Adam Kay: "I was told to man up!" Coping with PTSD and mental health stigma

Adam Kay: "I was told to man up!" Coping with PTSD and mental health stigma

June 28, 2026 · 1h 1m · Season 44 · Episode 6

About this episode

Adam Kay discusses his experience with PTSD and the stigma surrounding mental health, particularly among NHS workers.

Just man up. This is essentially what Adam Kay was told when a traumatic day at work left him with PTSD. In this chat with Fearne, former doctor Adam explains why he made the decision to leave the medical profession, and puts a spotlight on the poor mental health of our NHS workers. Adam talks about how, in his case, the job left him feeling paranoid and overcautious, and how he turned to diary writing to process his emotions. They chat about how we can all chip away at any mental health stigma in both the workplace and at home with loved ones, and offer advice for how to put together your own mental health toolkits for crises of varying severity. A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay is out in paperback 2nd July (published by Orion). CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank conversation about suicide. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Nicole LaPera Sam Claflin Jamie Laing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Fearne Cotton

Guest: Adam Kay

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NHS, Orion

Books & works: A Particularly Nasty Case

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