All In The Mind

Today, we're making sense of the tips, tricks and treatments that the self-help landscape has to offer. So whether you're keen to try exposure therapy, tackle your need for validation or restructure your thinking, we'll unpack the psychology so you can improve your life. Guests: Dr Jeremy Stevenson Clinical psychologist Co-author, The 12 Levers: The Complete Psychological Toolkit For Improving Your Life Credits: Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar Senior producer: James Bullen Producer: Rose Kerr Sound engineer: Roi Huberman Related episodes: Managing your emotions so they don't manage you 'What if I'm a paedophile?' The intrusive thoughts that haunted Uma Healing from self-hatred The cognitive distortions of a high achiever Hypochondria and cyberchondria: the many ways to worry about health Facing fears and phobias

As the headlines get scarier, a neuroscientist and an English professor weigh in on some of our big questions about AI. From cognitive offloading to memory and creativity, we'll examine what AI can offer and what should be kept for human minds. Sophie Gee and Reuben Rideaux appear in Where's the AI Off Switch? on 4 October, co-presented with The University of Sydney, as part of Curious at the Sydney Opera House. Guests: Professor Sophie Gee Department of English, Princeton University Co-director, Eleos Collaboration, University of Sydney Dr Reuben Rideaux Cognitive neuroscientist Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology University of Sydney Credits: Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar Senior producer: James Bullen Producer: Rose Kerr Sound engineer: Tegan Nicholls To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Reading is good for you, but fiction has added benefits. So how does reading work in the brain? Why are stories so impactful?  And why, in this era of book clubs and booktok, are literacy rates not thriving? Get your votes in for Radio National's Top 100 Books Countdown before October 1st.  Guests: Professor Genevieve McArthur Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy, ACU Director of Research Translation, Dyslexia SPELD Foundation Dr Lili Yu Senior Lecturer, School of Psychological Sciences Macquarie University Centre for Reading Dr Raymond Mar Professor of Psychology York University J.A. (Jess) Stevens Author, A Change of Pace Bec Jess' partner Credits: Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar Reporter/producer: Rose Kerr Senior producer: James Bullen Sound engineer: Tim Jenkins Resources: Reading Writing Hotline 1300 6 555 06 Literacy for Life Foundation Dyslexia SPELD foundation More information: More than 1 in 3 Australian adults are functionally illiterate. How can we fix this? The benefits of reading narrative fiction A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity What Chinese can teach us about reading Too many students have 'reading anxiety'. New research suggests it is triggered by problems in primary school Reading and associations with brain health, cognition, well-being, and mental health To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

What happens when we let our most destructive emotion dominate? On All in the Mind this week, we explore why we get angry, how you might control aggression and whether it can ever be ... useful.

We're urged to stay positive and keep up a cheerful disposition ... but sometimes things are just awful, aren’t they? On All in the Mind this week we look at why we engage in toxic positivity, why it's so damaging when we do and whether something called 'tragic optimism' could be the antidote.

Most of us have an inner voice – it reminds you to pick up milk on your way home, helps problem solve, or rehearse what you’re going to say. But there are times that helpful voice veers into harmful chatter.

You’ve heard of adrenaline, oxytocin and cortisol, but what about glutamate and GABA? And how much do you really know about the chemicals coursing through your brain? On All in the Mind this week, we take a whistle stop tour through your brain to learn how various chemicals influence our behaviour.

Having a baby is supposed to be a joyous time, despite the sleep deprivation and constant crying. But for many women, it can be a dark time. We know one in six suffer post partum depression, but there's another condition that affects women during this period that you may not have heard of. It's called post-partum psychosis. It's rare, but for those who get it, it can be utterly debilitating. This episode was first broadcast on 25 April 2021.

How would you describe your parents? Nobody's perfect, of course, but some parents leave more of a mark than others. On All in the Mind this week, we look at the life-long impact of having 'emotionally immature' parents. This episode was first broadcast on 30 May 2021.

Have you ever tried a self-help book? Did it… well, help? On All in the Mind this week, why self-help sometimes falls short ... and the problem with pop psychology more generally.

One spring weekend a few years back, around 15 people gathered in a south Melbourne office space. They were mostly neuroscience and maths types and there for something super niche and somewhat nerdy — the Australian Memory Championships. Anastasia Woolmer was a first time competitor — but she’d go on to win. On All in the Mind, she explains the techniques memory athletes use, and how you can apply them to everyday life. This episode was first broadcast on 30 May 2021.

