Shayna Weisz, ‘What’s wrong with me? How mental health awareness might actually be making us feel worse’ (with Q&A)

All civil humans welcome

We’re living through a boom in mental health awareness, where psychiatric diagnoses and psychological language have become part of everyday life. But what if this growing focus on labelling our dysfunctions and differences isn’t actually helping us feel better? What if, in turning inward to try and fix ourselves, we’re being quietly discouraged from questioning the world around us? In this talk, I’ll explore the shaky scientific foundations of modern psychiatry, the growing tendency to medicalise distress and difference, and the lesser-known cultural and political roots of therapeutic thinking. I’ll argue that as we increasingly look inward for solutions, rather than outward at the systems shaping our struggles, we risk losing sight of what’s really hurting us. This talk invites a critical rethink of the stories we tell ourselves – and each other – about mental health, identity, and what it really means to be “normal.”

Shayna Weisz is a PhD student from London researching the gender politics of mental health discourse. She is interested in how gender roles and expectations inform mental health narratives, and the explicit and more insidious harms they may (re)produce for women. With a background in psychology, philosophy, and sociology, Shayna aims to critically interrogate and expose the often overlooked social and political roots of psychiatric thinking. She is passionate about debunking pseudoscience, having uncomfortable conversations, and questioning the status quo in order to bring about real social change.