A new medication for psychosis is on the horizon. It's called KarXT and it could mean fewer side effects as well as finally some relief from difficulties with attention, concentration and memory - these are the symptoms patients often report as having the greatest impact on their lives but which current antipsychotics do not help with. KarXT has been through both phase 2 and 3 trials and now awaits approval by the FDA. Dr Thomas Kabir, a researcher from the University of Oxford who lives with psychosis and takes antipsychotics, talks to Claudia Hammond about the trial he is about to run with KarXT and the hopes he has for it, both professionally and personally.

And is your memory of 2021 a little shaky? If so, you wouldn't be the only one. Professor Catherine Loveday from the University of Westminster discusses a new study which asked people to date public and cultural events from the last six years and found that events from 2021 are unusually hard to pin down.

Finally, a look at counselling for people in their 70s and 80s. Counsellor Helen Kewell talks to Claudia about her new book reporting from the frontline of counselling people in later life. She tells us about the difference between a counsellor and a befriender, why we should talk more about our own death and how she handled it when one client fell asleep in their session.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Losing a parent is extremely difficult, but for adult children who are estranged, this loss can create a mixture of grief, sadness, guilt or relief. Claudia Hammond talks to broadcaster and author, Professor Alice Roberts, about her experience of losing her mother after being estranged for 5 years. A group of estranged adult children were interviewed to learn more about these feelings and how they’ve dealt with them. Claudia discusses the findings with Professor Karl Pillemer, sociologist at Cornell University and author of ‘Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them’.

Hearing music when nothing is playing is more common than you might think. For people with hearing loss, many ‘hear’ music as if it real. From choral versions of ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ to random notes on an organ, listeners Peter and Elizabeth share what it is like living with a constant juke box in their heads. Claudia chats about this phenomenon with Professor of cognitive neurology at Newcastle University, Tim Griffiths, and learns what might be happening in the brain to cause it.

Peter Olusoga, senior lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, joins Claudia in the studio to discuss how zoom backgrounds influence first impressions, the benefits of micro-breaks and when snoozing your alarm might be good for you...

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Humility is a quality often associated with self-deprecation. But by championing our achievements while also acknowledging our weaknesses, we could see benefits in many areas of our lives – and even increase our attractiveness. Claudia Hammond hears about this research from Daryl Van Tongeren, associate professor at Hope College in the US and author of ‘Humble: The Quiet Power of an Ancient Virtue’, who explores what a humbler world might look like.

Mental health is top of the agenda in many companies, though discussions about wellbeing might not be common practice amongst colleagues. But at Grundon Waste Management in Oxfordshire, these conversations are happening - from the tearoom to the workshops - thanks to a course designed by operational training manager, Tex. Claudia takes a trip to the facility to talk to Tex and his colleague Paul about how creating an open culture around mental health has improved their working environment.

Claudia is joined in the studio by Daryl O’Connor, professor of psychology at the University of Leeds. He shares some of the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology, including how expressing gratitude could help parental wellbeing, why suppressing negative thoughts might be a useful therapeutic technique and a look at how people can communicate while they're asleep using just their facial expressions.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Last November All in the Mind listeners were asked to nominate the group, professional or individual who had made a positive impact on their mental health and the winners are announced in this programme.

All in the Mind is produced in association with the Open University.

Producers: Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lorna Stewart, Julia Ravey and Paula McGrath

The author and screenwriter Max Dickins was preparing to propose to his girlfriend when he came to a realisation: he didn’t have anyone he felt he could ask to be his best man. It prompted him to write the book ‘Billy No-Mates’, looking at why he didn’t have any close male friends any more, and asking if men, in general, have a friendship problem.

In a special discussion in front of a live audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Claudia Hammond speaks to Max about his journey alongside Professor Robin Dunbar and Dr Radha Modgil.

Robin Dunbar is a Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at Oxford University who’s spent decades researching friendships in humans and other primates. He’s also known for having Dunbar’s Number named after him, which suggests most of us have a limit to our social circles of around 150 people.

Radha Modgil is a practicing GP and wellbeing expert whose book ‘Know Your Own Power’ looks at what advice there is for people facing difficulties as they go through life.

The panel look at what psychology can teach us about friendships between men, the difference these relationships can make to our mental health, and the best way of both maintaining the friendships we have and finding ways to make new friends.

Produced in partnership with the Open University.

It's not only the headliners at Glastonbury and winners at Wimbledon who strive for perfection in their lives. Psychologist Dr Tom Curran says people in all walks of life are prone to believing they're not quite "good enough". The pressure to be perfect can come from inside ourselves or from society, via social media as well as our friends and family. He says perfectionism isn't about doing things faultlessly - it's about feeling that you are never good enough even if you get a gold medal.

Tom Curran is a perfectionist himself and experienced burnout because of pressure from unachievable goals. Our studio guest Dr Peter Olusoga who's a sports psychologist says burnt-out athletes can end up withdrawing from their sport and resenting their coach if too much emphasis is placed on winning, instead of a more holistic approach. He also talks about how a study of teenagers at specialist "talent" schools in Norway might help to identify when students are under too much pressure as they try to balance practice with academic work and friendships.

