Curiosity of the Mind

More than a quarter of young people in the UK now suffer a mental disorder, while one in four adults are prescribed psychiatric medication.

But Gavin Francis, a doctor and award-winning writer, says the huge expansion in mental health labelling reveals nothing of the experience of those seeking help.

In The Unfragile Mind: Making Sense of Mental Health he argues that the mind is dynamic and adaptive, and better addressed with curiosity, kindness and hope, rather than with rigid labels and protocols.

He draws on 30 years of practice to explore the chequered history of psychiatry and the nature of mental health and ill health. These are the problems, that include mood disorders, trauma, anxiety and addiction, that he addresses daily.