How can you know if a distressing state of mind you’re experiencing is a sign of a mental health condition or is something within the parameters of so-called ‘normal’, non-pathological human experience? This is an extremely thorny question – and for any individuals asking themselves it, in such times of distress, no solid, unwavering answers…
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Advertising is one of those industries that is strongly associated with unethical or dodgy practices, preying on people’s emotions and insecurities to get them to spend money on things they don’t need, on things that are irrelevant to genuine happiness. Researchers from the University of Warwick have also drawn a link between advertising spending in…
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Having imaginary arguments with people in our heads is something we all do from time to time, although maybe you do it fairly often, which can make you ask yourself: is arguing this much in my head normal? Why am I doing it? Imaginary arguments, especially when they become intrusive and regular, are an interesting…
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In many discussions around psychedelics, there can be a tendency to focus on how these compounds alleviate various ills, rather than on what they can positively add to people’s lives. This speaks to a more general theme in the psychological field, where there is a preference for trying to resolve the negative and maladaptive aspects…
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The Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl argued that many people in the general public are experiencing what he called an ‘existential vacuum’: the belief that life is without meaning. He furthermore believed that this sense of a lack of meaning was the root of many of society’s ills, including the problem of drug addiction. Many kinds…
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