Beyond Madness

Journalism, Journalists and Mental Wellness

Journalists are facing threats and hostility in more countries than ever before, according to this year’s World Press Freedom Index, an annual report published by Reporters without Borders. The index analyses legal and physical threats to journalists. This episode focuses on potential consequences - emotional difficulties and compromised well-being. The…

25 Jul 2023 1 hr 03 min

Psychiatry - Quo Vadis?

Psychiatry is unique amongst medical disciplines in embracing a truly holistic approach to patient assessment and care. However, in our desire for acceptance and credibility as a medical discipline, has Psychiatry strayed from what makes it unique? Has Psychiatry overcompensated biologically, in order to be viewed as truly medical? In…

18 Jul 2023 58 min

Youth Self-Harm and Suicidality

Cutting or burning oneself, amongst other behaviours, would be for most anathema. Yet for some it is a source of relief... a release, a way of coping. On this episode, we are joined by Prof Mark Goldblatt and Dr Wendy Duncan.

10 Jul 2023 55 min

PTSD: Crime, Trauma, Justice & Healing

Gender-based violence and sexual assault are traumas potentially associated with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Prof Soraya Seedat and Dr Gerard Labuschagne join us on this episode, as we delve into this pervasive entity in the lives of many South Africans.

4 Jul 2023 58 min

Psychiatry in the Workplace

Employee wellness is a key component of organisational effectiveness. Where ill health and absenteeism or impaired functioning is a consequence of psychiatric illness, the system is faced with challenges that require specific awareness and understanding. For this episode, we are joined by Prof. Stoffel Grobler and Nika Grobler. Jackie Maimin…

27 Jun 2023 58 min

Loneliness

Imagine a condition that makes a person irritable, depressed and self-centred, and is associated with a 26% increase in the risk of premature mortality. Imagine too, that in industrialised countries around a third of people are affected by this condition... and that these proportions are increasing. Such a condition exists…

19 Jun 2023 57 min

Childhood Sexual Abuse

Adverse Childhood Experiences are increasingly understood to play a significant role in the development of a range of not only psychiatric - but also non-psychiatric - conditions. Experiences such as sexual and physical abuse, as well as neglect, occur frequently in childhood. We are joined by Luke Lamprecht and Edith…

12 Jun 2023 1 hr 03 min

Sexual Health and Psychiatry

Is sex central to our existence? Consider what your life might be like without sex. Sex is also political... and political ideology impacts health behaviours. What has sex and sexuality got to do with psychiatry? Joining us to discuss this are Dr Elna Rudolph and Dr Franco Colin.

6 Jun 2023 58 min

Suicide and the Media

The role of the news media in reporting events and reflecting social opinion serves to inform consumers. The question is how to balance reporting - providing facts without undue sensation. To discuss the media within the context of suicide reporting, we’re joined by Dr Frans Korb and Prof. Lizette Rabe.

30 May 2023 1 hour

Ageing

Ageing... there’s no escaping it. It has been said that youth is wasted on the young, but what is 'young' – a number, or a state of mind? Dr Lara Greenstein and Professor Carla Kotze are our guests. Jackie Maimin from the Independent Community Pharmacy Association then joins us to…

23 May 2023 59 min

Poverty and Mental Illness

"Poverty is both a cause of mental health problems, and a consequence” (Knifton & Inglis, 2020). Prof Crick Lund, Dr John Parker and Danny Diliberto join us for this episode.

16 May 2023 1 hour

Trauma and Disorders of Stress

The term ‘trauma’ is very widely used, and the experience of trauma is cited as underlying a host of psychiatric conditions. On this episode, we are joined by Dr Kerry-Ann Louw, along with “Alice” from the @aliceandtheprof Instagram account, who shares her personal experiences.

9 May 2023 55 min

Loss and Grief

The loss of someone close to us is a reality that has either already happened, or will happen to each one of us. Loss is an inevitable consequence of life, but as inevitable as it is, are we ever fully prepared for how it impacts us? Prof Mark Goldblatt and…

2 May 2023 53 min

Bullying

As a parent, one of the more difficult and challenging scenarios would be to discover that your child is being bullied, or is a bully. The stereotypical image of a brute harassing your child remains, but in reality the phenomenon of bullying extends beyond childhood, and certainly beyond the playground…

25 Apr 2023 58 min

Alcoholism and The 12 Steps

The ‘12 steps’ are synonymous with alcoholism... but what are these ‘steps', and do they provide a blueprint for recovery related only to alcoholism? To discuss these and other questions, we are joined by David Webb - a medical doctor and an Associate at Houghton House Addiction and Mental Health…

18 Apr 2023 1 hr 01 min

Self-Help: A Means to What End?

It has been said that South Africa has a mental health crisis, and that the solution starts with “educating ourselves”, specifically about mental health and the various illnesses. That sounds like 'self-help'... but what does it really mean? Prof. Dan Stein and Dr David Webb are our guests for this…

14 Feb 2023 1 hour

Palliative Care, Assistance with Dying

'Assisted dying' involves patients with incurable illnesses, whose condition is not amenable to meaningful relief, such that their lives are - in their opinion - not worth living, and from which they seek an end. One of the arguments against legalising assisted dying in South Africa was that patients had…

7 Feb 2023 56 min

Psychotherapy: When is Enough?

Are we living in an increasingly 'therapised' world, where the solution to every problem is therapy or counselling? Have we become a society where problem-solving within the context of our personal lives requires professional assistance? Provocative questions - with possibly no clear answers. Joining us on this episode to discuss…

31 Jan 2023 57 min

Chromosomes, Feelings & Gender

We are living through times where terms like 'gender incongruence' and 'gender dysphoria' constitute - for some - the beginning of a journey of 'gender-affirming' care, with all that it entails. In this episode, we go on a journey of exploration with Dr Wendy Duncan and Dr Elna Rudolph.

24 Jan 2023 56 min

Religion, Beliefs and Well-being

A recent article in The Spectator magazine posed an intriguing question: “Is losing God making America miserable?”. The percentage of Americans believing in God has dropped from more than 90% in the period between 1944 and 2011, to 81% as of May 2022. The article further noted that depression and…

17 Jan 2023 53 min