6 podcasts for mental health
Podcasts have been around for almost two decades but the last few years have seen a continued increase in both series and listeners. The events of the last year has seen surge of new podcasts being launched as well as new people tuning in. According to The Drum, throughout 2020, 18% of us listened to podcasts each week – double the number who listened two years previous.
Here are 6 podcast recommendations that discuss a range of mental health topics including medication, anxiety, eating disorders, psychosis, suicide, isolation, therapy and more.
*Some of these topics may be of an upsetting or sensitive nature and caution is advised. Please read the description before listening.
Medication: Exploring antidepressants
Having taken antidepressants for severe depression, author and mental health campaigner Rachel Kelly explores them with psychiatrist and Daily Mail columnist Dr Max Pemberton and CEO of SANE Mental Health Charity Marjorie Wallace CBE. Discussing: how they work, do they work?, the advantages, disadvantages, side effects and withdrawal symptoms.
Listen at bit.ly/SingingInTheRainPodcast
Happy Place with James Arthur
Practicing being present has been huge in helping SANE Ambassador James Arthur manage his anxiety and panic attacks. He’s sold 30 million records worldwide, but with incredible success and adoration comes scrutiny and judgement. In this chat with Fearne Cotton, James shares how he handles outside opinion, and what he’s been learning about how trauma during his formative years still affects him now.
Listen at bit.ly/HappyPlace-JamesArthur
Comedy and living with an eating disorder
Stand-up comedian Dave Chawner discusses his experience of living with an eating disorder and how he manages to work that into his live shows.
Dave was diagnosed with anorexia years ago and continues to manage the condition through a range of methods. He talks about his journey through living with anorexia, his love of talking therapy, and the various he has used to manage his illness.
He also challenges the issue of eating disorders in men, providing an interesting fact on the history of eating disorders and talks about an 18th century poet who, unbeknownst to many, lived with an eating disorder.
Listen at bit.ly/DaveChawnerPodcast
Happy Place with David Harewood
Psychosis is very rarely talked about, even within spaces dedicated to mental health. Actor David Harewood had an episode that saw him sectioned at 23 years old, and wonders that psychosis is still seen as the ‘scary’ mental health issue, a perception he’s now working hard to change.
We often hear about post-traumatic stress, but in this chat with Fearne Cotton, David discusses the concept of post traumatic growth, and what that’s looked like for him. Plus, he explores how this journey of discovery has changed his perception of his father, who also had psychosis.
As David recalls racist abuse, this episode contains offensive and distressing language.
Listen at bit.ly/HappyPlace-DavidHarewood
Male suicide, social isolation and educating young people about mental health
The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ podcast is joined by Dr Alex George to discuss male suicide, social isolation and mental health education. Alex is a doctor, author and mental health ambassador for the UK government.
Since starring on Love Island in 2018, he has campaigned for more attention and funding to go towards young people’s mental health, especially in the wake of the Covid 19 Pandemic. In the UK, men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. And in the Republic of Ireland, they are actually four times more likely, we will also be discussing the mental health of new fathers.
This podcast contains frank discussions about suicide and may not be for everyone.
Listen at bit.ly/RCPsych-DrAlex
Bottoming: The LGBTQ+ mental health podcast
Mental health doesn’t discriminate, it can and does impact anyone and everyone, and often the conversation isn’t pretty. In this episode of the Bottoming podcast, hosts Brendan and Matthew discuss their own mental health journeys and experiences with therapy.
For this discussion, they are joined by a few experts: Will Tambyn, an assistant psychologist for the NHS; Darren, the counselling coordinator for LGBT+ charity MindOut; and Jen Tomkinson, a private therapist. Picking their brains using feedback from listeners and questions from social media, Matthew and Brendan gain more insight into each route into therapy with the aim of showing clear options available to those interested in getting support.
This episode comes with a content warning as there are conversations around suicide and sexual abuse which some listeners may find triggering or upsetting.
Listen at bit.ly/BottomingPodcast
