journalism | Clare Allan

clare allan

journalism

'It's my Life' series, The Guardian

Being a coronavirus volunteer reveals how our lives are stitched together

Trump may be many things but he’s not a ‘nutter’ – and I should know

I’ve been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. A review won’t fix the crisis

If we hide our mental health issues, we make it easier for society to ignore us

Young people’s mental health services in the UK need cash not empty promises

The extended benefit cap is a cynical ploy by the UK government

In the 50 years since Cathy Come Home things have got much worse

After the Brexit vote, we need to learn to see others as they see themselves

The label ‘incurable’ is not a justification for ending a life

My friend’s test for the Pip disability benefit evoked a biblical parable

Why words matter when it comes to mental health

Mental health problems aren’t all in the brain

Why do I let myself be conned?

Food supplements prey on people’s desire for change

Dear Ken Livingstone, don’t mock those who need psychiatric help

My dog has been the custodian of my hope at times of severe depression

The DWP’s fit-for-work tests are a national catastrophe

Alcohol addiction is ruining older lives, too

What makes us feel for Cecil the lion but not for fellow humans?

Equality at work is still a pipedream for people with mental health problems

Don’t use John Nash to promote the use of anti-psychotic drugs

Only less austerity will improve our mental health

Goading a vulnerable person to jump to their death is sickening

Cutting obese people’s benefits is bullying

A government agenda to dehumanise benefit claimants

Are our expectations of friends, partners or children too high?

If psychosis is a rational response to abuse, let’s talk about it

Could my breakdown have been prevented?

When pressure is to blame for doctors behaving badly

A dog does wonders for your mental health - and I should know

Focus on historical sexual abuse ignores today's harsh mental health cuts

Give us a garden and we can cultivate our own hope and wellbeing

How mental health patients can help design out stress

Workplace depression is a companion of social and financial inequality

Mental health cuts will cost much more than they save

Home is identity – moving is complicated

Want parity for mental health? Then make a fuss about spending cuts

Fairness and friends: the foundations for good mental health at any age

There's worse things than patients smoking outside hospitals

Lou Reed leaves more than a musical void

A brush with death focused my mind

Where are the voices of the healthcare assistants in mental health?

Internet trolls present a very real threat to vulnerable people

Psychologists are meant to help people heal, not create further damage

Talking about mental health destigmatises it

Running shows the mind who's boss

The most toxic issue facing those with mental health problems is stigma

Social rents increases will break up communities

There are no gods in mental health

People living with serious mental health problems deserve New Year honours

What does a schizophrenia diagnosis mean?

Jimmy Savile scandal shows mental health inpatient voice is crucial

You can change the story of your life

George Galloway has no respect for disability

Why Cameron's happiness agenda can only backfire

MPs' courage will help challenge the stigma of mental health problems

How an app is motivating me to get fit – and improving my mental health

How can it be right to profit from disability?

You don't have to live alone to be depressed

Should we involve ourselves in neighbours' mental health issues?

Reorganising mental health services into clusters doesn't make sense

The coalition's Dickensian take on disability allowance

A lack of physical symptoms makes depression harder to bear

Why do some people seek out fear when others can't escape theirs?

For poor and vulnerable people, shoddy service comes as standard

On mental health, it's wise to choose your words carefully

How 'therapeutic' fiction restored my faith in humanity

All the drugs you want – and not a prescription in sight

Renewed concern about Atos medical assessments

As a person with borderline personality disorder, apparently I have no empathy .

A much needed sanctuary from shocking homeless situations

Democracy in the UK still leaves too many people disenfranchised

A new NHS and mental health patients are as powerless as eve r

New year, new body – but what if the mind's moved out?

If 'reality TV' means bullying Gillian McKeith, get me out of here

Uncertainty over cuts will hit the vulnerable hardest

My midlife crisis has focused me on what to do between now and death

The asylum experience never leaves you

Let's assess this government's cynical ruse rather than the mentally ill

For people with mental health issues the cloak of cyberspace has advantages

Gardening: medicine for the body and mind

A manifesto for ending mental health stigma

Shopping around for treament is hardly retail therapy

There's no place like a council home to damage your health

The healing power of books should be taken as read

Bullying is the monster that lurks within us all

It's a pity people don't share a dog's blind spot for stigma

We need the choice not to have to choose life or death

Peaks can be an antidote to the troughs of mental illness

When a seven-minute diagnosis is not enough

Hardline smoking ban just isn't fit for purpose

The comfort to be found in a community of outcasts

Is the truth out there? It depends who you believe

Fritzl is not a monster - and that makes the horror worse

Why some complaints pack a greater punch than others

Electronic files could threaten my privacy

Spending is no remedy for mental health credit crisis

Being 'mentally ill' does not make you incompetent

Thanks Iceland, Sarah Palin and VW. You're a ray of light

Sensational media infects even the most unlikely places

What are little girls made of - penknives or hairbrushes?

Stigma goes far more than skin deep

The gain in Spain means looking on the sunny side

I can vote, I can pay tax - so why can't I sit on a jury?

Why those jibes at Prescott are so out of order

Those who can't work still have something to give

Out of the ward, and out of the control of others

Blame game players are thoughtless and ill-informed

Divisions see property take precedence

Loose-talking psychophobes show nothing but contempt

Long nights of suffering . . . but definitely not in silence

What a difference a World Mental Health Day makes

How an old dog taught me new tricks to care for mysel f

In the thick of our mess, it's social workers who clean up

Do the drug companies takes us all for mugs?

Reality check

There ain't no cure for the summertime blues

Virginia Tech doesn't justify a flawed mental health bill

Losing faith when the promise of life goes astray

Form of torment

The jury's out: I'm guilty of having a mental illness

The unfair smoking ban will mean fuming on the wards

Back to reality

The closed ward allows illogical worlds to flourish

Misplaced pride

Other Guardian articles

‘Totally pawesome’: at the three-legged dog convention

Dad’s final, defiant Christmas was the best ever

Under threat: 400 years of social history

My Brilliant Survival Guide

Review: The Girl on the Landing, by Paul Torday

Review: Mountains of the Moon, by IJ Kay

Review: Alice and the Fly, by James Rice

The New York Times

A Midsummer Day's Nightmare

The Sunday Times

Asylum Seekers