The loneliness trap: it is said to be as bad as smoking. So will it shorten my lifespan?

Lonely people are more likely to get heart disease, strokes, anxiety, depression, dementia … Add it all up, and they’re 26% more likely to die early. How do you avoid joining the unhappy millions?

I’m an expert on adolescence: here’s why a smartphone ban isn’t the answer, and what we should do instead

Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book blames social media for a decline in teenage mental health. But is he right?

‘I felt entirely alone’: comedian Grace Campbell on the aftermath of her abortion

When Grace Campbell had an abortion, she felt relief at being able to exercise a right so many women had fought for. But nothing prepared her for the depression that came after. Here, the comedian reflects on the physical and emotional toll

Has it made me creative, or held me back? Shaparak Khorsandi on being diagnosed with ADHD in her 40s

People may be told their condition is a gift. But that’s little comfort when looking back at a trail of destruction

I’m autistic – and I couldn’t be happier than when I’m lost in a huge crowd

Whereas in a small group I freeze, surrounded by a mass of people at Glastonbury or the football, I lose all my inhibitions and feel that I fit into the human race

In a household with autism and ADHD, socks are meaningful

Too scratchy, too loose or simply gone awol, every neurodiverse family needs a sock strategiser

I’d do anything to make my autistic daughter happy – but I feel like a walking mum-fail

There is an intense emotional strain involved with parenting a neurodivergent child with mental health issues. But we will do whatever it takes to understand her brain

‘The darkest period of my life’: I struggled to breastfeed – then a drug sent me spiralling

The anti-sickness medicine domperidone is increasingly being prescribed or bought illegally to aid lactation. Yet, as I discovered too late, side-effects can include anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts

The life sabbatical: is doing absolutely nothing the secret of happiness?

Few of us have the money to take a long pause from work or caring responsibilities. But, as I found, even a day can make a difference

I craved quiet. Then my sons moved out, dog died and hens were killed – and noise now feels necessary

For thirty years I longed to turn down the volume on my life. But since I have, I can see the problem with insulating yourself from the world, says Emma Beddington

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health