In this episode, our panel look at so-called internet gaming disorder, prompted by a recent academic study. They discuss internet gaming, the potential risks, but also the benefits that gaming can bring, both to life in general (children doing maths homework, for example) and to protecting and sustaining good mental health.

This is the second episode in our series of podcasts with the British Journal of Psychiatry. It discusses a recent research paper entitled "Internet Gaming Disorder: Investigating the Clinical Relevance of a New Phenomenon", which was published in the American Journal of Psychology and highlighted in the Kaleidoscope section of the British Journal of Psychiatry. The panel for this discussion featured:

- Josefien Breedvelt, Research Manager at the Mental Health Foundation 
- Derek Tracy, Consultant Psychiatrist at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
- Emma Wilson, mental health policy expert, well-known to some as @MindfulEm on Twitter.

Internet gaming? Good or bad for our mental health?

Hi. Welcome to Let’s Talk: Mental Health, where we get together with different people and experts to chat about mental health. We all have mental health, and we can all experience mental health problems. So, on this podcast we explore the topics that can affect how we think and feel.

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Mental Health

Today we’re talking about self. About how the relationships with ourselves can help or harm our mental health. And tips on ways to build a healthy relationship with you. **Trigger warning this episode discusses an eating disorder** Remember to rate, like, review and subscribe Guests on the show today? You’ll hear from Anna Archer. Anna is a 21-year-old successful content creator, podcaster and athlete who focuses on fitness, lifestyle and mental health. Next, you’ll hear from Gemma and Quinn, who are part of the MHF Young Leaders, they share their own personal stories about investing in the relationships with themselves to help their mental health. And lastly Sophie Peterman, Project Coordinator at the Mental Health Foundation, who will chat about why the relationship with ourselves matters to our mental health.  Episode links:  Healthy relationships information page: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/healthy-relationships Top Tips: Healthy relationship with ourselves: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-09/Top-Tips-Healthy-Relationships-with-Ourselves-Postcard.pdf  About the MHF Young Leaders: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/programmes/families-children-and-young-people/mhf-young-leaders Anna Archer’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annaarcherfitness/?hl=en Anna Archer’s Podcast: https://linktr.ee/insideannasmindpodcast  Body Image and mental health information page: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/body-image  Eating Disorders information page: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/eating-disorders Top Tips for maintaining a healthy body image: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/body-image-and-mental-health/mind-over-mirror/feeling-my-mind  This podcast is brought to you by the Mental Health Foundation. It is a space for our guests to discuss their personal experience and express their opinions. Our guests’ opinions are their own and are not an official stance of the Mental Health Foundation.  Need support?  Call a helpline: Samaritans are available 24/7 for free on 116 123 (UK) and whatever you’re going through, they’re here to face it with you. Text a helpline: If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support - but prefer to text than chat then reach out to Crisis Text Linet by texting Shout to 85258 (UK).  Get emergency support:  If you are thinking about ending your life, please call 999 (UK) or go to A&E and ask for the contact of the nearest crisis resolution team. There are teams of mental health care professionals who work with people in severe distress.  Find information online:  The Mental Health Foundation’s support page. It’s filled with information on different ways to get help and access support for your menta

S4 E4: Self

Today we’re talking about childhood. About how the environments that we grow up in, and experiences that we have in our childhoods can shape us as adults and affect our mental health.  **Remember to rate, like, review and subscribe**   Guests on the show today?  Alex: Guest, young person based in Derby  Bhavan: Guest, young person based in Derby  Jamie: Guest, young adult based in Ardrossan, Scotland  Tyra: Feature guest from Leaders Unlocked, based in London  Shelley: Programmes Manager, for Children, Families & Young People, Mental Health Foundation Scotland  Episode links: Children and young people's mental health info page: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/c/children-and-young-people OCD info page: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/o/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd Adverse Childhood Experiences information: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html Preventing mental health problems in children and young people report: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/state-generation-preventing-mental-health-problems-children-and-young-people   This podcast is brought to you by the Mental Health Foundation. It is a space for our guests to discuss their personal experience and express their opinions. Our guests’ opinions are their own and are not an official stance of the Mental Health Foundation.  Need support?  Call a helpline: Samaritans are available 24/7 for free on 116 123 (UK) and whatever you’re going through, they’re here to face it with you.   Text a helpline: If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support - but prefer to text than chat then reach out to Crisis Text Linet by texting Shout to 85258 (UK).  Get emergency support: If you are thinking about ending your life, please call 999 (UK) or go to A&E and ask for the contact of the nearest crisis resolution team. There are teams of mental health care professionals who work with people in severe distress.    Find information online: The Mental Health Foundation’s support page. It’s filled with information on different ways to get help and access support for your mental health: mentalhealth.org.uk/getting-help. Meet the ‘Let’s Talk: Mental Health’ team:   Jennie, Bethan and Tim pull on their own lived experience of mental health, their time working with mental health charities or services and their ability to connect with people to deliver an insightful podcast filled with kindness and support.   Jennie Walker is the big talker (Podcast Host and Co-Producer). Bethan Buswell is the curious one (Podcast Co-Producer). Tim Butcher is the behind-the-scenes guy (Podcast Editor).

