Everyone says you should ask for help. But what happens once you do?

man sitting in waiting room with head in hands

Eamonn Marra has been trying to get help for his mental health problems for two years. It shouldn’t take hitting absolute rock bottom for him to receive it. Content warning: This story contains discussion of mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.  Every time mental health is back in the news it comes with the same … Read more

Not much of a life: Two years since I was wrongly sectioned

The four days Paula Harris spent in the psych ward against her will, with only the overwhelming negativity of her own depressed brain for company, ‘breached the legislation’. It also scarred her forever.  It was a Friday when I went into the psych ward. Friday the 13th. Yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was the second anniversary … Read more

The curious case of bogus Nelson psychiatrist Linda Astor

An ex-colleague of Linda Astor, who tricked her way to becoming the head of clinical psychiatry at Nelson-Marlborough Health, has spoken out for the first time about working with the fake psychiatrist. Tracy Neal of RNZ reports. The Medical Council says the chances of a pretend doctor working in New Zealand are not impossible, as … Read more

How medical MDMA could become part of mainstream psychotherapy

Within five years, science will likely have answered a controversial question: can the drug commonly called ecstasy treat psychiatric disorders? Gillinder Bedi from the University of Melbourne writes After some studies showing a positive effect, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is entering final clinical trials as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If these trials show positive … Read more