Conversations with women
Pooja Kawa finds the play Escaped Alone at the Royal Court revolutionary even in its basic premise
mental health
The first EdFringe 2015 theatre digest
From the experiences of young black women to depression in men via the armed forces and gendered toys, this is the first round-up of theatre reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015 from Megan Stodel
My sexuality is not a psychiatric symptom – it’s just who I am
Charlotte Dingle blogs for the F-word on the experience of being bisexual and having Borderline Personality Disorder, and how this affected her treatment by mental health professionals.
ESA and gender differences in suicide rates
New guidelines for Employment and Support Allowance make it harder for women with severe mental illness to be relieved of work-related activity, a decision justified by the gender difference in suicide rates. D H Kelly explains how statistics cannot keep individuals safe
Coping with Christmas: a survival guide for when festivities are tough
Christmas is supposed to be joyful, but for many people it is a time full of triggers, loneliness and bad memories. Philippa offers advice and further information for those dreading the seasonal festivities.
A new page in the violation of mentally ill and pregnant people
A woman was sedated and underwent a caesarean against her will, as ordered by social services. Quinn discusses the issues surrounding pregnancy and mental illness.
Reasons to date a girl with an eating disorder? There’s something fundamental that you’re not getting
In this guest post, Amy Williams responds to a tasteless blog post entitled "5 reasons to date a girl with an eating disorder"
Transgender Day of Remembrance 2013
Today marks the fifteenth Transgender Day of Remembrance: at least 238 trans people have been murdered worldwide since this time last year
Weekly round-up and open thread
This week's round-up of interesting and thought-provoking news and views
A battle I cannot win
Tara·
Tara writes about the impact of fat shaming and discusses the intersection between feminism, fatness, diabetes and eating disorders
This minimally sane lunatic fights back
Philippa writes about how hurtful and insulting disablist language is, especially when used by feminists, in reaction to an article by Laurie Penny
Sabrina Chap tour preview
Sabrina Chap is in the UK throughout November, touring her new album We Are The Parade! at a series of gigs and burlesque shows, along with the second edition of her edited book, Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction at a series of book readings and multi-media lectures. Melanie Maddison interviews Sabrina and gives an overview of the tour
Women can’t win: Mental health in crisis
Philippa talks about the appalling state of mental health provision for women in crisis, after reading a psychiatrist's recommendation that women of childbearing age go untreated.
Eating disorders and the media
Rachel Lauren Cowey argues that the real relationship between the media and eating disorders does not reflect the usual narrative of simple cause and effect
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Published 26 years later, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal reveals the painful truth behind the fabrications Jeanette Winterson used as protection in her highly acclaimed first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Laura Brightwell considers the importance of Winterson's revelations, particularly as a building-block to mental health
Bipolar disorder and suicide: a film
Yasmin Melany's very personal short film maps her own suicide attempt onto a wider landscape of the everyday struggles women living with bipolar disorder often face. Indebted to phototherapy for most of her life, she explains her project frame by frame