S4 E3: Childhood

Today we’re talking about loneliness. About what it means to feel lonely, how it affects our mental health, who experiences it and what we can do to cope with it.  Trigger warning: this episode mentions suicidal feelings*  **Remember to rate, like, review and subscribe**    Guests on the show today?  Carol: Guest, retired person from Norfolk  Calum Scott: Guest, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bex: Guest, young queer person from North Scotland  Catherine Seymour: Head of Research, Mental Health Foundation  Meet the ‘Let’s Talk: Mental Health’ team:   Jennie, Bethan and Tim pull on their own lived experience of mental health, their time working with mental health charities or services and their ability to connect with people to deliver an insightful podcast filled with kindness and support.   Jennie Walker is the big talker (Podcast Host and Co-Producer). Bethan Buswell is the curious one (Podcast Co-Producer). Tim Butcher is the behind-the-scenes guy (Podcast Editor).   Episode links: Mental Health Awareness Week: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/mhawLoneliness research: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week/loneliness-research Tips to cope with loneliness: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week/loneliness-help-advice The Great Grief Trust: www.thegoodgrieftrust.org Calum Scott's latest music, tour dates and more: https://www.calumscott.com/  This podcast is brought to you by the Mental Health Foundation. It is a space for our guests to discuss their personal experience and express their opinions. Our guests’ opinions are their own and are not an official stance of the Mental Health Foundation.  Need support? Call a helpline: Samaritans are available 24/7 for free on 116 123 (UK) and whatever you’re going through, they’re here to face it with you.   Text a helpline: If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support - but prefer to text than chat then reach out to Crisis Text Line by texting Shout to 85258 (UK).   Get emergency support: If you are thinking about ending your life, please call 999 (UK) or go to A&E and ask for the contact of the nearest crisis resolution team. There are teams of mental health care professionals who work with people in severe dist

S4 E2: Loneliness

Today we’re talking about friendships. What they mean to us, how they impact our wellbeing, and how to nurture a healthy friendship.  **Remember to rate, like, review and subscribe** This is the newly branded podcast from the Mental Health Foundation. Guests on the show today? Tyra: Guest, young person based in London Jesse: Guest, young person based in London Lauren McConkey: Project Manager, Higher Education at the Foundation Meet the ‘Let’s talk: Mental Health’ team:  Jennie, Bethan and Tim pull on their own lived experience of mental health, their time working with mental health charities or services and their ability to connect with people to deliver an insightful podcast filled with kindness and support.  Jennie Walker is the big talker (Podcast Host and Co-Producer). Bethan Buswell is the curious one (Podcast Co-Producer). Tim Butcher is the behind-the-scenes guy (Podcast Editor).  Episode links: Relationships and mental health tips: Healthy Relationships Tips  Coronavirus and mental health study: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/research/coronavirus-mental-health-pandemic/  online@mentalhealth.org.uk This podcast is brought to you by the Mental Health Foundation. It is a space for our guests to discuss their personal experience and express their opinions. Our guests’ opinions are their own and are not an official stance of the Mental Health Foundation. Need support? Call a helpline: Samaritans are available 24/7 for free on 116 123 (UK) and whatever you’re going through, they’re here to face it with you.  Text a helpline: If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support - but prefer to text than chat then reach out to Crisis Text Linet by texting Shout to 85258 (UK).  Get emergency support: If you are thinking about ending your life, please call 999 (UK) or go to A&E and ask for the contact of the nearest crisis resolution team. There are teams of mental health care professionals who work with people in severe distress.   Find information online: The Mental Health Foundation’s support page. It’s filled with information on different ways to get help and access support for your mental health: mentalhealth.org.uk/getting-help.

S4 E1: Friendships

This is the Mental Health Foundation podcast. A series which brings to you a range of mental health topics, real life stories, expert comments, and mental health tips.  Jennie Walker is your host. She has her own lived experience of mental health problems and with this podcast she and the Mental Health Foundation want to raise awareness, get people talking and provide support and hope. **Remember to rate, like, review and subscribe** On this episode, we explore the 2021 World Mental Health Day theme, Mental Health in an Unequal World. Tyra in London tells us what inequality means to her as a young person, how she and her peers are coping with the lifting of lockdown, and how she thinks society could better support young people overall. 31-year-old Freya in Edinburgh lives with ADHD and shares her experiences around access to mental health services, and of growing up as the only person of colour at her school and how that impacted her mental health. Lastly, we hear from Julie Cameron, who is Associate Director for the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland - Julie shares her expertise on the wider picture of equality, and talks about how we can all contribute towards a fairer society. Enjoy the show! Who’s on the show today? Jennie Walker: Host and Producer, Communications and Marketing Officer at the Foundation Jennie's Bio: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/people/jennie-walker Tyra: Guest, young person based in London Freya: Guest, 31-year-old from Edinburgh who lives with ADHD Julie Cameron: Associate Director for the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland. Julie's Bio: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/people/julie-cameron Podcast episode links: Get into Summer project https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/projects/get-summer-2021  Study - Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better - by Wilkinson and Pickett https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257664917_Richard_Wilkinson_and_Kate_Pickett_2009_The_Spirit_Level_Why_More_Equal_Societies_Almost_Always_Do_Better_Allen_Lane_London Find out more about the Mental Health Foundation: Website: mentalhealth.org.uk Instagram: instagram.com/mentalhealthfoundation Facebook: facebook.com/mentalhealthfoundation Twitter: twitter.com/mentalhealth Get in touch with us: online@mentalhealth.org.uk **Remember to rate, like, review and subscribe** Helplines: If you are feeling like ending your life, please call 999 or go to A&E and ask for the contact of the nearest crisis resolution team. These are teams of mental health care professionals who work with people in severe distress. If you need someone to talk to then Samaritans are available on 116 123 (UK) for free, 24/7. They are there to talk to and listen.

Internet gaming? Good or bad for our mental health?

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