The Thinking Mind: Mental Health & Personal Growth

What happens when ordinary people are handed power over others, and how do they respond when that power is taken away? Do you have an inner monster waiting to be unleashed?

In this episode, psychiatrist Dr Alex examines Netflix’s The New Stanford Prison Experiment, exploring what the controversial reality series can and cannot—tell us about human nature.

Dr Alex discusses how leaders emerge, how people gain status and why having authority doesn’t automatically earn respect. He also considers the role of personality, the distress caused by inconsistency, and how people reationalise their behaviour. 

Can a programme offer valuable insights without producing reliable scientific evidence? 

If you were given the uniform—or put behind the bars—what would you do?

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

A major new government review has been published into mental health, ADHD and autism. Some headlines have framed it as a warning about ADHD and autism being overdiagnosed, but is that really what the report says?

In this episode, Dr Alex looks at the executive summary of the review and explains why the findings are more complicated than some of the coverage suggests.

Dr Alex discusses the report’s concerns about underdiagnosis, misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis, the difference between having traits and having a diagnosable condition, the role of independent providers, the question of CQC regulation, and the proposed shift from a “diagnosis-dependent” system to a “needs-led plus diagnosis” model.

He also shares his own questions about what this would mean in practice: how need should be assessed, whether diagnosis can really be separated from support, and how services can avoid replacing one flawed system with another.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

We talk constantly about “mental health”, but do we actually know what it is?
Psychiatry is very good at defining mental disorders: depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, anxiety and many others. But that raises a more fundamental question: what does a mentally healthy person actually look like? 

In this episode, Dr Alex is joined by philosopher and psychotherapist John T. Maier, author of the forthcoming book The Minds We Want: A Theory of Mental Health.

They discuss whether mental health is simply the absence of mental illness, whether it should be defined by how well we function, and who ultimately gets to decide what a “healthy” mind is supposed to be.

They discuss psychiatry’s medical model, psychotherapy, personality, self-actualisation, possible functions of a healthy mind and what mental health services should actually be trying to achieve.

Learn more about John's work - https://www.jmaier.net/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. 

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

In this clip from E184 of the podcast, Dr Alex Curmi explores the psychology of the “nice guy” through the film Obsession (2026). He examines the difference between genuine kindness and niceness, and why suppressing desire, anger and assertiveness can have unhealthy (even dangerous) consequences.

Listen to the full episode released on July 24th 2026 for the full analysis of Obsession. 

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. 

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

How did amphetamines help shape the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?

In this clip from From E185 of The Thinking Mind Podcast, Dr Alex speaks with Professor Justin Garson about the experiments that helped transform psychiatry’s understanding of psychosis and schizophrenia.

They discuss how amphetamine-induced psychosis led researchers to focus on dopamine, how Solomon Snyder’s work helped establish the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia, and why this became such an influential turning point in biological psychiatry.

Full episode: E185 | How Psychiatry Became Fixated on Chemical Imbalance (w/ Prof. Justin Garson)

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This is a shorter Thinking Mind update on a developing story - our usual long-form episodes will continue as normal.

Dr Alex discusses reports that a forthcoming government review could significantly change how ADHD is assessed and supported in England. He explains the proposed shift toward a more "needs-based system", why it is being considered, and the potential implications for people seeking diagnosis and treatment.

Dr Alex also highlights three concerns about how such a system might work in practice, including how need would be judged, the risk of overlooking “high-functioning” patients, and the uncomfortable overlap between clinical decision-making and healthcare rationing.

The final review has not yet been published, so the details may still change.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Why does watching the 70 Up documentary feel like years of therapy? Watching lives unfold over six decades can make you reconsider your own: what you’re chasing, what you’re postponing and what really matters.

In this episode Dr. Alex explores ITV’s 70 Up from his perspective as a psychiatrist and therapist. Through the participants’ ambitions, relationships, disappointments and everyday joys, we examine four uncomfortable questions:

• Why don’t we always prioritise what matters most?
• How much of our life do we choose, and how much do we remain the children we once were?
• What actually makes a successful life, and who gets to decide?
• If life never becomes what we hoped, can we still be happy?

Along the way, we discuss childhood, personality, agency, family, regret and the balance between ambition and acceptance.

Heartbreaking, funny and sometimes unexpectedly profound, 70 Up offers a rare opportunity to step back and see a whole life (and perhaps our own) with greater perspective.

Which participant’s story stayed with you most? Let us know in the comments.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

The Lindsay Clancy case has prompted an enormous debate about postpartum psychosis, criminal responsibility, psychiatric treatment and whether severe mental illness can ever be reliably predicted.

In this episode Dr. Alex examines the case not to deliver a verdict on Lindsay Clancy, but to explore what it reveals about the realities and limitations of psychiatry.

The episode looks at Lindsay Clancy’s psychiatric deterioration after the birth of her third child, her treatment for anxiety, depression and insomnia, her admission to McLean Hospital, the unusually complicated sequence of psychiatric medications she was prescribed, and the competing claims surrounding the case.

It also explores some of the most difficult questions in mental healthcare: How accurately can psychiatrists predict suicide or violence? Can someone appear organised while experiencing psychosis? How difficult can postpartum psychosis be to detect? Can starting and stopping psychiatric medications destabilise someone’s mental state? 

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

How do you arrive at your beliefs?

In this clip from E182 of the podcast, Dr Alex speaks with consultant neuropsychiatrist Dr Tom Pollack about what AI-associated delusions may reveal about human belief itself. Rather than treating belief as something purely rational (a simple matter of evidence, logic or facts) they explore how beliefs are also shaped by emotion, meaning, charisma, relationships and narrative. They also discuss how psychiatry should adapt to the arrival of this revolutionary technology. 

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. 

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

In this update to last week’s episode,  Dr Alex reflects on the response to Channel 4’s The Great ADHD Myth? and on an important new development. He also discusses what that means for the documentary, the wider ADHD debate, and the importance of discussing complex mental health issues without stigma, contempt or oversimplification.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast