In a pretty Cotswold village, a mystery has been puzzling residents for decades. Following the death of local Boy Scout Karl in 1947, mysterious gifts and messages began appearing on his grave in Prestbury. Despite his sister Ann's best efforts, the identity of the visitor has never been revealed. Journalist Camila Ruz joins Ann on her quest to track down the stranger who has been visiting her brother's grave for up to 70 years.
Getting out of bed can be hard, but if you have depression it can sometimes feel impossible. Here on Like Minds we’ve been talking about why it’s difficult, and gathering tips to help you conquer the waking hours.
If you - or someone you know - are going to hospital for mental health care, you might be wondering what to take and what’s useful. Charlotte has been in hospital for her bipolar disorder three times in the last 15 months. She’s created a sort of checklist of what helps her and what she needs to pack if she returns. Every ward has different rules but here are some of Charlotte’s tips to get you started.
How do you react when your best friend has mental health problems? It's easy to say the wrong thing, so many of us end up saying nothing at all. But there are ways you can start the conversation and be there for someone who's unwell. On Like Minds we've been gathering your tips on the best and worst things to say and talking to two friends who helped bring some normality to a world of chaos.
Talking to family or friends is one thing, but speaking about your mental health at work can be really daunting. Here on Like Minds we've been finding out who you should tell, and how to make it a bit easier to start the conversation.
Anxiety and intrusive thoughts can make things even trickier when it comes to dating and sex. In the latest Like Minds we find out when, and if, we should tell the new lover in our lives about our mental health, and what we can do to make it all a bit easier.
Jarlath McCreanor has had depression for 30 years, and he was tired of people talking about the illness in whispers. So he took his little car, made it bright yellow and now drives it around Northern Ireland to get people to open up. At Like Minds we've been asking why it can feel difficult to talk about depression, and how you can make it easier.
Sammee has been hearing voices for most of her life and she and her brother Shabs have, together, found ways to try and cope. Have you ever heard voices? One in ten of us will apparently hear a voice when there's nobody there at some point in our lives. India Rakusen and the Like Minds team have been finding out what it’s like, how people cope and how to help someone else.
Mental health problems can come with physical aches, pains and symptoms that can make life very difficult. They can go undiagnosed and untreated for a long time, with people getting caught up in a cycle of tests and appointments. Around 1 in 5 GP appointments are for a symptom that shows no results in a test. So, once you know you're not alone, what can you do about it? The Like Minds team have been finding out.
Grief is something that nearly all of us will experience but it's something that most of us find difficult to talk about. Here on Like Minds, we've been finding out what grief is, that it's very individual for all of us and why you don't have to "get over" it.
When Luli Ade's brother was diagnosed with depression, she wanted to learn more about mental health and the stigma surrounding it for young black men. She started talking to other people about their experiences and helping them share their stories.
Getting therapy can sometimes feel overwhelming. You might have been referred by your doctor, or you might be trawling online through the hundreds of different types of therapy that are out there. But if you're going to talk about something very personal to you, does it matter if you trust the person listening? This week on Like Minds, we're talking about why the relationship with your therapist matters and how you can find someone who fits the bill.
Is your mental health diagnosis good for your mental health? There are over 200 mental health diagnoses listed by the World Health Organization, and everyone feels differently about receiving their own. So, is a diagnosis a lifeline or just a label? We asked six people to share their experiences.
At Like Minds, we’ve been exploring why it's so tempting to use alcohol as a coping strategy, and gathering tips for when you might be struggling.
In the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, hundreds of people gather at dawn at a rural airport’s parking lot, to be the first in the queue for free medical and dental attention at the RAM pop up clinic. They are normal people without insurance who in many cases drove for hours just to relieve an unbearable toothache or heal infections that have been there for years. In the same location, hundreds of volunteers, doctors, nurses and even a Syrian refugee among the students and high profile dentists ready to help them.
This week on Like Minds we're asking why it's so difficult to navigate the emotional world when you're shattered, as well as sharing your best tips for when you're really struggling with your sleep.
Neelam and Dinesh are trying to tackle what they see as the stigma surrounding mental health in Britain's South Asian community. Their son Akash took his own life three years ago. Now they want to get other parents talking with their children.
There are nearly seven million people in the UK who care for a loved one and it's estimated that up to 1.5 million of those care for someone with mental health problems. Shelagh cares for her daughter Ailidh who has had complex mental health issues since she was 12. Ailidh is now 21 and has been diagnosed with atypical anorexia, anxiety, depression and PTSD.
Lots of people from black and Asian communities use skin whitening creams, but did you know that some of the products available on the high street are actually illegal? Some of the creams contain dangerous chemicals that could result in an increased risk of skin cancer. BBC Stories investigates what’s actually in these illegal creams, what damage can they do and why its so easy to get your hands on these illegal products.