The last All in the Mind Awards finalist is Trinia - a community psychiatric nurse who supported Rae even when she was rude to her. Trinia's persistence paid off - helping Rae to get an allotment and start painting has made her feel like life is worth living again.

Whilst we have been hearing about some amazing acts of mental health support in the All in the Mind Awards, many of you have reached out to express the difficulties you've had finding the care you need. Two of the most influential leaders in the mental health space - Dr Shubulade Smith, head of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and Sarah Hughes, chief executive officer of the charity MIND – talk to Claudia Hammond to discuss what is causing some of these service problems and what can be done to help. They emphasise the importance of defining mental health from mental illness, and what ambitions they both have for the future of mental healthcare in Britain.

Side by Side is a pilot initiative led by the Alzheimer’s Society in Bristol, pairing up volunteers with people living with dementia based on common interests. This is how Simon met David. After learning he had Alzheimer’s disease during the isolation of lockdown, Simon struggled to come to terms with his diagnosis, and his wife Ruth, who was balancing so many responsibilities, felt the impact on her mental health. They didn’t realise how much these weights would lift when they signed up for Side by Side. Every Monday, David – an Alzheimer’s Society volunteer – picks Simon up and the two venture out. Whether walking Clifton Down’s or hunting for Bristol’s best brownie, they talk for hours, sharing their love of local history, and Simon comes home invigorated. For Ruth, this precious free time gives her respite from spinning her many plates, and these huge mental health improvements are why the judges made Side by Side an All in the Mind Award finalist.

Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Leeds, Daryl O’Connor, gives an update on some of the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology, including differences in depression depending on socioeconomic status and how intelligent brains make complex decisions. Plus, research reveals the impact your first name may have on where you live and what you do.

Produced in partnership with the Open University.

Producer: Julia Ravey

This week we have two more finalists in the All in the Mind Awards.

When Hollie met the love of her life Pete she felt she belonged for the first time. But then her new husband's cancer returned and this time it was terminal. Soon after he passed away, her dad and her cat died too. Having experienced so much loss, she attempted to take her own life. Then she found the charity the New Normal - which Ben formed with Jack when both their fathers died. The safe space of the online meetings helped her to keep going - and now the charity has members across the world. So what makes them so special?

When Aura took up her job working in a busy specialist GP practice for homeless people she had already experienced loss after her brother died because of addiction. When her alcoholic father died she got the emotional support she needed from her boss Dr Paul O'Reilly - who also helped her to grow in confidence in her role as an independent nurse prescriber.

Professor Catherine Loveday from the University of Westminster uncovers new research about how a lack of gender equality can change structures in the brain and how warmth and competence in a therapist could help convince sceptical clients that talking therapy might make a difference.

Hamish Barclay was a teenager when he was given steroids to treat kidney problems and experienced a rare side effect of psychosis. Now 29, he's lived with a diagnosis of schizophrenia for ten years and thanks to support from his mother Josephine he's been able to return to making music. His sister Maudie helped him to nominate their mum for an All in the Mind Awards - and she's now reached the finals.

The family talk candidly to Claudia Hammond about the stigma around schizophrenia - they sometimes avoid using the word because they know it can put people off playing music with him in bands. Maudie says their mum shows incredible patience and love by driving him to London from Somerset and sitting in his classes, so he can study music and play his beloved guitar.

The voices - or auditory hallucinations - which Hamish hears make it hard for him to write songs - but the medication he takes is helping to push them into the background. We hear some of Hamish's compositions he's recorded with other students at his college - and about how much difference writing music has made to his mental health and wellbeing.

A good bedside manner is a wanted quality in healthcare professionals. But as is performing procedures that can be painful or uncomfortable.

As medical students train to become doctors, they can experience changes in their levels of empathy; the ability to resonate with how others feel. Learning long lists of diagnoses and pathologies, the human body starts to resemble more of a machine. But how detrimental is this? Claudia Hammond asks Jeremy Howick, director of the Stoneygate Centre for empathic healthcare at the University of Leicester, who is training healthcare professionals to express more patient empathy to improve health outcomes and reduce burnout. Lasana Harris, professor of social neuroscience at UCL, describes how too much empathy might be a cause of burnout, and medics should toggle empathy on and off depending on context. Medical students from the University of Bristol express how they feel empathy should come into their future roles.

The finalists of the All in the Mind Awards continue to be announced. This week, we hear from Terri, who went through a huge period of loss at the same time as her foster child. During this time, foster care consultant Pam knew just want to say. She could help Terri see how her child was expressing her grief and also gave her permission to acknowledge the good job she was doing.

Catherine Loveday, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Westminster, joins Claudia and describes how nostalgia can help with route remembering and how easy it is to implant childhood memories.

Produced in partnership with the Open University.

Producer: Julia Ravey

Content producer: Dan Welsh