It’s the lightest metal on the periodic table. Its origins lie in the very beginnings of our universe. And it's taken, in the form of a pill, by thousands of Australians every day. Join us as we dive deep into the story of this wonder element lithium — the magic ion, as it's sometimes called — and its remarkable impact on mood. This episode was first broadcast on 28 March 2021.

How many times in a day are you doing just one thing? Or is it more common that you’re multitasking – maybe texting and walking? Reading while listening to music? We all multitask to some degree, but do any of us do it well? And is that even possible? This week on All in the Mind, we look into the science of multitasking – why we struggle to do it, why some of us are better at it than others – and how to do it effectively if you must

Major trials are bringing us a step closer to seeing psychedelic substances used in therapy practice for PTSD, anxiety and depression. On this episode of All in the Mind, we take a look at where the research is currently at.

We all have resentments in our lives, big or small. How can we move past the feeling and even repair relationships that get bogged down in resentment? The answer may have something to do with ... gratitude.

What role does dopamine play in cycles of addiction — and how might we use that knowledge to break them?

Career, family, relationships - how do we think about big decisions and in turn how do they shape our lives? And what makes a 'good decision?' On All in the Mind this week, we hear from three people who have faced big life decisions and an expert who researches life's choices and how we can make better ones.

Are your colleagues rude? Do people regularly ignore each other or dismiss opinions in meeting? Ever gotten an all caps email? On All in the Mind this week, we examine the toxic effects of rude behaviour. And are we getting more rude as a society?

What goes on in the multilingual mind? And what does it mean to 'lose' your language? Author and linguist Julie Sedivy with a story of losing – and re-discovering – her native language.

Habits are notoriously hard to change—exercising more often, practising calmness, getting healthy—it all takes time and effort. So perhaps you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a way to get habits into your routine. We talk with Bernard Balleine, Director of the Decision Neuroscience Lab at UNSW; and with B J Fogg, founder of the Behaviour Design Lab at Stanford University about his new book Tiny Habits.

With restrictions easing around the country, we wanted to know how you've survived the past year and a half - what's gotten you through and what you can't wait to do next. On All in the Mind this week, we turn the show over to you, our listeners, and hear your pandemic survival stories.

Have you ever realised you were dreaming ... while in the middle of a dream? Lucid dreams are a common phenomenon, but many people don't realise that these surreal experiences of slumber can be influenced or controlled. On All in the Mind this week, we explore the world of dreams, hear some of the latest research in the area and learn the best ways to induce lucid dreaming.

Are you the kind of person who loves chatting to strangers? Like people in cafes, parks or the train? Or does the thought of small talk make you cringe? On All in the Mind this week, we cover a growing body of research on how talking to strangers can make you feel happier, more connected to your community and less lonely.

Wellbeing' has become a bit of a buzz word recently, but what does it really mean? It's not the same as simply being happy, or experiencing pleasure -  it's something deeper and broader  than that. It has to do with how we connect with others, how we feel about ourselves, and much more. So what do we need in order to achieve wellbeing?

We're working on an episode about how Australians have been coping through the pandemic, and we want your stories. We want to know what’s been getting you through the tough times, and what you’re most looking forward to when this is all behind us. How can you tell us?  You just need to use your smartphone to record yourself telling a story. It can be sad, happy, funny, weird -- like maybe you got a new hobby, or re-discovered an old one, or made an unexpected friend, and that helped get you through. Maybe you’re looking forward to travelling the world, seeing your children again … or just a cold beer at the pub. Whatever it is, put it into a voice recording, and we’ll share it in a special episode of All in the Mind. To record: Find a quiet room and open up the voice memo app on your smartphone. If you don't have one installed, search for a voice memo app in your app store. Hold the phone's microphone (located at the base of the phone) about 15-20cm from your mouth. Press the red 'record' button and share your thoughts. Once you're finished, hit the record button again to stop, then press done and save the recording with a name. If you're unhappy with what you've recorded, just re-do it. When you've got your recording, you should be able to 'send' or 'share' it via email to mind_rn@abc.net.au. Remember to include your name and the area you live so we can credit you on the podcast.

