In 2002, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed that nutritional supplementation could reduce violence in prison by 37%. This study has since been replicated in prison populations in the UK, The Netherlands and Singapore. So why, when violence in UK prisons, including assaults on staff, is at an all time high are we not using this cheap, low-risk, accessible intervention? In this episode I speak to scientists behind this inexplicably ignored research.   See...

This episode examines the evidence that shows a beneficial effect of nutrition on childhood behavioural disorders, and the surprising and worrying link between hunger and school exclusions. Contributors Dr. Alex Richardson - Founder Director of Food and Behaviour Research, Research Associate, Dept of  Physiology, Anatomy Genetics, University of Oxford Carmel McConnell MBE - Activist and Founder of Magic Breakfast Sarah Dove - Strategic Director Phoenix Education Consultancy. President...

In 2019 acts of self-harm and violence in prisons across England and Wales hit an all time high. There were nearly 60,000 acts of self harm, over 34,000 assaults, and more than 10,000 assaults on staff. There is something going very, very wrong in the prison system. But what if I told that there is already a scientifically proven way of reducing violence in prison by 30%? At current rates that could mean 20,000 fewer acts of self harm, 11,000 fewer assaults, 3000 fewer assaults on staff and...

How to Build a Healthy Brain - I realised that while those of you who follow on Instagram will know where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to I hadn’t officially announced it on the podcast. So, in case you didn’t know I have spent the last year writing a book all about taking care of your brain and I thought I would give you a quick audio overview of it. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

In this session of the Thinking Space Book Club the featured book is Lost Connections by Johann Hari and in the discussion I give an overview of the biopsychosocial model of depression, The Serotonin Hypothesis, the difference between the colloquial ego and the analytical ego, how trauma can become lodged in the body and outline my manifesto for improving GP assessments. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week’s clinic question comes in the form of a podcast because I had a lot to say. In my reply I discuss the difference between acceptance and tolerance, the necessary additional features of true acceptance and round off with some thinking exercises for you to try. I hope this is helpful for some of you. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

This episode is the long-awaited Q&A with specialist performance and eating disorder dietitian Renee McGregor. Renee is the UK’s leading expert in Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and is on the European Taskforce for Orthorexia. She has managed the nutrition for athletes at the the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and she is currently working with the Scottish Ballet. In this episode she answers a wide range of questions submitted by you. Everything...

Food and Mood - The October book was Brain Changer by Prof. Felice. Jacka. Felice was kind enough to give some of her time at the end of a very successful ISNPR conference and joins me for a live Q&A where she answered some audience questions.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode is in response to some recent news headlines describing some of the nutrients important for brain health that people could potentially be missing on a diet low in animal foods. I had quite a few questions come in about this and thought it would be good to do a Q&A episode to try to address some of your concerns. I was very grateful to be joined for this episode by Sophie Medlin. Sophie is a consultant dietitian with expertise in colorectal health, and former lecturer in...

90 Seconds to a Life you Love by Joan I. Rosenberg “Sadness, shame, helplessness, anger, embarrassment, disappointment, frustration, and vulnerability. In 30 years as a practicing psychologist, Dr. Joan Rosenberg has found that what most often blocks people from success and feeling capable in life is the inability to experience, move through, and handle these 8 unpleasant feelings. Knowing how to deal with intense, overwhelming, or uncomfortable feelings is essential to building confidence,...

This episode is a little different as it is the audio recording of the latest book club session. For those who don’t know I have an online book club called Thinking Space where we look at the psychological themes of a range of books. This month’s book was Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller. The synopsis says: Attached guides readers in determining what attachment style they and their mate (or potential mate) follow, offering a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling...

Anger is one of the most misunderstood and disparaged emotions. It is seen as a sign of immaturity or a lack of control, with people often confusing the emotional experience of anger with the physical act of violence. However, they are not the same thing. More than that, anger can be a driving force for tremendous good. In this episode I explain the psychological function of anger, how to recognise it, how to tolerate it and how to make the most of it. For information regarding your data...

