All in the Mind - 15/12/2009

Claudia Hammond interviews Dr Sam Cartwright-Hatton about her latest research with anxious children. After a 10-week course teaching parents how to manage their children's behaviour, over 60 per cent of the children were free from their main anxiety. Have you ever found yourself telling someone the same story? A new study from Toronto shows that we all have a tendancy to do this. The reason is how we store information in the brain. While our memories are good at recording who told us a story they are weaker when it comes to remembering who we have told something to. Claudia interviews Canadian reseacher Dr Nigel Gopie. The closing of the asylums began in the 1960s, and since then many have been demolished or converted into flats. But their history holds a fascination for achivists like Julian Pooley from the Surrey History Centre and artist Rachel Gadsden, whose work is inspired by derelict asylums. Claudia accompanies them to West Park, a psychiatric hospital which was closed in 2005. Together with Janet Searle, who has worked at the hospital for nearly 30 years, they discuss the legacy of the asylums.