Have you heard of ASMR? Whispery, clicky, crinkly videos are massive on YouTube - racking up millions of views. The idea is that these sounds elicit a certain tingly, calming sensation in some people. So what is ASMR and what does the science tell us about it? Is it real … or pseudoscience? And why do some people get the opposite reaction – irritation rather than these pleasant tingles?

Do you consider yourself a shrewd manipulator? Are you cynical about the nature of human beings? If so, you might rank highly in Machiavellianism - a personality trait that's based on the writing and views of Niccolo Machiavelli, the 16th-century Italian political philosopher. We look at what makes a Machiavellian personality, and how it fits into the so called ‘dark triad’ of traits.

During pregnancy and then in childbirth, new mums experience some dramatic hormonal changes. But while these changes in women are relatively well studied … there’s a growing body of evidence finding that biological changes - shifts in hormones and brain activity - happen in men, too. And these shifts are just one part of the picture. Men can also experience mental health issues when they become a new dad, like postnatal depression. On All in the Mind this week, the psychological and biological changes that happen during the transition to fatherhood.

As the pandemic continues, the long-term effects of COVID-19 are a growing concern. Much is still unknown, but one major study suggests up to a third of people who get COVID-19 will go on to develop a psychiatric or neurological condition. Then there's the anxiety, depression and stigma that come with a diagnosis of the disease. On All in the Mind this week, how COVID can affect the brain.

ECT has a chequered history, but its modern iteration is nothing like the scenes depicted in films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Used to treat severe depression and psychosis, ECT's side effects include some degree of memory loss. We delve into the discussion around benefits vs side effects, and speak to three patients about their varying degrees of success with the treatment.

Would you be able to tell the difference between a bargain bin red and a top drop? Or how about what separates a duck paté … from one made of dog food? Perception is everything when it comes to marketing, and decades of neuroscience and psychology research have given businesses ever greater insights into how we can make decisions and how they can subtly shape our expectations so that yes – even dog food paté can become appealing. But the ramifications of this power may be pushing companies into unethical territory.

You’re no doubt familiar with 'hostile sexism' – blatantly negative or restrictive attitudes towards women. But there's another type of sexism it co-exists with - ‘benevolent sexism’ - which is sometimes harder to detect. Benevolent sexism can be well-meaning and positive – describing women as natural nurturers or brilliant carers. It's linked to notions of chivalry and romance - research suggests some women even find benevolent sexism attractive. But these attitudes can still cause major harm to women in the workplace and the home.

Over the past two decades, our cultural understanding of autism and what it means to be autistic has grown - though we have a long way to go. But there are entire generations of people who grew up when the popular conception of autism was a far cry from how it’s now understood. It meant a whole host of people who grew up feeling like they didn’t fit in, but never quite knowing why. They were autistic, but undiagnosed. And when a diagnosis did come as an adult – it was often revelatory and life-changing. On All in the Mind this week, 'hidden histories’ of late-diagnosed autistic adults.

Chris Hadnagy’s job involves breaking into banks. But he’s not after money, gold or jewels. He’s searching for weaknesses – in systems, in security, and in people.  And he doesn’t use weapons or threats of violence to get past guards and into vaults. He uses a smile - and a few tricks from his toolbox of psychology and social engineering techniques. Chris is the founder and CEO of Social Engineer LLC and lectures about social engineering around the globe. On All in the Mind this week, the psychology of influence and what makes some people more vulnerable to being ‘hacked’ than others.

It’s a condition which affects some patients who end up in intensive care …  and can continue after they’re released from hospital. People often experience paranoia and fear, sometimes believing doctors are trying to kill them or that ghostly figures have visited during the night. Disrupted sleep, bright lights, the endless beeping of alarms — all are thought to play a role in bringing on the condition. On All in the Mind this week, delirium in the ICU – and how our hospital system might be redesigned to reduce it.

Tom Vanderbilt didn’t know how to play chess. That fact had never bothered him – until his four-year-old daughter decided she wanted to have a go. Within a couple of months, they’d recruited a teacher and both Tom and his daughter combo were battling it out over 64 squares. Tom found the experience of being an adult beginner so challenging and interesting he thought he'd give it a proper go - with a range of different skills and hobbies. Over the next year he embarked on learning multiple new skills, from surfing to singing. On All in the Mind this week, we hear what Tom learnt from his journey, the benefits of lifelong learning, and how kids and adults learn differently.

