All in the Mind

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The show with the latest evidence on psychology, mental health and neuroscience.

The show on how we think, feel and behave. Claudia Hammond delves into the evidence on mental health, psychology and neuroscience.

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All in the Mind: Supporting a son with schizophrenia

Supporting a son with schizophrenia

BBC Radio 4 - All in the Mind, Supporting a son with schizophrenia

All in the Mind Awards: a mother who supports her musician son, living with schizophrenia.

The latest All in the Mind Awards finalist: a mother who's helping her adult son to make music again - in spite of the voices he hears because of his schizophrenia.

Hamish Barclay was a teenager when he was given steroids to treat kidney problems and experienced a rare side effect of psychosis.  Now 29, he's lived with a diagnosis of schizophrenia for ten years  and thanks to support from his mother Josephine he's been able to return to making music.  His sister Maudie helped him to nominate their mum for an All in the Mind Awards - and she's now reached the finals. 

The family talk candidly to Claudia Hammond about the stigma around schizophrenia - they sometimes avoid using the word because they know it can put people off playing music with him in bands.  Maudie says their mum shows incredible patience and love by driving him to London from Somerset and sitting in his classes, so he can study music and play his beloved guitar. 

The voices - or auditory hallucinations - which Hamish hears make it hard for him to write songs - but the medication he takes is helping to push them into the background.  We hear some of Hamish's compositions he's recorded with other students at his college - and about how much difference writing music has made to his mental health and wellbeing.

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All in the Mind

Supporting a son with schizophrenia

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