Depression

The greatest British pop singer who never made a hit single

31 August 2024 9:00 am

The musician known as Lawrence has spent four decades chasing fame, and the quest itself has made him a superstar – albeit at street level

Mother of mysteries: Rosarita, by Anita Desai, reviewed

27 July 2024 9:00 am

On a break in Mexico, a young Indian woman is regaled with stories of her mother’s past by a total stranger. But is it all a con?

Seamus Heaney’s letters confirm that he really was as nice as he seemed

14 October 2023 9:00 am

Seamus Heaney’s letters are full of energy and joie de vivre, but a darker note persists as the pressure of celebrity grows, says Roy Foster

Blow your mind

30 September 2023 9:00 am

The UK seems on the brink of a ‘psychedelic renaissance’ – but, stripped of shamanic ritual and sanitised for medicinal purposes, will psilocybin retain its power?

The view from the lab

30 September 2023 9:00 am

The neuroscientist Camilla Nord places considerable emphasis on scanning technology, but has disappointingly little to suggest in the way of effective new treatments

Another tragic case involving medical incompetence and cover-up

26 August 2023 9:00 am

John Niven had to fight hard to discover why his suicidal brother was left alone and unmonitored in an Ayrshire hospital, with fatal consequences

Too close to home

24 June 2023 9:00 am

Life in a comfortable modern flat with her husband and two young sons leaves Natsumi so depressed she thinks she’s losing her mind

The company of hens could be the best cure for depression

3 June 2023 9:00 am

Their jostling energy and distinct personalities bring joy not only to their owners but increasingly to children in therapy and lonely pensioners in care homes

The midlife crisis spread: why are the affluent so depressed?

19 September 2022 3:00 pm

‘You are here’, as those signs in windswept carparks unhelpfully point out. Yup. No mistaking it, you will tend to…

How we fell for antidepressants

21 August 2022 4:00 pm

The French novelist, Michel Houellebecq, with his accustomed acuity about modern culture, titled his last novel but one Serotonin. By…

A gay journey of self-discovery

6 August 2022 9:00 am

Seán Hewitt, born in 1990, realised that he was gay at a very early age. ‘A kind, large woman’ who…

Jonathan Bate weaves a memoir around madness in English literature

23 April 2022 9:00 am

There is a trend for books in which academics write personally about their engagement with literature. Examples include Lara Feigel’s…

Anxiety is killing parenthood

7 April 2022 10:40 pm

Britain is on a slow descent to oblivion. Scotland is even closer to the abyss, with a birth rate of…

Christina Patterson overcomes family misfortunes

19 February 2022 9:00 am

The journalist and broadcaster Christina Patterson’s memoir begins promisingly. She has a talent for vivid visual description, not least: ‘We…

Why America’s attitude to mental illness is dangerously deluded

18 December 2021 9:00 am

A friend who works in social care speaks to me earnestly about a troubled young colleague: ‘Of course, she’s got…

Why I’ve gone off country sports

10 July 2021 9:00 am

‘Oh, I do so love to see all the lovely pheasants running around the place,’ said the lady walking the…

Why I’ve gone right off the police

20 March 2021 9:00 am

‘Welcome to Victims First. Please leave your name and number and we will return your call. Beeeeeeeeeeeep!’ I had rung…

Why the first self-help book is still worth reading: The Anatomy of Melancholy anatomised

6 March 2021 9:00 am

Footling around on the internet recently, I stumbled on a clip of a young woman singing Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ to…

A burnt-out case: the many lives of Dr Anthony Clare

23 January 2021 9:00 am

Those who best remember Dr Anthony Clare (1942-2007) for his broadcasting are firmly reminded by this biography that we didn’t…

My hairdresser cured my depression

13 June 2020 9:00 am

I walked to the salon in fiery sunshine. Gorgeous, zaftig Elody was wearing a short satin dressing gown of silver…

Gardening is the great panacea

30 May 2020 9:00 am

Viewed from a purely private garden perspective, this has been a ver mirabilis. The blossom has been wonderful and long-lasting,…

The latest fad: eating your way to better mental health

24 January 2020 10:00 pm

The latest fad involves eating your way to better mental health

Kathleen Jamie’s luminous new essays brim with sense and sensibility

2 November 2019 9:00 am

There is a moment in one of the longer pieces in Surfacing, Kathleen Jamie’s luminous new collection of essays, when…

How to beat the autumn blues

7 September 2019 9:00 am

You know that awful, gnawing, depressing feeling you’ve got right now? The one that notices how shockingly early the sun…

Shot of a focused young man cleaning the surface of a table with cleaning equipment at home during the day

Taking pride in household chores really can ease depression

31 August 2019 9:00 am

There are many books about what it’s like to live with mental illness and the aftermath of child sexual abuse.…