Sections
Magazine
Latest Issue

Why a referendum on the death penalty might not be as far away as you think, what happens when politicians and judges pass the buck on law-making, why Britain struggles to escape the shadow of hands-off economics and the tricky moral terrain of growing babies outside of the womb. Plus Jacqueline Rose on the violence we ignore a review of Rachel Cusk’s new book

Read Now Or Checkout the archive
Previous
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
Events
Next Event

Watch: Managing global supply chains in a post-Covid world—current challenge or future opportunity?

Previous
What next for pensions? Why the 2020s are the crunch decade—discussion 2
Watch: How do we stop a generation from sleepwalking into retirement?
Watch: Homes for all—what new social and affordable housing can do for Britain
To the archive
Podcast
Latest Episode

The Prospect Interview #183: Why Britain is condemned to be liberal

Previous
The Prospect Interview #182: The rise of the British shock jock
The Prospect Interview #181: The life and mind of Edward Said
The Prospect Interview #180: Classical music after Covid
To the archive
Other

Living with a mental health problem is complicated—so why is diagnosis all about box-checking?

With new research highlighting the gap between how mental illnesses are diagnosed and what it's actually like to live with one, it's time we talked less about the theory of mental illness—and more about the complicated reality

By Emily Reynolds  
July 9, 2019

Centring patient experience has the potential to transform mental health care. Photo: PA

Navigating the mental healthcare system can be a curious experience. On one hand, to be ill is a profound thing, bodily and existentially: it fundamentally changes how you move through the world. To characterise mental illness as a purely internal struggle is wrong. It’s far more tangible than that.

In the consulting room, things look very different. A gap appears between you-as-patient and you-as-person—and in this transformation, something is lost. The often messy scramble of mental illness…

Register today to continue reading

You’ve hit your limit of three articles in the last 30 days. To get seven more, simply enter your email address below.

You’ll also receive our free e-book Prospect’s Top Thinkers 2020 and our newsletter with the best new writing on politics, economics, literature and the arts.

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with newsletters, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click here to learn more about these purposes and how we use your data. You will be able to opt-out of further contact on the next page and in all our communications.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to letters@prospect-magazine.co.uk

Emily Reynolds

Emily Reynolds is a writer based in London. Her first book, A Beginner's Guide to Losing Your Mind, is out now with Hodder & Stoughton

More stories by Emily Reynolds

More From Prospect