More than a year after the novel coronavirus pushed much of the world into lockdown, a generation of new mothers are still coming to terms with having been pregnant - and giving birth - in a pandemic. And if you consider the uncertainty of the past year, the stress, the isolation - there are lots of reasons to be concerned about the impact that might have had on new mums, as well as their babies. On All in the Mind this week, we delve into new research on the impact of the pandemic on new mothers, and hear from mums about the trials, and occasional triumphs, of life in a lockdown limbo.

From 2008 to 2018, the prescription of antidepressants in young people grew by 66 per cent. There’s data to suggest that last year, among the lockdowns and anxiety of the pandemic, that figure ticked even higher. In last week’s episode we looked at how the mental health of teenagers fared through the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. This week, another big issue among teenagers and young people - antidepressant medications. We hear from young people themselves about their mental health journeys, what it’s like to be on anti-depressants and their hopes for the future. And we cover the findings from a major review into antidepressant use in young people.

Your teenage years can be tumultuous, but did you know that half of all mental conditions in adulthood emerge by the age of 14? And on top of regular stressors like school and relationships, teens today have social media to contend with – and a little something called the global coronavirus pandemic. On All in the Mind this week, we speak to experts – and teens – about how young people fared last year.

There's a condition so bizarre and rare that most doctors haven't even heard of it. It causes people to hear their own blood moving, bones creaking, lungs breathing -  even eyeballs moving. Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome can have a profound impact on a person's life and mental health... so can it be fixed? We go into a hospital operating room to learn about this little-known condition. Warning: this episode contains a description of a surgical operation. This episode first aired on 29 March 2020.

Have you ever tried a self-help book? Did it… well, help? On All in the Mind this week, why self-help sometimes falls short ... and the problem with pop psychology more generally.

On All in the Mind this week, the guru playbook and why we should get smart to their tactics.

Anastasia Woolmer explains the techniques memory athletes use to recall names, facts and figures, and how you can apply them to everyday life.

Are you good at recognising voices?

From the Beatles to the Backstreet Boys, Taylor Swift to BTS – music changes, but screaming fans never seem to fade.

How would you describe your parents? Nobody's perfect, but some parents leave more of a mark than others.

Virtual reality technology is increasingly being used as a form of therapy – treating everything from the depressive symptoms of dementia to the paranoia people develop as part of psychosis.

Having a baby is supposed to be a joyous time, despite the sleep deprivation and constant crying. But for many women, it's an extremely vulnerable period.

Dr Richard Taylor is a forensic psychiatrist — and he’s assessed well over a hundred accused killers in his career.

For two decades of Hannah Byford’s life, she kept a secret. When things at home got too much to bear, she’d retreat to an imagined life, inside her head — an elaborate daydream.

A few years back, Dr Toni Sturdivant was looking for a preschool for her three-year-old daughter. After considering a few schools around their Texas suburb, she thought she’d found the perfect place.

It’s the lightest metal on the periodic table. Its origins lie in the very beginnings of our universe. And it's taken, in the form of a pill, by thousands of Australians every day.

Graham doesn't think I am broken, but I still suspect I might be.

How to collect your tears, the existential angst of the shampoo aisle, and the boy returns.

We have 60,000 thoughts each day. I will try to track every single one of them.

There are no good snack options in psych hospital. And it’s really hard to not look crazy.

Hunting for a psychiatrist is a lot like hunting for 'The One'. Only much more expensive and with a tiny dating pool.

We all have that voice in our head. The one that is brutally honest. It’s a good thing, right? Except when it really isn’t.

On All in the Mind, we look at the problems in Victoria's mental health system and what needs to change going forward.

Our relationship with music begins at birth, if not before, and plays a role in the formation of our identity when we are young. Now a heart-warming movement called Music & Memory is creating personalised music playlists for residents with dementia in nursing homes—who use their mobile device to hear it.

The corpus callosum links one side of our brain to the other. It’s not essential for survival, but in some people it’s missing or malformed, causing quite mild to extreme disabilities. The good news is that research is now revealing that it holds intriguing secrets about brain plasticity. This program was first broadcast in May 2016.

Most people tend to think of autism as a male disorder, and the character in the film Rain Man often comes to mind. But emerging research shows that girls often have different symptoms which cause them to slip through the net. This program was originally broadcast in June 2015,

Warning: some listeners may find aspects of this program confronting. The compelling account of a woman who lived with dissociative identity disorder—and how she eventually became integrated.

