Anna Drescher

A male friend recently told me, “I’m exhausted — you know, deeply exhausted in my soul,” and over the last few years, several of my male friends have expressed suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide — two of whom died.
Is this a common experience for men? Is men’s mental health in crisis?
When you look at the news, scroll on social media, or read the research into men’s mental health, it becomes clear that men are suffering, and many of them in silence.
In this post, I’ll explore what’s shapi...

Emotional infidelity refers to an emotional involvement with a person outside of your relationship that threatens the commitment, trust, and intimacy of your primary relationship.
It’s not always straightforward to know if your involvement with another person is a friendship or constitutes cheating, but there are some definite signs of emotional infidelity to look out for.
In this post, we’ll explore the signs of emotional infidelity and discuss how it impacts the relationship and what to do ...

I was the lead author of this guide for young people on how things in the news might affect our thoughts and feelings, with advice on how to cope.

Men’s Mental Health Month is an opportunity to open up the conversation about men’s mental health and raise awareness about the unique challenges men face.
In the previous article, I explored how, despite some progress, stigma and traditional masculine norms are still impacting men’s mental health today.
So how can men look after their mental health despite these ongoing pressures?
While redefining masculinity and creating space for men to express themselves is a broader cultural and societal...

How do negative thought patterns affect us?
It’s natural to have negative thoughts sometimes. But if you get stuck in a pattern of negative thinking, it can harm your mental health and self-esteem.
Your thoughts, feelings and behaviours are connected, so how you think also affects how you feel and behave.1 That’s why learning how to think in healthier ways can make a big difference to your overall wellbeing.
Changing thought patterns begins with being open-minded about the things you previous...

Take the first step towards recovery by understanding the most common signs and symptoms of addiction.
Start your recovery today at Priory.
Addiction is a complex yet treatable condition that affects many people worldwide. It means a person compulsively takes a substance or performs a behaviour, despite the negative or harmful consequences it has on their life.
Over time, the brain gets used to the elevated dopamine levels it gets from the substance or behaviour. This can lead to intense crav...

The silent treatment, or purposefully ignoring or excluding someone, is common in relationships and isn’t always purposefully hurtful.
However, in some cases, the silent treatment is abuse and becomes a tactic for control and manipulation.
Where is that line, and how do you recognize when silent treatment forms part of a broader pattern of abusive behavior?
In this post, we’ll explore how to recognize the warning signs of silent treatment abuse and how to respond in a healthy way.
Before you ...

Although many employers are putting in place policies and initiatives to improve wellbeing and reduce burnout (like support services, counselling, and workshops), an important component is often overlooked: physical workspace d...

Your partner seems to be spending a lot of time with someone they met at work. While they promise it’s only friendship and nothing physical is happening, it makes you feel uneasy, and you wonder: Are they cheating?
When we think of cheating, we tend to think of the physical side of things. But if there’s no sex, is building an emotional connection with someone other than your partner still cheating?
In this post we’ll explore what emotional cheating is, how it’s different from friendship, and...

A growing number of empirical studies show that immersion in nature and nature-based activities improves mental and physical health.
A recent two-year initiative in the UK explored how prescribing nature-based activities, also called Green Social Prescribing, could improve mental health outcomes. The activities included gardening, green exercise, bushcraft, wild swimming, conversation project, outdoor creative activities and many more. Their 2024 report found that, across all types of activit...

Have you ever felt annoyed at someone, and instead of speaking to them, you chose to ignore them?
Or maybe you had a fight with a friend or partner, and they stopped responding, even when you reached out?
The silent treatment is a very common social behavior that you’ve probably been on the receiving end of – and probably given, too. It’s common in romantic and platonic relationships and in families, as well as in workplaces.
But what exactly is the silent treatment, and why do we use it? How...

Anna Drescher is a mental health writer and editor with a background in psychology and psychotherapy. She holds a first-class honours degree in psychology from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a master’s degree in mental health/psychotherapy from the University of Queensland, where she graduated with distinction. In addition to her writing and editorial work, Anna is a certified hypnotherapist and meditation teacher.

Anna has extensive experience of working within the mental health sector. She has worked in clinical and forensic settings, including within the NHS, where she conducted psy

I was the lead author on this article to help young people understand how different things can affect confidence and self-esteem, and how they can all relate to mental health.

I was the lead author on this article on tips and ideas that can help young people feel more confident and improve their self-esteem.

Gaslighting is a type of manipulation, but not all manipulation is considered gaslighting. Gaslighting is a particularly insidious and hurtful form of manipulation that involves a pattern of abusive behaviors with the intent not just to influence someone, but to control and exploit them.
Manipulation, in a broader sense, describes the act of changing or influencing someone else’s thoughts, emotions, or actions in a deceptive or cunning manner. The term “manipulation” can encompass a wide rang...