There is some evidence to suggest that ‘stress debriefing’ after disasters may actually increase the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder. Are counsellors flying in from different cultures to those who have survived the disaster able to understand other kinds of coping strategies, or are they imposing their own models of psychological distress?

When the wine is flowing freely, no one really turns their attention to the hangover that awaits after the party’s over. Having squandered energy and natural resources for decades, what do we do now?

There’s more than a call to freedom or a cry of deliverance from repression going on right now. History is reminding us of the worth of every human soul and our duty to show appropriate reverence for life and the life-sustaining characteristics of our planet.

How do we express outwardly to the world our inner sense of identity, and how do we feed the body, mind and spirit that makes us rounded and healthy human beings? The Roman poet Juvenal recommended “a healthy mind in a healthy body” as the only blessing worth praying for, but how easy is that to achieve in the wake of the festive season?

The ‘cuddly hormone’, oxytocin, seems to have a dark side, according to research suggesting that it only works on those who are within our own group. But does this say anything about our real lives?

What happened in Tucson is no doubt a genuine tragedy. But it will be an even bigger calamity if we don’t learn from it and start attending to our systems of mental health care so that individuals with serious problems can secure help before disaster strikes.

Pressured from all sides, from the Government to the pupils, teachers are increasingly suffering burnout. The problems may seem insurmountable, but the most important point in protecting yourself from burnout turns out to be a very simple one: treat yourself as if you were actually very important.