In July 2014, police in Manchester arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of filming himself raping a child. In the video, the face of the perpetrator was hidden but his hands were visible. Detectives felt they had the right suspect in custody, but didn't yet have enough evidence to secure a conviction. With time running out, they turned to forensic anthropologist, Professor Sue Black, an expert in the identification of unique anatomical features, including hands.
In the last few decades hundreds of mansions have sprung up in villages throughout Pakistan's Punjab. We follow three local men who decided to migrate to Oslo where they have worked, got married, and had children – for a better life. But all three have realised their dream on building a mansion on what they consider their real home, and with time, have built mansions to show how far they have come in their lives – but with every mansion built comes heartache.
20 million chickens are killed each week to feed consumers in the UK. But how do they get to our plates? Fried chicken lover Hezron Springer finds out.
Northern Ireland has the highest suicide rate in the UK. The latest available figures show that the rate there is nearly double that in England. Since the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998, more people have died from suicide in Northern Ireland than were killed by violence during the Troubles. Patricia Ferrin says her family has been "destroyed" after each of her three sons took their own lives.
Ketamine is known as a party drug but a handful of clinics in the UK are legally using it to help treat severe depression. We meet Jackie and Beverley, two patients who have regular infusions, after all other treatments have failed.
This is the story of Qandeel Baloch - a girl that who had dreams to be a star. They called her Pakistan's "Kim Kardashian". She divided opinion in socially conservative Pakistan, and had expressed fears for her life as a result. She was a social media sensation, a young woman from a poor village who became famous for her sexually provocative online appearances. After her murder, a new law against honour crimes was passed but justice for Qandeel appears elusive.
Camp Dash was no ordinary summer camp in Indiana. Children were there to take part in a multi-million dollar nutrition experiment. But events quickly spiralled out of control, and some of the children turned on each other. The consequences haven’t been easy to forget.
Will is a serial swiper, Alvin says he’s addicted, and Meggy is about to give up. Dating apps are everywhere but are they messing with our heads? Follow three people on their dating journeys, find out what these apps are doing to our mental health, and learn how to use to them better.
BBC Stories investigates claims that the YMCA North London has been failing its young residents. As the largest provider of supported and safe accommodation in England for young people, the YMCA plays a big role in tackling youth homelessness in the UK. However, the BBC has spoken to a variety of former and current residents and staff members who told us what life was like in the hostel, with some reporting personal stories of crime and poor conditions. The YMCA North London states it is a charity and has spent £500,000 on refurbishing the facilities in the building over the past two years.
Wherever there are Chinese people in the world…. you’d probably find a takeaway. There is a Chinese takeaway in every town in the UK. Nowadays, it’s so common to order a Chinese from an app, that you never get to see the people who prepare your food. In the 1950s, immigrants from Hong Kong and the New Territories started coming to UK to make a new start. Their spoken English may not have been good enough to get other jobs they were actually skilled in, and so in order to survive they opened up Chinese takeaways. They moved all over the UK, bringing their cuisine to people. By the 1970s, there was at least one takeaway in every British town. Then the second generation of British Chinese kids were born and they grew up in the UK. As they spoke much better English than their parents, the takeaway kids were often the ones who were at the front of house, taking the customers’ orders. Rather than go out and play with their friends, the takeaway kids missed out on a normal childhood because they helped out to ease the burden of their exhausted parents after school. From peeling shrimp to dealing with racist customers, the takeaway kids had to grow up fast. Growing up in their respective towns, takeaway families were often the only Chinese people for miles around, certainly the only British Chinese kids in their school. In this film they share memories of what it was like to grow up in a takeaway, and the other side of the story: the customers themselves. BBC Stories go behind the counter to meet the Britain’s Chinese takeaway kids.
Many people see alcohol as a way to relax and socialise. But for some, it becomes the only way they can get through the day. Women especially can feel the stigma of admitting they have a problem with drink, so many struggle in secret. Meet a mum, student, and city worker - now in recovery - who all know what it's like to be a functioning alcoholic.
How Covid-19 triggered the spread of a 5G conspiracy theory, firing it into mainstream British life and inspiring a new generation of believers. The idea that 5G could have health implications isn’t new. But, thanks to celebrities like Amir Khan and Eamonn Holmes, it spread further than ever before during lockdown. We speak to new converts to the anti-5G cause, as well as telecoms engineers who have been abused in the streets, police dealing with arson attacks, and activists on both sides. Where did this theory come from? How did it spread? And where will it end? The pandemic has converted many anti-5G activists to the anti-vaccination movement too. This is a story about how easy it is for disinformation to infect us all and how it has become particularly contagious in the coronavirus era.
