All In The Mind - Abc Radio National

One Sunday afternoon Mary Pershall received a devastating call from the police that her daughter Anna had murdered someone. Anna had struggled throughout her life with mental illness and drug addiction, and the tragic event lead Mary to ask how society can protect a child in crisis.

Seven-time world surfing champion Layne Beachley discusses the mental health challenges she's faced in her life, how the ocean and surfing have been emotionally healing for her, and the benefits of surf therapy for mental wellbeing.

You might have seen Australian surfers decked out in fluro gear raising awareness for mental health. The OneWave community is all about increasing the visibility of mental illness — and it's part of a growing international community exploring the therapeutic benefits of surfing. What is it about being in the ocean that can benefit your mental health? All In The Mind heads to Bondi Beach.

From old fashioned 'lovesickness' to sex addiction, obsession, and jealousy — how does society decide what's normal in love? Drawing on the latest scientific research into the mechanisms underlying love and romantic attachment, a leading psychotherapist explores the extremes of love.

Pregnancy and early parenthood is an exciting and rewarding time — but for many families, it brings about unexpected challenges. In Australia, one in five expecting or new mums will experience anxiety or depression, some experience both. What's being done to support women as they transition to motherhood?

Janne McMahon has drawn on her own lived experience of mental illness to advocate for patient-centred care. Professor Gavin Andrews introduced cognitive behaviour therapy to Australia. Meet the dual winners of the 2018 Australian Mental Health Prize.

Picture an apple. Now picture your favourite character from a novel. And now a loved one's face. Can you see those images in your mind's eye? Some people can't because they have a condition called aphantasia which disrupts their ability to create a mental image.

The science behind our judgement of faces for their trustworthiness, competency, and character.

When you're overwhelmed by distressing feelings and big emotions, it can feel lonely, particularly if you can't find the help you need in the mental health system. Alternative grassroots approaches to staying alive are now being explored, which focus on connecting with others in a similar space.

Each year, around 3,000 people in Australia die at their own hand. More young people die by suicide than in car accidents, and Indigenous Australians are more than twice as likely to take their own lives. Hear some of the latest thinking in prevention.

When we’re bored time drags, and wouldn’t you swear that time seems to speed up as you get older? Drawing on the latest insights from psychology and neuroscience we explore the mystery of time perception, it’s connection to our sense of self and how we could be the architect of our own perception of time.

Advances in neuroscience and AI could revolutionise medicine but they also pose significant ethical and social challenges. If a brain computer interface can allow a blind person to see, or restore speech to those who’ve lost the ability to communicate, what does this mean for a person’s sense of self, personal responsibility, or privacy?

Kathleen Harrison is an ethnobotanist studying the relationship between plants, people, and culture. She's worked throughout Latin America since the 1960s and informed by long relationships with indigenous healers, naturalists, and her own decades of psychedelic curiosity. She co-founded the organisation Botanical Dimensions with Terence McKenna in 1985.

In 1966, as a reaction to disturbing reports of people having bad trips, the Psychedelic drug LSD was banned in the U.S. But now some scientists are seeing promising results from studies into the therapeutic benefits of using psychedelic drugs to treat mental illness.

The not-for-profit association Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine Incorporated (PRISM) was set up over 7 years ago to initiate and progress psychedelic medical research in Australia. PRISM is currently collaborating with the USA-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

Some exciting news was published earlier this year in the Psychiatric Journal JAMA, about the potential mental health benefits of psychedelic drug research. It’s likely that within the next 5 years researchers will know whether the psychoactive drug commonly known as ecstasy—methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA—can be used to treat psychiatric disorders.

Turn on, tune in and drop out … that was the catch cry of U.S. psychologist Timothy Leary in the 1960s. By 1966 psychedelics were demonised and banned, but now—in controlled scientific settings—there's a psychedelic 'renaissance' in mental health therapy. Early research on the use of ecstasy in the treatment of stress disorders looks promising.

Having children can be wonderful but there’s no doubt that parenting can be challenging, especially for women with mental illness. We hear about the lives of mothers diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder—it’s a disorder defined by extreme emotional instability and is surrounded by stigma. The treatment can make a real difference to the wellbeing of families.

Empathy is the power of understanding other people, which in turn allows societies to co-operate and function. But a leading British media executive is concerned that it’s lacking in today’s society, and that the arts and popular culture can bridge the gap.

Our memories form the basis of our sense of self. When a brain disorder damages memory, it’s not clear what remains of the person when some of those memories are missing. A neurologist from the UK explores memory and identity through the moving stories of her patients.