Yesterday was World Mental Health day and what a way  to celebrate our differences than with a What's Next podcast. It's not surprising to anyone that mental health is being spoken about more, especially with awareness days like this one. However, our aim here at the podcast is to keep talking until we are blue in the face. We will never stop discussing mental health and what we can do about it. This week Katie and Jamie Archer answer questions sent in by listeners for a special mental health awareness day podcast! 

*Trigger warning* This episode does discuss some issues that may be triggering to other individuals, including the mention of suicide and self harm. 

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places.

Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg. MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk 

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk 

Social Media: Find us on Twitter @WhattNext and Instagram @whatisnextpodcast. Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback. As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]. 

It's World Mental Health Day today so what better was to raise awareness than by releasing an episode early. It was reported that the suicide rate in the UK has gone up after years of steady decline. According to the Office for National Statistics in 2018 a total of 6,507 suicides were registered in the UK. That is 686 more deaths than in 2017, an 11.8% increase. So what better way to raise awareness than by talking.  Katie has guest Jamie Archer back in the studio where the answer your mental health related questions. 

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places.

Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg. MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk 

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk 

Social Media: Find us on Twitter @WhattNext and Instagram @whatisnextpodcast. Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback. As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]

Mental health and education manager at the YMCA, Ryan came into the studio to chat about mental health in children and why it is important to invest in it. As part of the work they do at the YMCA Ryan and his team are now offering a mental health app to students in schools to help tackle the long waiting lists for counselling and fill a void. One in eight children in England is living with a mental health problem, according to an NHS report that shows an increase in the conditions over the last decade. So why is it only just now that they are starting to change the way things work in school? It's lucky we have people Ryan to help cushion the stresses of children in todays society. 

*Trigger warning* This episode does discuss some issues that may be triggering to other individuals, including the mention of suicide and self harm.

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places.

Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg. MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk 

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk 

Social Media: Find us on Twitter @WhattNext and Instagram @whatisnextpodcast. Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback. As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]

Around three quarters of a million people are thought to be living with severe, life impacting and debilitating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the UK. Angela talks about her daughter being diagnosed with OCD at the age of 10, and how she coped with it. There are many different forms of OCD, but no-one seems to understand what they are. Angela talks openly about the diagnosis, and how she dealt with it as a mother. 

*Trigger warning* This episode does discuss some issues that may be triggering to other individuals, including the mention of suicide, self harm and OCD. 

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places. Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg.

MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk

Social Media:

Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback.

As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]

"I was handed my baby and I felt nothing."  One in 10 new mums in the UK experience postnatal depression after giving birth, so why is there such a stigma attached to it? Delphine chats to Katie about being diagnosed with postnatal depression after giving birth and how she copes. She also speaks about what it is like to  bedifferent, and what it was like to be diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.  

*Trigger warning* This episode does discuss some issues that may be triggering to other individuals, including the mention of suicide.

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places. 

Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg. MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk 

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org 

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk 

Social Media: Find us on Twitter @WhattNext and Instagram @whatisnextpodcast. Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback. As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]

Research conducted in 2014 shows that more of us than ever have had therapy, according to a new study, which reveals that more than a quarter  of people in the UK have consulted a counsellor or psychotherapist, compared to just one in five people in 2010.

After spending months having counselling, Katie speaks to the lady she has talking therapy with on the show. Julie Kerr, who is a mental health counsellor, talks about Katie's problems, in a hope that other people can relate. The pair also chat about methods that can be used in recovery, and how Julie got to where she is today. 

*Trigger warning* This episode does discuss some issues that may be triggering to other individuals, including the mention of

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places. Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg.

MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk

Social Media:

Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback.

As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]

For some people, music can be a huge stress reliever.  But how do the people who make the music deal with the fast growing industry? Katie chats to Jamie about being in a band, and what it is like to not feel good enough. According to a new study conducted by Record Union, 73% of musicians suffer with either anxiety, depression or stress, but only 45% of them felt that there was enough support. Katie and Jamie explore the reasoning behind the figures, and how music can be used as therapy. 

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places. Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg.

MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk

Social Media:

Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback.

As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected] 

The Basement Strippers - https://www.facebook.com/BasementStrip/ 

As a paediatrician Dr Nik chats to Katie about the difference between being a doctor now and when he first trained, saying the biggest difference being the amount of issues surrounding children mental health nowadays. 75% of adults will experience a mental health condition before the age of 24 - but why? Katie and Dr Nik discuss the challenges around social media, school, home life and sexuality. They also answer questions sent in from young listeners. 

*Trigger warning* This episode does discuss some issues that may be triggering to other individuals, including the mention of suicide and self harm. 

Help - 

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places. Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg. 

MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk

Social Media:

Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback. 

Schools haven't always had the best track record when it comes to dealing with mental health, shoving children in the corner, and referring them for counselling when something isn't quite right. However, one educational facility in Cambridge has said that they are doing everything to support the mental health and well-being of their staff and students. Cambridge Regional College is among the first further education establishments in the country to sign a national mental health charter, pledging support everyone. Commitments include challenging mental health stigma and providing targeted individual mental health support. Emily, who works at the college, joins Katie in the studio for a chat about what they are doing to help people, and how you can spot signs of mental health, especially in younger people. Is this a major breakthrough in eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health? 

Also on the podcast Katie chats to editor and producer Marcus about where the podcast is heading next as they reflect back on the show. Let us know what you want to hear next. 

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places.

Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg.

MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk 

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk 

Social Media: Find us on Twitter @WhattNext and Instagram @whatisnextpodcast. Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback. As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]

Qualifying for the Ironman World Championships is something that takes great mental strength, alongside physical. Michael Taylor chats to Katie about strength in sport and his job in the military and how he struggled with detachment. He also opens up about his experience with grief after losing his granddad, and how he manages to deal with it. Sport plays a big part in his life, with Michael even admitting that it is 99% mind that got him to where he is today. Humble and caring, he also explains to Katie how he dealt with his divorce, and gives advice to listeners about how to handle it. Michael is a true inspiration to everyone out there, and is living proof that "you can do anything you set your mind to do." 

If you are affected by anything discussed in this podcast you can get help in many different places.

Don't be scared to go to your GP, you wouldn't think twice if you had a broken leg.

MIND - https://www.mind.org.uk 

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org

Young Mind - https://youngminds.org.uk 

Social Media: Find us on Twitter @WhattNext and Instagram @whatisnextpodcast. Keep an eye out for our next episode next Friday at 6pm. Remember to leave us a review - we would love your feedback. As always let us know what you think! Email us on [email protected]