Are we really overdiagnosing mental illness?

It’s tempting to dismiss the proliferation of labels as a fad, but there’s more to this phenomenon than a simple culture-war reading allows

‘She would pop up in my sexual fantasies’: what happens when you fancy your therapist?

They’re often compassionate good listeners who focus on their clients’ needs – so is it any wonder many patients find themselves with a crush? A writer, who is in exactly this position, talks to people on both sides of the couch

‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18

The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is ‘failing a generation of children’. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homework

Readers reply: can you acquire courage?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions ponders how to overcome fear and do what is needed

Facing meltdown? Over 75% of people suffer from burnout – here’s what you need to know

Does it only affect weak people? Is work always the cause? Burnout myths, busted by the experts

‘You think: Do I really need anyone?’ – the hidden burden of being a hyper-independent person

Self-reliance is often encouraged over asking others for help in the modern world. But doing everything yourself can be a sign that you are scared of intimacy

Exercise can be ‘frontline treatment’ for mild depression, researchers say

Biggest improvements seen in young adults and new mothers, with group activities of most benefit

My patient’s near-death experience in hospital left me with worry and guilt. This is how vicarious trauma starts

Afterwards, my team and I kept going without ever discussing the event. But something felt heavy. And because I couldn’t name it, I didn’t know how to deal with it

Schools that cultivate the mind but neglect spiritual education leave children unanchored in a challenging world

Young people are hungering for meaning. A lack of spiritual education in childhood can reverberate across a lifetime

Is Australia getting ruder? How to be kinder to others in everyday life – and break the contagion of rage

Slow down, take a deep breath, maybe even let the other car take the park. In the face of rudeness, sometimes the most radical thing to do is remain passively polite.

Can you acquire courage?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Office buzz: UK employers turn to beehives to boost workplace wellbeing

Providers report rise in demand as companies seek mental health benefits and increased sense of community

‘Adjustments must be made’: how to live well after mid-life

We are living longer and longer, but many of us are unprepared for the challenges age brings, says the novelist and psychotherapist Frank Tallis

‘Australia’s beach culture is very fatphobic’: the summertime rise in body dissatisfaction

The idea that thinner or more muscular bodies are healthier remains deeply engrained in Australia, experts say. But there are ways to feel good in your body at the beach

Young, lost and unemployed, I misread all the signs without realising the value in mistakes

I wasn’t able to reach the exact future I had dreamed of as a child, but I know now the hardships and failures on the way all counted