If you were given a date from the last five years could you say what day of the week it was? One young woman in Australia can remember every single day of her life since she was born. We hear about her life and the research she’s involved with—as a single participant.

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.

Being a parent can be very rewarding, but if you are managing your own mental health you may not be able to be the parent you’d like to be. It can be sad and confusing for kids too—and they often take on a caring role.

For some people the number six is red and music evokes a range of colours and shapes. Seeing sounds and hearing colours is one type of synesthesia—where the senses are crossed.  Meet an 11-year-old girl who was surprised to find out that not everyone sees colourful auras around people, and who feels that numbers have colours and personalities.

Anxiety is an essential human emotion—it kicks in to protect us from threats—but sometimes those threats are only perceived. When worries start to become overwhelming, approximately 25 per cent of us experience clinical anxiety. But it is highly treatable. A ten-year-old girl and a 30-year-old man share their anxious thoughts and their strategies to manage them.

At the age of 12 Martin Pistorius developed a mysterious neurological illness. He fell into a coma and was unable to move or communicate. It was assumed he had no awareness but a couple of years later he began to wake up—yet no-one knew. He was trapped inside his body for almost 10 years until he found a way to communicate. Using computer-generated voice technology he tells us about how he coped with this terrifying ordeal, and how he found the love of his life.

Scientists and philosophers have been perplexed by our sense of the self for millennia. Now, by investigating neurological conditions which disrupt the self—such as body identity disorder, schizophrenia, and the doppelganger effect—neuroscience is finding new clues.

As part of our program about Resilience, Lynne spoke with former Olympian - and now medical doctor - Jana Pittman. We thought you'd like to hear the full interview.

As Lynne Malcolm gets ready for life outside the ABC, she’s been thinking about how all of us cope with changes and challenges, and how our sense of ourselves is influenced by our surroundings. This has become even more relevant for us as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

What happens in our brain when we make assumptions about people who don’t seem to be like us – when they may look, speak, or behave differently. And can brain science help us to override our potential prejudices? I explore some research on this topic, which specifically looks at how we perceive other people, animals, and things outside ourselves - such as technology.

The rate of suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is double that of non-Indigenous people in Australia, and it’s reached a crisis point – particularly amongst the young.  In this NAIDOC week 2020 we hear from researchers and practitioners, and those with lived experience about the best strategies to stem the tide of indigenous suicide

Folk wisdom suggests that playing ‘hard to get’ can help you attract a potential partner. But many psychologists have been skeptical about whether it does have an effect in dating. Over the past few years several new studies on the effect have aimed to pin down the rare circumstances where it might actually be effective.

Lynne Malcolm's extended interview with Timothy Carey about how he applies his perspective on control to address inequality in Rwandan society.

We all have a natural need for a sense of control in our lives – but the over-controlling kind can get out of hand. People with a psychopathic personality disorder are highly skilled in manipulative techniques – which can wreak havoc if you’re on the receiving end. But every-day controlling behaviour may be getting an unfair bad rap – and may be essential for our wellbeing.

Claims about human psychology and behaviour in top international journals are largely based on the WEIRDest people in the world. People from Western Educated Industrialised Rich Democratic - or WEIRD - societies are widely used as research subjects, but the assumption that they represent a universal human population may be vastly wrong, and skew psychological research. More cultural psychology could be the answer.

The mind contains everything we think and feel – our experiences are created by the brain, mostly without our awareness. This makes it pretty much impossible to fully know the mind of others. Research shows that, to ensure our survival, the brain constantly attempts to predict what will happen next.

When you're near coriander or parmesan cheese, do you smell fresh sweetness or vomit and soap?

Can you rewire your brain to recover from depression?

What small changes can we make in our daily lives to improve our mental health?

When two strangers meet, how do they figure out whether to trust one another?

Tara Lal was engulfed by grief after the loss of her mother and brother, but found in her brother's diaries her reason to keep going.

