VT. Me as an ‘inspirational mom’ diagnosed with schizophrenia
World Mental Health Awareness Week can, for many of us, provoke a range of responses (from bored, irritated to offended as people promote the idea of it being ‘good to talk’ without mentioning the massive investment and culture changed needed in our health and social care systems to ensure this isn’t simply a platitude to […]
BBC Radio 2: Talking about hearing voices with Jeremy Vine
A few weeks after the New Statesman article came out, I was approached by the Jeremy Vine show. They were hoping to speak to me as part of a feature around hearing voices. This was my third time on the show, but the first where I had to take part via phone rather than being […]
New Statesman: The voice in your head
At some point, in the midst of lockdown, I remember speaking with Sophie McBain – a New Statesman journalist looking in to the Hearing Voices Movement. As is often the case, we had a wide-ranging and deep discussion that spanned my experiences of voices and visions and touched upon some of the parts of the […]
BBC Radio 4: My Name Is … Rachel
After working with Akiko Hart to create an ‘Alternative Review of the Mental Health Act’ for National Hearing Voices Network, I was keen to keep up the momentum and get people talking about the coersive end of the mental health system. Luckily, after speaking with a contact in the BBC Current Affairs dept. an opportunity […]
‘Believing me is crucial’: How to talk to somebody who is hearing voices
An article by Lucy Nichol that appeared in The Metro on Sunday 20th May 2018. There’s definitely a lack of understanding around the idea of psychosis. In fact, the word itself carries certain connotations that many find unhelpful and often distressing. But we don’t have to use that word if it doesn’t seem to fit with the […]
BBC Why Factor: Why do people hear voices?
I spoke with the Why Factor, along with Rufus May, Elisabeth Svanholmer, Peter Bullimore, Angela Woods and many others, to explore some common questions about hearing voices. The show was intended for people who don’t know much about the topic, but may carry some stereotypes or ideas that aren’t so accurate. For me, the ‘why’ […]
Healthista: Living with ‘Schizophrenia’
This World Mental Health Day the folks at Healthista asked me if I’d be interviewed talking about what it’s like to live with ‘schizophrenia’. This was a strange request as one of the things I’m most vocal about is that the language of mental illness is part of what stripped me of my autonomy and […]
BBC Horizon: Why Did I Go Mad?
This week I was one of three contributors with personal experience of things that often get called ‘psychosis’ (hearing voices, seeing visions and paranoia) on the BBC Documentary ‘Why Did I Go Mad?’. The title, suggested by one of Jacqui Dillon’s voices, was deliberately provocative in order to challenge what we mean by madness and – […]
Radio Times: The Voices in My Head
What’s it like to battle with a dozen people talking inside your head? Rachel Waddingham tells her remarkable story. By Moya Sarner, published in Radio Times Rachel Waddingham sits cross-legged on the sofa and, with the enthusiasm of a children’s TV presenter, talks about travelling the world, the Masters degree she’s doing in psychology and […]
Article on Hearing Voices in the Belfast Telegraph
As a study highlights how hearing voices isn’t always a sign of mental illness, Rachel Waddingham, who has made peace with her 13 voices, tells Lisa Salmon why this is an issue that we all need to hear about.
An initial booklet of our (
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