Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg) header
Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg) profile picture

Marieke Bigg, PhD

@MariekeBigg

Author, sociologist, trainee psychotherapist. Agent: Rachel Goldblatt. A HISTORY OF SCIENCE IN 21 WOMEN. Out September 2026.

 London, England
mariekebigg.com
Joined April 2012
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Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)Photo by Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
What is 'normal' when it comes to mental health? Really enjoyed recording this with @ThinkingMindPod podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcas…
E134 - Is Psychiatry Making Things Worse? (w/ Marieke Bigg)

E134 - Is Psychiatry Making Things Worse? (w/ Marieke Bigg)

Podcast Episode · The Thinking Mind: Mental Health & Personal Growth · 24 July 2025 · 53min

podcasts.apple.com
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recovery&renewal (@recover2renew) profile picture
recovery&renewal
@recover2renew9 Jul 2025
Dr Marieke Bigg: Is Psychiatry Letting Us Down? Great interview Thank you @MariekeBigg @Welldoing_Org welldoing.org/article/dr-mar…

Dr Marieke Bigg: Is Psychiatry Letting Us Down?

Alice McGurran interviews Dr Marieke Bigg about her book No Such Thing as Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry

welldoing.org
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Marieke Bigg, PhD retweeted
Justin Garson (@justin_garson) profile picture
Justin Garson
@justin_garson27 Jun 2025
It’s inconceivable to me that a quarter of the UK population is mentally ill. Rather, the language of ‘mental illness’ - depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD - has become a culturally acceptable way to express our dissatisfaction with, and rejection of, the demands of society.
Image from Justin Garson (@justin_garson)
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Nearly 40% of women have a "mental health condition" says survey. Can't we ditch that language & the ideology it propagates & rather say: such women are in emotional pain, often for obvious socio-relational reasons. This take obliges a different response. theguardian.com/society/2025…
One in four young people in England have mental health condition, NHS survey finds

One in four young people in England have mental health condition, NHS survey finds

Rates are higher in young women as in young men and mental ill health up across age groups, study shows

theguardian.com
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Agree! If depression is a meaningful response to a system falling short, higher rates among women start to make a lot of sense. The dysfunction is NOT in our brains, but in society.
Prof James Davies 💭 (@JDaviesPhD) profile pictureProf James Davies 💭@JDaviesPhD16 Jun 2025
'James Davies wants the Govenment to tackle the social determinants of depression and improve access to therapy: "The imbalance isn’t in our brains, it’s in our provision", he said'. Happy to be quoted in the Sunday Times 👇 thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/a…
A generation of women over 50 stuck taking antidepressants

A generation of women over 50 stuck taking antidepressants

A quarter of women in their fifties and sixties take antidepressants, and 15 per cent of women over 50 have been on them for longer than five years

thetimes.com
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Spotted @WstoneIslington
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Great to see No Such Thing as Normal as a highlight @Foyles alongside It's Probably Nothing by @TVNaga01
Image from Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
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Quick fixes aren't the answer to mental suffering, because we don't heal by feeling good, but less powerless. Lovely article on how good therapy helps cultivate agency, not cosy feelings. theguardian.com/lifeandstyle…

Therapy isn’t about life hacks. The best solutions are simpler – and more complex

What we want is quick, clever fixes. What we need is quite different: the ability to tolerate intolerable feelings, to sustainably change and grow

theguardian.com
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I spoke about No Such Thing as Normal @ConwayHall yesterday. With thoughtful questions from people affected by mental health issues, as well as mental health professionals, it was motivating to connect with people over a shared aspiration for better mental healthcare.
Image from Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
Image from Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
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The UK government's decision to prescribe SSRI antidepressants to sexual offenders to suppress their sexual desire is the clearest admission yet (by the establishment) of how profoundly these drugs impair sexual functioning.
PSSD Network | Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (@PSSDNetwork) profile picturePSSD Network | Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
@PSSDNetwork28 May 2025
Sophy: And does it last forever, is it permanent? Shabana: You have to keep taking the medication. UK Justice Secretary @ShabanaMahmood's answer is incorrect. The planned chemical castration for sex offenders uses SSRIs, which can cause permanent PSSD. nitter.cf/SkyPoliticsHub/status/…
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More of us are getting diagnosed with psychiatric conditions than ever before. Are we getting sicker? Or is there something else going on? Come and explore with me this Sunday @ConwayHall conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/e…
No Such Thing as Normal – Conway Hall

