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This is a series of short pieces exploring themes from Other People – Something You Should Know. Why, when people are struggling with the idea that they’re uniquely awful and suffering from acute self-consciousness, do we usher them into a dimly lit room and subject them to a process of intense self-scrutiny in the company of someone who’s pretending to be terrifically well? Or medicate them and leave them to it?

Other People argues that our mainstream approaches to mental health and well-being are too individualistic, too intensely subjective; that we’re not making nearly enough of the very powerful potential for people to come to terms more with themselves by looking outwards at other people and that coming to terms with yourself is an essential component of mental health. 

To illustrate how universal these themes are, and how easy it is to find examples, I often use stories from the previous couple of weeks in the media. Apologies to those concerned but since unrealistic ideas about other people are part of the problem, it is very helpful to have real life examples (who really believes psychotherapy case studies?). And if you are someone who’s trading off a bullshit version of yourself or your life, you’re quite a serious part of the problem.

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