Mental Health

TEEKS on music as a form of healing

“It’s about reestablishment or reclamation of whakaaro Māori because I know our tupuna were emotionally aware and conscious of the power and strength in vulnerability and…

Inside the barbershop giving men a place to open up

“Anyone can walk through those doors. A priest, a businessman, a schoolboy, a gang member, and there is no judgment put on them.”

Meet Fitz, the owner…

Why we can’t afford to forget about dementia

After Covid-19, dementia is one of the most pervasive and costly health concerns we will face. But how many of us are prepared? 

Too many of us…

Talking to Guled Mire about his award-winning mental health series

Last night the Re: series Third Culture Minds, hosted by Guled Mire, won the Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand’s Special Media Journalism…

NZ Police are more likely to kill mentally ill people in armed events

New research finds a link between police shootings and mental health related events

How Josiah Tulamali’i went from abandoning to uplifting Pasifika people | The Outliers

“I’d wish I wasn’t Samoan. I looked at the stats and the stories that people told about us and I couldn’t see anything worth trying to…

Musician Isla Reeves on bipolar and reconnecting with her Māoritanga | The Outliers

"I had this calling to be part of te ao Māori, and recognise my own Māori-ness." Christchurch poet and musician Isla Reeves gets candid about her…

Simran Kaur on being a Sikh in New Zealand | The Outliers

“You don’t belong here. This is not your country. You are a terrorist.” Growing up Simran Kaur, a first generation Sikh New Zealander, watched her family…

These patients have been given a prescription for nature, rather than pills

A number of Kiwis are opting for fresh air and exercise instead of depending on traditional Western medicine.

A green prescription is an instruction from a health…

Joan was tortured for being gay, and she’s not alone

For 12 years, Joan was forcibly subjected to electroconvulsive therapy.

Lontalius and the rise of sad boi music

If there’s any year to be okay with being sad, it probably should be 2020. 



There is something to…

Horses understood this teen with Aspergers when people couldn't

Alex shares the immense isolation of living with Asperger’s.

10 mental health tips for the return to lockdown

As mental health advocate Claudia Ibbotson states at the beginning of this video, existing in times of uncertainty is hard. During our second round of lockdown,…

Cyberbullying is illegal in NZ yet nearly one third of teens experience it

Online bullying is so common that it can be embarrassing to actually talk about it. But so many people’s lives are shaped, and even ruined, by…

Lockdown is over but agoraphobia means I'm still locked inside

Katie Meadows writes about the pain of seeing others go outside while she is still locked in.

Racism and Islamophobia are a mental health issue

We’ve finally started to talk about mental health in New Zealand. But many discussions don’t include the experiences of people of colour. We need to talk…

People with obsessive compulsive disorder say lockdown allowed their condition to thrive.

Sam is a typical 23-year-old who works nine to five in an office job. At 14, he was diagnosed with contamination obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and has…

For former refugees, trauma doesn’t stay in the past

Bilal Nasier fled the Afghan Civil War with his family aged four, travelling for three months to come to Aotearoa. He now dedicates his life to…

Black New Zealanders on how hip hop finally gave them a place to belong

“When I was growing up in primary school, they weren’t used to the African face or the African features. The only people I saw who looked…

A Muslim journalist on the mental health impact of reporting on Islamophobia

"So much of our story, I think, has been told for us.”

Some people with social anxiety are dreading life after lockdown

Lockdown has provided relief to people with social anxiety. The ban on socialising outside of our bubble means some no longer need to force themselves to…

A therapist tells us how to take our good lockdown habits into the future

They say it takes 30 days to make a habit, and during lockdown we’ve all developed new behaviours - some good, some bad. Now we’re free,…

Some Kiwis love being in lockdown

We asked New Zealanders how they are coping with lockdown and if they can bear it being extended.

On Monday April 20 New Zealanders will find out…

New music release: Paige colours her wairua yellow

Imagine the aura or the energy that you’re giving off right now. If that aura had a colour, what would it be?

Auckland singer-songwriter Paige has released…

Here's a list of books to help you escape from this Covid-19 nightmare

We all have a lot of time on our hands now that we’re in lockdown. Some of you might want to read dystopian fiction or watch…

Fact or Fiction: Coronavirus

Dr Angela Lim tells us what's fact and what's fiction when it comes to Covid-19.

The three main symptoms of Covid-19 are:

a fever (at least 38°C)
a cough
shortness…

Work From Home Bingo

Lots of us are working from home now, which means... video conferencing!

Those who've dipped their toes into video conferencing before our present WFH times will know…

5 ways to keep your social life going from a distance

The Ministry of Health’s Director General Dr Ashley Bloomfield said he’s no longer using the term “social distancing” and instead using “physical distancing”. That’s because in…

These 'insecurity guards' look out for your emotional safety

The Insecurity Guards patrol music festivals to look after your emotional safety. See them at work at Splore.

We need to talk about grief

How does grief manifest for these men? Actors from the play Over My Dead Body: LITTLE BLACK BITCH share their experiences with grief.

 

Over My Dead Body:…