All In The Mind

We explore how very early childhood experiences can deeply affect the way the brain develops.

For many Aboriginal people the loss of their country has caused significant health and social problems, including substance abuse, and has led them to 'living in the long grass' on the outskirts of urban townships.

Mental health in many Aboriginal communities takes a back seat because often the most basic human needs are not adequately provided for. However, depression, psychosis and suicide are widespread, against a backdrop of chronic alcohol and substance abuse. But there are some amazingly committed individuals working hard to improve the situation with an innovative approach. Lynne Malcolm visits Tiwi a...

In the late 1950s the first of the psychiatric wonder drugs hit the United States with a vengeance - and in the 70s Valium was widely prescribed to women as 'mother's little helper'. It was seen as the biological revolution that overthrew Freudian psychotherapy, as the dominant treatment for psychiatric problems. But in today's Prozac era, what's changed? Lynne Malcolm speaks with psychiatrist and...

Scientists are still puzzled about the causes of multiple sclerosis. It's a disorder of the brain and nervous system, which usually affects young people in the prime of their lives and can cause extreme disability. We hear some of the latest research into the causes of MS and speak with a man who's lost vital movement in his body, but has found a remarkable resilience in his mind.

Since Anzac Day the nation has been absorbed in the plight of the Beaconsfield miners, and we've been told by trauma psychologists that now the men are safely reunited with family their natural need to talk through their experience will be a vital mental salve.

There are 25 million people in the world suffering from Alzheimer's disease and the figure is forecast to double every 20 years. It's now believed that the changes in our brains that lead to the disease may begin decades before the symptoms appear. What are the early signs, and how can you distinguish them from the natural memory loss that comes with ageing? We also hear from a woman who cares for...

What led a 20-year-old Australian woman to pose as the descendant of Ukrainian war criminals in order to tell the story The Hand that signed the Paper? Lynne Malcolm speaks with Helen Dale, formerly Helen Demidenko – the woman at the centre of one of Australia's biggest literary hoax scandals. Ten years on and now in her early 30s, what personal insight has she gained from this life-changing exper...

We take an honest and sometimes confronting look at how we perceive others and how they perceive us. We hear about the difference between benevolent sexism and hostile sexism and the intricate ways in which we form our prejudices towards others. And, beware - it seems that we may often be judged according to the personality of our pets!

Given that terrorism is an ancient phenomenon it's surprising how little we know about the psychology of terrorists. And without proper understanding efforts to counter terrorism are often based on stereotypes. We speak with two practising psychologists who study the mind of the suicide bomber.

Schizophrenia is caused by a complex range of genetic and environmental factors but it can seem to occur out of the blue. We hear from a father who first knew his son had schizophrenia when he found him curled up in his wardrobe, psychotic, frozen with fear. We find out about some of the early warning signs and how young people with schizophrenia can be helped to cope with the social isolation and...

One in one hundred people in Australia will develop schizophrenia during their lifetime – it's frightening and alienating, devastating the lives of individuals and their families. Psychiatrists and researchers are still puzzled by the complexity of the disorder. We hear about some recent fascinating insights into the causes and risk factors for schizophrenia. And a young woman tells of her lonely...

The pressure to be thin is more intense than ever – and with around 80% of teenage girls choosing to diet – some slide down the slippery slope into anorexia nervosa. While our knowledge of this puzzling disorder is still limited, some inroads of understanding are being made into what occurs in the starving brain. In this week's program we hear some of the latest scientific research into the mechan...

It's now recognised that Omega 3, essential fatty acids mainly found in fish, can help to prevent conditions like cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis – but the evidence is accumulating for just how important fish oil is for mental health and wellbeing. We hear some remarkable findings from a British study looking at the effect of giving fish oil supplements to children with ADHD and le...

For some individuals living with psychosis, art-making becomes an act of necessity, a way to bring coherence to experiences that threaten to overwhelm. We meet an artist whose hallucinatory episodes serve as inspiration for paintings and drawings, as we learn about the fascinating history of outsider art.

Is there anything different about the brains of extraordinary creative geniuses like Michelangelo, Coleridge or Mozart? World renowned psychiatrist and doctor of English Renaissance Literature Dr Nancy Andreasen unravels the 'creative brain' and explores how we can foster creativity in ourselves and throughout our society.

Until the 18th century epilepsy was associated with the supernatural or seen as the work of the devil, and it continues to be surrounded by social stigma. There's still a hard core of sufferers who aren't helped by medication - despite the plethora of new drugs being developed. Lynne Malcolm speaks with a brave young girl who turned to brain surgery after years of daily seizures, a woman whose lif...

Faces are the most important biological stimuli we see and we've evolved to be exquisitely sensitive to the most minute changes in another person's face. But what happens when our brain's ability to recognise the human face breaks down? In All in the Mind this week, some intriguing research on how our brains process faces, and we hear one inspiring woman's story of what it feels like not to even r...

Dorothy Rowe has always seen herself as an outsider, yet this psychologist and prolific author is considered one of the 50 wisest people in the UK and her many books continue to sell like hot cakes. Depression, she says, is an intolerable prison we build for ourselves, but we can escape by choosing to change the way we interpret our lives. Hear her controversial yet heartfelt views on the 'prison...

Do you privately shake with nerves or shyly blush when the attention is on you? Most people experience some form of shyness but others are so immobilised by the fear of being judged negatively that they can barely function. Social phobia is the third most common mental illness after depression and substance abuse. We hear about one woman's 20 year struggle with social anxiety and some recent scien...

The practice of petrol sniffing is devastating some Australian Aboriginal communities, with some kids starting to inhale petrol fumes as young as six years old. But amazingly very little was known about the effect sniffing petrol has on the brain until recently. Lynne Malcolm speaks with a scientist whose research is beginning to cast light on a problem which has been too easy to sweep under the c...

The majority of asylum seekers held in Australia's immigration detention centres are men. Detention centres impose severe restrictions and for men long-term incarceration can be devastating. Aamer Sultan is a doctor and refugee and he believes the three years he spent in detention changed the core of his identity. The director of the NSW Institute of Psychiatry, Dr Louise Newman, assists some of t...

The prospect of human clones walking amongst us is a while off yet. Some argue that human reproductive cloning is inevitable, others suggest our moral sensibilities will hold us back even when the technology is ripe. But whatever our brave future holds for us, ethicists are already asking what it might be like to grow up a clone? Can we predict what the social and psychological impacts of being bo...

Cotard's syndrome is the belief that you have died, and for sufferers it is a terrifying state. Delusions can take many forms, from widespread paranoia to a specific and singular delusion - you might think an impostor has replaced your spouse. These misbeliefs are commonly associated with schizophrenia, but they can also occur in people with brain injuries, Huntington's and Parkinson's disease and...

Emotions are complex reactions that engage our bodies and minds and anger is one of our most commonly felt emotions. Each day, be it at home, work or school, we may find the deeds of others maddening. To respond to these often minor irritations with a 'blind fury' can be destructive, but more tempered feelings of annoyance may fuel productive change. Anger is the emotion that can motivate us to ac...