Minding Your Mind

It’s good to try to do a task as well as you can, but when you spend an hour rewriting one sentence, things might have gone too far. Are you a perfectionist? If so, should you address it? How can you change?  If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depres...

How can Artificial Intelligence improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness? How do bots compare with human therapists? They’re definitely cheaper, with shorter waiting times for an appointment.  If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression...

How can Artificial Intelligence empower us to take better care of our own mental health? What tools can we carry around in our phone that will help us make better informed decisions about how we live?  If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression and...

Why do people get violent? What link is there in the difference between violence and mental illness? How does violence affect victims? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression and support services, you can contact Head to Health at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.headtohe...

Can you keep a secret? Should you? What are the things we want to keep secret? How do our secrets affect our mental health?  If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression and support services, you can contact Head to Health at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.headtohealth.gov.a...

What is dissociation? It occurs when we become emotionally detached from our surroundings. Some get it when public speaking, and feel like they are outside their body, removed from what is happening. Why does dissociation happen, and who does it happen to?  If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like t...

When talking to someone who is going through a tough time, is it better to do so with empathy (understanding the feelings of another) or sympathy (feeling sorrow for another’s misfortune)? In Ian’s view, one is far better than the other.  If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find...

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? How can it empower and help those with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues? CBT techniques may be easy to learn, but how easy are they to use when you feel distressed? CBT expert Dr Jan Scott joins us. If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to...

We discuss Ian’s new book on depression,  The Devil You Knew . What causes depression? What are the different types of depression? Why are the physical symptoms of depression so important? How does someone with depression find the treatments that will work for them? How can we lower our risk of getting depression? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠mindingyourmind2@gma...

Ian and James pick their 10 most interesting eps of 2023. If you’re new to Minding Your Mind , this is a good place to start. If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  ⁠⁠mindingyourmind2@gmail.com⁠⁠  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover.  To find out more about depression and support services, you can contact Head to Health at  ⁠⁠www.headtohealth.gov.au⁠⁠...

What can we learn about our mind from one of the greatest and most complex characters of fiction, Hamlet? Shakespeare expert and actor John Bell analyses Hamlet’s psychology and we learn about indecision, uncertainty, rationality, revenge, grief and much more. To find out more about depression and support services, you can contact Head to Health at  ⁠⁠www.headtohealth.gov.au⁠⁠  , Beyond Blue at  ⁠...

Can people sometimes lose control and do something they later can’t explain or understand? A moment of madness? Can those with a mental illness sometimes not be in control of their actions? Is "being in control" a switch or a spectrum?  To find out more about depression and support services, you can contact Head to Health at  ⁠www.headtohealth.gov.au⁠  , Beyond Blue at  ⁠www.beyondblue.o...

Can being alone be good for us? For some of us, is being alone an essential part of maintaining good mental health? Do some people (e.g. James) need time alone more than others? Why? Is it because he was an only child? If you have any questions or comments email, Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depressi...

Men have a higher suicide rate than woman, are less likely to seek treatment for a mental health issue, and more likely to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs. Why? What approaches might make men more willing to take better care of their mental health, and seek help when they need it? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any ot...

When we are anxious, adrenaline flows, thoughts race and we get edgy, agitated and hyped up. When we are depressed, we are sluggish and slow, and it’s hard to get motivated, or even to get out of bed. Anxiety and depression look a lot like opposites. Are they? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them...

What effect do hormones – all those chemicals that rush around our bloodstream – have on our mental health? How do different hormones that are secreted when people are in love, pregnant, going through menopause, etc affect their emotions, moods and mental health? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like t...

If we are depressed or anxious, is how we react to it a test of our character? Do we need to be "strong" and "fight back"? Or is thinking this way an unhelpful myth? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression and support services, you can...

Journalist Nick McKenzie, who reported on and was sued by Ben Roberts Smith, tells us about the toll the investigation and court case took on his mental health, and the strategies he used to cope. If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression and support service...

We discuss Ian’s new book on depression, The Devil You Knew . What causes depression? What are the different types of depression? Why are the physical symptoms of depression so important? How does someone with depression find the treatments that will work for them? How can we lower our risk of getting depression? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail...

For your mental health, what are the best, and worst, ways to transition from work to retirement? Here’s a hint: don’t move abruptly from full-time work to no work at all, and don’t move away from all your friends. If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at mindingyourmind2@gmail.com . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression and...

What can we learn about our mind from the great writers? Actor and Shakespeare expert John Bell joins us to discuss what the character of Macbeth tells us about ambition, guilt, morality and mental health. If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about depression and suppor...

If you were given too much change in a shop, would you keep it? If you did, knowing it was wrong, what effect would that have on your mental health? Is being good, good for you? Ethics expert Simon Longstaff joins us to discuss the relationship between ethics and mental health. If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topi...

Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness that affects a person’s ability to manage their emotions. Those with BPD are often impulsive and have big mood swings. What are the signs? How do you treat it?  If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover.  To find out more about depression an...

What can we learn about our mind from the great writers? Actor and Shakespeare expert John Bell joins us to discuss what the characters in The Merchant of Venice tell us about prejudice, justice, revenge, greed, mercy and mental health. If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out m...

Autonomy and social connection are two important pillars of mental health, but aren’t they in conflict? The closer your relationships, the more you compromise and give up autonomy. How do we resolve the tension between the two? If you have any questions or comments, email Ian and James at  mindingyourmind2@gmail.com  . Let them know any other topics you’d like them to cover. To find out more about...