Even big diseases start small... PATIENT ZERO is a new podcast that tells the stories of disease outbreaks: where they begin, why they happen and how we found ourselves in the middle of a really big one. Over four episodes the team follow the aftermath of a natural disaster, reset the timeline of one of Australia's most devastating epidemics, get to the bottom of a shocking medical mystery, and do their best to keep pace with the new normal. PATIENT ZERO is a co-production of ABC Science and Radio National. To check it out, search for "RN Presents Patient Zero" on the ABC Listen app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you’re having particularly vivid dreams during this CoVID pandemic then you’re not alone. But your dreams may collectively say something about broader society. Across the globe from Italy to Australia, social dreamers have been meeting in Zoom matrices, to share dreams and gain insights. It’s like a megaphone from the unconscious..

Many of us have had more vivid dreams and nightmares during this global pandemic. A multinational study is set to find out how COVID-19 is affecting our dreams, and whether changes to our inner consciousness could affect our mental health. Along the way researchers will investigate the mysteries of why we dream, why they are often so bizarre, and whether there’s really a difference between dreams during sleep and mind wandering.

Shame is a painful feeling of humiliation caused by bad or foolish behaviour and can affect our mental health. This is seen particularly in the rise of anxiety and of self-harm. But public shame - especially in our digital age - can be a strong tool to regulate our social behaviour.

An extra to our recent episode about spinal cord injury research where we heard from surfer Sam Bloom. Sam's beautiful and lively personality made us want to share the whole interview.

Around 350 Australians are affected by spinal cord injury each year. Sam leant against a balcony railing and fell six meters; James had a rare injury while learning to surf. Both were left paraplegic. But cutting-edge research may bring back sensation, and even assist people like them walk again.  A baby magpie and a commitment to investigation help to bring hope.

As mentioned in yesterday's program, here’s a taste of one of the Culture Dose sessions called 'Joy in everyday life'. Head to our program webapge for a brief meditative exercise with Katherine Boydell from the Black Dog Institute, then Access Programs Producer at the Art Gallery of NSW, Danielle Gullotta, guides the viewer through the painting.

In this time of social isolation, many of us have turned to getting creative...baking bread, picking up a paintbrush, or checking out online theatre performances and virtual gallery tours. Now there’s research on whether prescribing art could help with mental health conditions, such as depression. Take a dose of culture for your wellbeing.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome is sometimes called the ‘plaything of the brain’ for the blind and visually impaired. The syndrome isn’t associated with mental illness or dementia, yet people with it are able to ‘see’ things — like little wriggling children in pink and white pyjamas, or a goat riding on a bike through their lounge room.

We could never have guessed the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic would have on us. We’re all affected in different ways but the need to stay physically distant from one another has highlighted the importance of human connection, empathy, and kindness. We hear about the research showing that strong social networks will keep us living longer than any fitness tracker or superfood. And one man’s determination to promote kindness throughout the world after a family tragedy.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) has a chequered history, but its modern iteration is nothing like the scenes depicted in films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Used to treat severe depression and psychosis, ECT's side effects include some degree of memory loss. We delve into the discussion around benefits vs side effects, and speak to three patients about their varying degrees of success with the treatment.

It’s hard to know how to look after your mental health at a time like this. But what happens if that’s something you were already struggling with, before the pandemic hit?

In Zimbabwe mental health has become a very big challenge, yet there are fewer than 20 psychiatrists in a population of over 14 million people. To help create accessible and effective care, psychiatrist Dr Dixon Chibanda began a talk-based cognitive behavioural therapy called Friendship Benches: training grandmothers to become health workers for their communities. Presenter Kim Chakanetsa hears the grandmothers are having astounding results, and recent clinical trials found they are more effective than conventional medical treatments. Dixon Chibanda is also moving his idea online and giving the world access to a virtual Friendship Bench. A BBC World Service program produced for The Documentary Part of the ABC's Your Mental Health initiative, in partnership with Lifeline and Kids Helpline, to support Australians during this challenging time.

If recently you’ve been poring over old photos and reminiscing, then you’re not alone. Take heart in learning that nostalgic reminiscing may be an effective strategy to cope with isolation, and perhaps to combat anxiety. But it’s a paradoxical emotion because it can be both sad and uplifting.

Do you consider yourself a shrewd manipulator? Are you cynical about the nature of human beings? If so, you might rank highly in Machiavellianism - a personality trait that's based on the writing and views of Niccolo Machiavelli, the 16th-century Italian political philosopher. We look at what makes a Machiavellian personality, and how it fits into the so called ‘dark triad’ of traits.