The Thinking Mind: Mental Health & Personal Growth

What can Netflix's Matthew Perry documentary teach us about the psychology of addiction?

Matthew Perry achieved extraordinary fame and success, yet continued to struggle with addiction throughout his life. His story raises important questions about why some people become addicted to drugs and alcohol, and why success, wealth and recognition don't necessarily resolve deeper psychological difficulties.

In this episode, psychiatrist Dr Alex explores some of the psychological lessons from Matthew Perry's story, drawing on his experience working in addiction services.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for self-development coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

What happens when ordinary people are handed power over others, and how do they respond when that power is taken away? Do you have an inner monster waiting to be unleashed?

In this episode, psychiatrist Dr Alex examines Netflix’s The New Stanford Prison Experiment, exploring what the controversial reality series can and cannot—tell us about human nature.

Dr Alex discusses how leaders emerge, how people gain status and why having authority doesn’t automatically earn respect. He also considers the role of personality, the distress caused by inconsistency, and how people reationalise their behaviour. 

Can a programme offer valuable insights without producing reliable scientific evidence? 

If you were given the uniform—or put behind the bars—what would you do?

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.
Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

A major new government review has been published into mental health, ADHD and autism. Some headlines have framed it as a warning about ADHD and autism being overdiagnosed, but is that really what the report says?

In this episode, Dr Alex looks at the executive summary of the review and explains why the findings are more complicated than some of the coverage suggests.

Dr Alex discusses the report’s concerns about underdiagnosis, misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis, the difference between having traits and having a diagnosable condition, the role of independent providers, the question of CQC regulation, and the proposed shift from a “diagnosis-dependent” system to a “needs-led plus diagnosis” model.

He also shares his own questions about what this would mean in practice: how need should be assessed, whether diagnosis can really be separated from support, and how services can avoid replacing one flawed system with another.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.
Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

We talk constantly about “mental health”, but do we actually know what it is?
Psychiatry is very good at defining mental disorders: depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, anxiety and many others. But that raises a more fundamental question: what does a mentally healthy person actually look like? 
In this episode, Dr Alex is joined by philosopher and psychotherapist John T. Maier, author of the forthcoming book The Minds We Want: A Theory of Mental Health.

They discuss whether mental health is simply the absence of mental illness, whether it should be defined by how well we function, and who ultimately gets to decide what a “healthy” mind is supposed to be.

They discuss psychiatry’s medical model, psychotherapy, personality, self-actualisation, possible functions of a healthy mind and what mental health services should actually be trying to achieve.
Learn more about John's work - https://www.jmaier.net/
Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. 

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.
Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

In this clip from E184 of the podcast, Dr Alex Curmi explores the psychology of the “nice guy” through the film Obsession (2026). He examines the difference between genuine kindness and niceness, and why suppressing desire, anger and assertiveness can have unhealthy (even dangerous) consequences.
Listen to the full episode released on July 24th 2026 for the full analysis of Obsession. 
Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. 

Get in touch: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/contact/

Check out The Thinking Mind Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Speaking inquiries: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/speaking/

Coaching: https://alexcurmitherapy.com/practice/

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast