All in the Mind

Are we too quick to label ‘normal’ distress?

September 15, 2026·28 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Most of us have experienced difficult feelings like grief or stress or sadness – but are we too quick to label these feelings as a mental health problem? Clinical psychologist and author of You Are Not a Diagnosis Tanya Byron thinks we are – and we should also stop saying things like, “I’m traumatised”, “totally triggered” or “I’m so OCD”. So why does the language we use matter - and why does Tanya feel she's seeing a rise in self-diagnosis? Catherine Loveday, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Westminster, also joins us in the studio to give her take on the debate.Plus, we tackle a listener's question about why some sounds can make us feel spine-tinglingly good and why are we ticklish? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt Content editor: Ilan Goodman Production coordinator: Jana Holesworth Studio engineer: Steve GreenwoodDetails of help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

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