What philosophy tells us about the happiness index

Clare Carlisle: Thinkers from Bentham to Heidegger saw measuring happiness as more than just a box-ticking exercise

Happiness is … becoming a bit more scientific

Barbara Gunnell: Politicians often think they instinctively know what makes us happy. David Cameron is right to turn to statistics

Happiness index to gauge Britain’s national mood

Despite 'nervousness', David Cameron wants measure of wellbeing to steer government policy

Volunteers step in to help relieve squaddie stress

Charities Combat Stress and TimeBank have this week launched a new project to support ex-service personnel battling mental health issues. Helen Walker explains the background

Living in the moment really does make people happier

Psychologists have found that people are distracted from the task at hand nearly half the time, and this daydreaming consistently makes them less happy

My week: Jenny Blackshaw, mental health matron

Illnesses can be anything from schizophrenia and psychotic depression to bipolar disorder and severe anxiety

Surviving the midlife crisis: a 10-point guide

Feeling anxious and washed-up before you've even hit 40, let alone 50? Then follow our 10-point guide to keeping sane

If low serotonin levels aren’t responsible for depression, what is?

Blog festival: By studying the other effects that antidepressants have in the brain, we may arrive at more effective ways to treat depression, writes Scicurious

Dementia: the human cost of each diagnosis

As the World Alzheimer's Report 2010 is published, Andrea Gillies – author of Keeper – describes the emotional toll of living with a relative who has the condition

Global dementia costs hit £388bn

Report says care and medical costs total more than 1% of GDP and warns of the '21st century's most significant health crisis'

Suicides on the rail network rose last year, say Samaritans

Number of deaths and attempted deaths on the railways rose from 236 in 2009 to 2010, compared to 215 in the previous 12 months, say Network Rail

Breaking the taboo over the mental health crisis among Britain’s gay men

Gay magazine Attitude this week explores a taboo subject – that many homosexuals suffer self-loathing, isolation and depression

Depression – the illness that’s still taboo

On paper, things looked good for Mark Rice-Oxley: wife, children, fulfilling job. But then, at his 40th birthday party, his whole world crumbled as he succumbed to depression

Being mad is one thing, going mad quite another

Darian Leader: Many are worried that the latest edition of the psychiatrist's 'bible' labels everyone as ill – but this has an upside