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Ellie Simmonds; anti-depressants; dealing with loneliness

Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds on success, baking and writing for kids. Anti-depressants, over-prescribed and ineffective or a lifesaver?

Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds on success, baking and her first book for children. She was Star Baker in her episode of The Great Comic Relief Bake Off last year and she's just published a children's story called Best Cake for a Best Friend which follows the fictional eight year old character Ellie as she tries to change the world around her through baking.

There's been a considerable increase in the numbers of anti-depressants prescribed in the UK over the last decade. Last year more than 50 million prescriptions were issued in England alone. As part of our Staying Sane series we explore the role of anti-depressants in keeping ourselves healthy and free from danger. Are GPs prescribing them too often or are we just getting better at diagnosing depression? How effective are they are and do we know how they really work? We'll be hearing from a listener, Karen who wishes she had taken them earlier. We'll also be hearing from psychiatrist Dr Joanna Moncrieff who questions their efficacy and safety and from Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

According to data launched last week, Britain is the loneliness capital of Europe - we're less likely overall to know our neighbours or have strong friendships than people living anywhere else in the EU. Jane talks to psychotherapist Philippa Perry and to Marion McGilvary who has written about what it's like to be sociable and yet still feel a deep sense of loneliness.

And, from the Woman's Hour archive, Althea Gibson, the first African-American tennis player to win a Grand Slam title.

Presenter Jane Garvey
Producer Erin Riley.

Available now

58 minutes

Chapters

  • Anti-Depressants

    A listener's experience, & psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff, & Dr Maureen Baker of the RCGP

    Duration: 13:23

  • Ellie Simmonds

    Ellie Simmonds on paralympic swimming, baking, and her new children’s book

    Duration: 07:13

  • Sociable, But Lonely

    Psychotherapist Philippa Perry & Marion McGilvary on being sociable yet lonely

    Duration: 09:07

  • History of Shopgirls

    Dr Pamela Cox - Essex University Lecturer & presenter of a new Â鶹ԼÅÄ Two series, Shopgirls

    Duration: 07:26

  • Althea Gibson

    The first African-American to win Wimbledon. Liz Roberts with Carl Kramer & Henry Kennedy

    Duration: 04:46

Anti-Depressants - Part Of Our Staying Sane Series

There’s been a considerable increase in the numbers of prescribed in the UK over the last decade.ÌýLast year more than 50 million prescriptions were issued in England alone. Tomorrow as part of our Staying Sane series we explore the role of anti-depressants in keeping ourselves healthy and free from danger.ÌýAre GPs prescribing them too often, or are we just getting better at diagnosing depression? How effective are they, and do we know how they really work?ÌýWe’ll be hearing from a listener, Karen, who wishes she had taken them earlier.ÌýAnd we’ll also be hearing from psychiatrist who questions their efficacy and safety, and from Dr Maureen Baker, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Ìý

Ellie Simmonds – Paralympic Swimmer And Now Children’s Author

Ellie Simmonds has won four Paralympic gold medals, and currently holds ten world records. She shot to fame in 2008 when she won her first two Paralympic golds in Beijing at the age of just 13. The following year she became the youngest ever recipient of an MBE, and has since received an OBE. She intends to compete at the Paralympics in Rio in 2016, but in the meantime she’s studying at Loughborough and pursing her passion for baking cakes. She was Star Baker in her episode of The Great Comic Relief Bake Off last year, and she’s just published a children’s story called Best Cake for A Best Friend, which follows the fictional eight year old character Ellie as she tries to change the world around her by baking. Jane met Ellie Simmonds a few days ago and asked her about her swimming and her baking.

Sociable But Lonely – The Importance Of Having Intimate Friends

Loneliness is an affliction that’s rarely mentioned and yet it affects all in society, including those of us who have plenty of human contact. In today’s item on loneliness we explore what it’s like to be lonely in a crowd. Some people experience deep and constant feelings of loneliness regardless of their social situation or how many friends they have. According to data launched last week, Britain is the loneliness capital of Europe – we’re less likely overall to know our neighbours or have strong friendships than people living anywhere else in the EU. Jane talks to psychotherapist Philippa Perry, and to Marion McGilvary, who has written about what it’s like to be sociable and yet still feel a deep sense of loneliness.

History of Shopgirls

The 1860s marked a change in culture on the high-street. It was a time when young women’s employment outside the home was taking off ,and being served by a woman in a shop was a strange new phenomenon. Prior to this, shop work was a closed world for most women. So what led this change? Why was shopwork considered ‘un-ladylike’? And why is the profession’s early history steeped in scandal? A new series, ,Ìýcharts howÌýthey have been central to Britain’s retail revolution. Lecturer at University of Essex, , who presents the three-part Â鶹ԼÅÄ Two series, joins Jane.

Ìý

Shopgirls: The True Story Of Life Behind The Counter is broadcast tonight on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Two at 9pm

Archive – Althea Gibson

AltheaÌý Gibson was the first African-American to win Wimbledon, and indeed the first to winÌý a Grand Slam: The French Open in 1956.Ìý Five years before, she’d beenÌý the first African American to be invited to play atÌý the All England Club.ÌýShe went on to win the Ladies’ singles thereÌý in 1957 and 1958.ÌýÌý In this piece from the Woman’s Hour Archive Collection, first broadcast in 1989,ÌýLiz Roberts spoke to the photographer Carl Kramer and toÌý Henry Kennedy, a former tennis player on the same circuit.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jane Garvey
Producer Erin Riley
Interviewed Guest Ellie Simmonds
Interviewed Guest Joanna Moncrieff
Interviewed Guest Maureen Baker
Interviewed Guest Philippa Perry
Interviewed Guest Marion McGilvary
Interviewed Guest Althea Gibson

Broadcast

  • Tue 24 Jun 2014 10:00

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