Latest from Mental Health

Don't care enough? Take a pill

A stress-blocking drug can be used as a "compassion pill" that increases empathy, the ability to feel another's pain.

How hibernation could help treat Alzheimer's

A mechanism that protects the brain when animals hibernate could help scientists develop new treatments for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Milestones: What age is 'right'?

Being a parent presents some problems. Irrespective of what you want, your children are going to take actions or be exposed to things that you may not relish.

Lonnae O'Neal: Finding yourself after a 20-year marriage ends

I'm Lonnae O'Neal now, but I was Lonnae O'Neal Parker for more than two decades. The pain is for a body of work I produced as my three-named self.

Farmers feel the pressure

At least four farmers have taken their lives since Fonterra cut its milk payout forecast for the coming season.

Bryony Gordon: 'I want a dry life - not just January'

Bryony Gordon has always had a troubled relationship with alcohol - but can a hypnotherapist change the bad habits of a lifetime?

Benefit of kids' music lessons revealed

Parents who have patiently sat through countless music recitals and questioned their sanity at encouraging all those trumpet or violin lessons need do so no longer.

Snooze button? It's a bad idea

While it might feel like those extra minutes leave you more rested, morning snoozes can leave you feeling groggier and less alert. And late.

How a smoking doctor finally quit

"I took some contrary pleasure from being a doctor who smoked," writes Max Pemberton. "Looking back, I realise I was in denial."

'Pray for love always'

The family of a man stabbed to death by his childhood friend and fellow online gamer are praying for the killer's loved ones.

My mum's illness made me a better leader

My mother had clinical depression. As a consequence, I experienced difficult and upsetting moments in my childhood - none more so than when she was absent from home, residing in a psychiatric hospital.

Killer was 'slaying a demon'

An Auckland man who stabbed his friend to death thinking he was "slaying a demon" has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

Weekends bad for your health

Gardening, lying in bed, drinks with friends and hitting the gym are among the many weekend hazards to your health.

Study: Men depressed at Xmas

Far from experiencing peace and goodwill at Christmas, nearly half of men admit to feeling sad or depressed over the festive season.

Louise Thompson: How to avoid feeling stuck

Sometimes we feel really stuck in a situation. Stuck in a relationship. Stuck in a job. Stuck financially. Whichever way we look we seem trapped, and that is stress-inducing.

Hospital criticised after bodies of mother and baby found

A depressed mother who vanished with her newborn daughter in the English city of Bristol has been found dead along with her child, as friends accused hospital staff of failing her.

Cancer survivor finds her soul again

Larisa Van Zyl doesn't sweat the small stuff these days. The South African-born Kiwi feels it isn't worth it and, with what she has been through, you can understand that.

Learning to swim as an adult

Ewan McDonald’s father taught kids to swim. Except for one child who was scared of the water.