardless of gender
Intimate female relationships are absolutely central to the lives of countless women, and yet there has never been a point where we have felt the need to assert our own…
Let’s invest before England goes emotionally bankrupt
We have a crisis in the way that we deal with mental health. This seems to be a pretty universally accepted truth, and while writing this article has some selfish…
Why do we romanticise child bereavement?
Legal & General, a mainstream insurance firm, has recently run a series of ads focusing on life insurance. I encountered my first such ad walking down the street to Aldi,…
13 Reasons Why Not
When the first season of ‘13 Reasons Why’ was released on Netflix, it became one of those shows that was more obligation than choice. Everyone had binged it, everyone was…
Capitalism has found a way to commodify mental health
Self care is everywhere. It’s the new trending hashtag, and marketing ploy. You can hardly open Instagram without being accosted with images of pamper evenings with conspicuously placed products, emblazoned…