All In The Mind

Your memory is your personal archive. But it can trick you too - sometimes with serious consequences. Are children more susceptible to false memories, or adults? Striking new research has important implications for how we handle children in courts and therapy, and for our understanding of this fallible human talent. Join Natasha Mitchell for the latest from the International Conference on Memory.

As the world wages war over geographical, religious and historical turf - a growing number of big note scientists want religious faith put under the microscope. Uber-philosopher of mind and popular provocateur, Daniel Dennett, author of Darwin's Dangerous Idea, is one of them. He joins Natasha Mitchell to discuss his latest controversial offering, Breaking the Spell. Be provoked...

Around 10 per cent of the population hear voices that aren't there. Some people can live harmoniously with them, but for those whose voices are associated with a psychiatric illness, they can be frightening and menacingly real. We discuss the latest research on how auditory hallucinations occur in the brain, what it's like to live with voices in your head—and the healing power of the international Hearing Voices Network.

Repeated unwanted advances, being followed, distressing packages and letters in the mail, relentless phone calls and emails can all be part of the often-terrifying experience of being stalked. It's a social problem that's increasing and it doesn't just happen to celebrities. From the latest research in forensic psychiatry, we hear what motivates those who stalk, and one woman gives an open account of what impact being the victim of a stalker has had on her life.

We now know that we all differ in the way we think. We have different areas of natural strength and weakness which can deeply affect our learning experience. We look at some alternative approaches to helping children achieve their potential and we hear from the mother of a boy with Tourette's syndrome whose school experience has been transformed. Also a psychologist speaks about the importance of teaching children to manage their emotions in school.

Australians seem to be working harder than ever, highlighting an increased need to manage stress and establish a better balance between work and family life. This week we hear about some learnable techniques that might help people be more self-aware at work, allowing them to use their emotions as a positive force.

We explore how very early childhood experiences can deeply affect the way the brain develops.

For many Aboriginal people the loss of their country has caused significant health and social problems, including substance abuse, and has led them to 'living in the long grass' on the outskirts of urban townships.

Mental health in many Aboriginal communities takes a back seat because often the most basic human needs are not adequately provided for. However, depression, psychosis and suicide are widespread, against a backdrop of chronic alcohol and substance abuse. But there are some amazingly committed individuals working hard to improve the situation with an innovative approach. Lynne Malcolm visits Tiwi and meets a man whose story of mental illness is being used to educate his community.

In the late 1950s the first of the psychiatric wonder drugs hit the United States with a vengeance - and in the 70s Valium was widely prescribed to women as 'mother's little helper'. It was seen as the biological revolution that overthrew Freudian psychotherapy, as the dominant treatment for psychiatric problems. But in today's Prozac era, what's changed? Lynne Malcolm speaks with psychiatrist and cultural historian Jonathan Metzl, who looks at modern psychiatry through a gender and cultural lens.