You can’t just cheer up people who have depression. There’s a key role for antidepressants

The NHS is planning to offer patients art, music and gardening classes rather than antidepressants. Nice idea, but it won’t work, writes psychotherapist Lucy Cavendish

‘Lift the lid, and there’s a well of rage’: why women are mad as hell (and not afraid to show it)

Once upon a time, women showing their anger was frowned upon. But the gender anger gap is widening, and women’s wrath is on the rise, about everything from police brutality to domestic inequality

The joy of mediocrity: we need hobbies, even if we’re bad at them, to free us from perfection

When I focus on getting better at something, it creates room for failure. I want only carefree pleasure from my down time

Everyone is anxious, exhausted, in a flap. How can we help ourselves to get by?

It simply doesn’t help to worry constantly about the world – I do worry that I worry too much

What happens after you tell your story? That’s a story in itself

In these confessional times, we are all encouraged to share our experiences and journeys. But once the story is out it can take on a life of its own

The big idea: your personality is not set in stone

Think you’re stuck being scatty, or an introvert? The latest research suggests otherwise

I’ve always bought too many clothes, but my life was being ruined by hoarding

I’d spent years in a tearful cycle of shame and anxiety about my possessions and didn’t understand why – until I got help

The stress secret: 12 ways to meditate – without actually meditating

Many people struggle with classic forms of meditation, but its benefits are still available. From writing and drawing to pottery or singing, here are everyday ways to find peace

Parents ‘horrified’ by response to petition after suicide of Bristol student

Government declines to act on call for legal duty of care for all students after death of Natasha Abrahart in 2018

Self-care is important – but we shouldn’t mistake it for feminist action

As long as there is a big gap between the women who have the most freedoms, and those with the least, our work as feminists is not over

Mental health should be part of every woman’s birth plan. Here’s why

When the odds are stacked against women, for mental health and the birth experience, postpartum mental health should be integral

Poverty in UK could increase death rates during or after pregnancy, warns WHO

Britain is falling behind European countries for mortality among mothers, and suicide is the leading cause of postpartum death

Postpartum psychosis: new mothers speak out over need for support

Mania and depression can set in very quickly after a baby is born but care across the UK is patchy

‘Rather than dodge the puddles, I prefer to run through them’: what makes me happy now

Running through the cold and puddles along the banks of the Birrarung, the Ghost River writer finds contentment

I am ruining my own joy by overthinking awkward and inappropriate things

Any wee in this pool today?