This is the second follow-up to the Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder episode. In this episode I talk to mental health blogger Bryan. Bryan started tweeting and vlogging about BPD after he noticed that it was rare to see men talking about the diagnosis. In this conversation he sheds light on some aspects of the invalidating environment characteristic of the later development of BPD and describes how his symptoms can impact his relationships. 

This is a follow-up to the Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder episode. In this episode I talk to Rosie from Talking About BPD Rosie is a blogger, writer and artist. Her blog, Talking About BPD, shares the details of her life with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Rosie hopes that through sharing her thoughts, feelings & ideas, she can help change perceptions of this much stigmatised and often misunderstood mental health condition. She has an MSc in Medical...

In this episode I want to talk about a mental health disorder that I think is poorly understood and can leave sufferers mischaracterised as deliberately manipulative or attention seeking. This misrepresentation of the illness drives hostility and stigma and can make people experiencing these symptoms reluctant to come forward and ask for help they are entitled to. I will be talking about Borderline Personality disorder, which in the UK is also known as Emotionally Unstable Personality...

My guest is Professor Felice Jacka. Felice is a Psychiatric Epidemiologist working in the new field of Nutritional Psychiatry, which she helped to establish. Her PhD was the first to examine the impact of overall dietary intake (as opposed to individual foods or supplements) on mental health risk and she lead the SMILES trial, a ground-breaking randomised controlled trial using dietary improvement as a treatment for depression. In the episode Felice gives a behind the scenes look at what it...

This is just a quick to give you the heads up on some changes that you may have noticed around here. 

Heather is a scientist, educator, and author. She earned her PhD in Biology from the University of Michigan, where she earned the university’s top honor for her dissertation. On top of that she has a B.A. in Anthropology, which is the study of human societies and behaviour. She has researched the evolution of social systems across a range of organisms, including humans, and her book, Antipode, is based on her experiences in Madagascar while studying the sex lives of poison frogs. In 2017,...

In this episode I Break Bread with Molly Smith and Juno Mac. Juno and Molly are sex workers and activists who campaign for the safety and labour rights of sex workers. They are the authors of Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers Rights. I was keen to speak to Molly and Juno because I think, maybe now more than ever, there is a need to have thoughtful conversations about difficult or contentious issues, that aren’t just about soundbites and picking sides. We need to be able to...

This topic is one that 95% of you said that you struggled with so hopefully you’ll get something useful out of it. I'm talking about self-sabotage, what it is and a few of the reasons that it comes about including anxiety and low self-esteem, fear of disappointment and loss, and passive aggression.

In this episode I am Breaking Bread with MiMi Aye. MiMi is British-born to Burmese parents, and has spent her whole life soaking up Burmese food, language, and culture through endless trips to see family and friends in Burma aka Myanmar. She is a passionate advocate for Burmese cuisine, the founder of supper club and online community, Burmese Food and Beyond, and author of NOODLE! 100 Great Recipes. Her next book, MANDALAY: Burmese Food & Beyond is out in June 2019 and contains nearly...

This episode follows the podcast on Self, False Self and People Pleasing. I received so many comments and questions after that episode went out that I thought it would be helpful to do a separate episode where I could answer your questions and go in to more depth on some aspects of the theory. So thank you to everyone who submitted your questions and if you haven’t listened to the previous episode I recommend listening to that first as I do refer back to it. I hope you find it helpful.

This is a special episode featuring a panel discussion on the state of diversity, racism and cultural representation in the food industry. The catalyst for this discussion was a series of incidents that took place in July 2018. Members of London’s South East Asian and food communities criticised a series of racist videos and social media posts from White British chef, Shaun Beagley. After initial requests for them to be taken down were not actioned the content was brought to the attention of...

For this episode I want to talk to you about something that I think is incredibly common but that you might not be entirely familiar with. I want to talk to you about a psychological concept called the False Self and how it relates to the more well-known phenomenon of People Pleasing. I'll introduce the concept of the self and how it develops, the conditions that lead to the development and reliance on a false self and what the implications are for mental health and wellbeing.