Bøker av Lucy Foulkes

'A must-read... Fascinating' JO BRANDWe need to rethink the conversation around mental health - psychologist Lucy Foulkes explores how and why.How do mental health problems arise?How do we distinguish between the 'normal' challenges of modern life and actual illness?Is society really experiencing a new mental health crisis?In this urgently needed book, psychologist Lucy Foulkes investigates what we know about mental illness - and shines a light on what we don't. It offers a profound new approach to how we think, talk and help when it comes to mental health.(Previously published in 2021 in hardback under the title Losing Our Minds.)'Captivating...engaging and lucid' Sarah-Jayne Blakemore'Clear-headed, compassionate and, ultimately, optimistic' Mark Haddon'Thorough, wise...much needed' Mark Rice-Oxley

Drawing on a decade of psychological research, Coming of Age gets beneath the recent myths and age-old stereotypes of adolescence to reveal the real reasons why teens behave as they do.'Fascinating, moving . . . clear-eyed, unerringly sensible . . . there is insight and kindness throughout this book' Daily MailWhy do teens take risks? What is it that makes them anxious? How do they think about sex, love, bullying and friendship? Adolescence is often difficult and it shapes us for life, but psychologist Lucy Foulkes shows that too often we fear, dismiss or even try to prevent aspect of it that are crucial to our development.Overturning many mistaken assumptions, she shows that apparent recklessness is usually calculated; that teenagers are socially conservative as much as rebellious; that being popular can be just as hard as being lonely; and that self-consciousness and sensation-seeking are not just normal but useful. Above all, she shows that adolescents have an extraordinary capacity for resilience, empathy and mutual support, and that even the most challenging experiences are part of an essential process of self-discovery.'Excellent and insightful . . . expertly presented . . . Foulkes is steeped in knowledge about, as well as respect for, teenage life' Observer'Wonderful and deeply moving . . . shows us the potentially positive aspects of adolescent experiences so often seen as negative' MARK HADDON'Wise and compassionate, well-researched and straight-talking . . . shows how today's adolescents can be helped to flourish in life' Dr Gavin Francis, author of Recovery'Hopeful, inspiring . . . leaves you with a greater understanding of your own adolescence, and greater compassion for those currently in its throes' Camilla Nord, author of The Balanced Brain'Myth-busting . . . eye-opening . . . delivers many counter-intuitive insights' Guardian'Thank goodness . . . for this timely . . . and eminently sensible book . . . You will read this book and sigh in recognition . . . just knowing that everything they - and we - struggle with is normal, and necessary, is helpful' Telegraph'A must read for everyone interested in what is going on with adolescents' Essi Viding, Professor of Developmental Pyschopathy, UCL'Comprehensive, accessible and super useful' Dr Tara Porter, clinical psychologist and author of You Don't Understand Me'Compelling, useful and fascinating . . . revealing adolescence's unwritten rules' JO BRAND

A compelling and incisive book that questions the overuse of mental health terms to describe universal human emotionsPublic awareness of mental illness has been transformed in recent years, but our understanding of how to define it has yet to catch up. Too often, psychiatric disorders are confused with the inherent stresses and challenges of human experience. A narrative has taken hold that a mental health crisis has been building among young people. In this profoundly sensitive and constructive book, psychologist Lucy Foulkes argues that the crisis is one of ignorance as much as illness. Have we raised a 'snowflake' generation? Or are today's young people subjected to greater stress, exacerbated by social media, than ever before? Foulkes shows that both perspectives are useful but limited. The real question in need of answering is: how should we distinguish between 'normal' suffering and actual illness? Drawing on her extensive knowledge of the scientific and clinical literature, Foulkes explains what is known about mental health problems-how they arise, why they so often appear during adolescence, the various tools we have to cope with them-but also what remains unclear: distinguishing between normality and disorder is essential if we are to provide the appropriate help, but no clear line between the two exists in nature. Providing necessary clarity and nuance, Losing Our Minds argues that the widespread misunderstanding of this aspect of mental illness might be contributing to its apparent prevalence.