No Such Thing as Normal – Conway Hall

conwayhall.org.uk
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Signing No Such Thing as Normal at my favourite London bookshops! @Foyles @Waterstones @LRB
Image from Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
Image from Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
Image from Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
Image from Marieke Bigg, PhD (@MariekeBigg)
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My book, No Such Thing as Normal is out today!
Profile Books (@ProfileBooks) profile pictureProfile Books@ProfileBooks22 May 2025
Happy publication day to #NoSuchThingAsNormal by @MariekeBigg – an urgent reckoning with the structural misunderstanding and misdiagnosis of mental illness. Get your copy now! tinyurl.com/NoSuchThingAsNor…
A scarlet book on a scarlet background, titled 'No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry' by Marieke Bigg. On the cover is a blister packet for six tablets. Five of the blisters are empty. The endorsement quote from Daniel Tammet says the book is 'a stimulating and timely primer on the social model of mental health'.

ALT A scarlet book on a scarlet background, titled 'No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry' by Marieke Bigg. On the cover is a blister packet for six tablets. Five of the blisters are empty. The endorsement quote from Daniel Tammet says the book is 'a stimulating and timely primer on the social model of mental health'.

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linkedin.com/posts/louisechu…
Welldoing.org CPD: Marieke Bigg on #mentalhealth and choice | Louise Chunn posted on the topic |...

Welldoing.org CPD: Marieke Bigg on #mentalhealth and choice | Louise Chunn posted on the topic |...

Introducing Marieke Bigg, PhD who wowed today's Welldoing.org CPD with her critical analysis of the biomedical model of #mentalhealth as practised by #psychiatrists. Her book No Such Thing As Normal...

linkedin.com
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Very much looking forward to talking to therapists about the social dimensions of mental health!
Welldoing.org (@Welldoing_Org) profile pictureWelldoing.org@Welldoing_Org19 May 2025
Is #psychiatry doing more harm than good? Academic and author @MariekeBigg will be talking to Welldoing therapists on Wednesday at 1pm about her book No Such Thing As Normal -- we'd love any interested practitioners to join us eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-psychi…
Image from Welldoing.org (@Welldoing_Org)
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Marieke Bigg, PhD retweeted
Profile Books (@ProfileBooks) profile picture
Profile Books@ProfileBooks15 May 2025
What will it take to create a mental health system which helps rather than harms us? #NoSuchThingAsNormal by @MariekeBigg tackles this question. Out next week! tinyurl.com/NoSuchThingAsNor…
A scarlet book on a scarlet background, titled 'No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry' by Marieke Bigg. On the cover is a blister packet for six tablets. Five of the blisters are empty. The endorsement quote from Sarah Graham says the book is 'confronting, thought-provoking and hopeful'.

ALT A scarlet book on a scarlet background, titled 'No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry' by Marieke Bigg. On the cover is a blister packet for six tablets. Five of the blisters are empty. The endorsement quote from Sarah Graham says the book is 'confronting, thought-provoking and hopeful'.

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'Social disadvantages – including poor housing, mould, damp and air pollution – can both cause chronic lung conditions and make them worse.' theguardian.com/society/2025…
Asthma figures show ‘shocking’ health inequalities in England, charity says

Asthma figures show ‘shocking’ health inequalities in England, charity says

Exclusive: Minority ethnic patients in most deprived areas more likely to face asthma emergency, analysis shows

theguardian.com
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I’ve signed this letter urging the government to drop its cuts to disability benefits. There is still time to listen to disabled people, recognise the harm these cuts will do and devise a workable plan that safeguards support for the most vulnerable. theguardian.com/politics/202…
Disability benefit cuts impossible to support, 42 Labour MPs tell Starmer

Disability benefit cuts impossible to support, 42 Labour MPs tell Starmer

Exclusive: Backbenchers sign letter calling for change in direction on plans expected to be put to vote next month

theguardian.com
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Really happy to have this recognition from the CEO of Mind, who knows all about the challenges facing mental health services in the UK, and the changes we need
Profile Books (@ProfileBooks) profile pictureProfile Books@ProfileBooks8 May 2025
We are now diagnosed and treated for mental disorders more than ever, despite increasing evidence that environmental factors play a far greater role than biological ones... #NoSuchThingAsNormal by @MariekeBigg is out on 22nd May! Get your copy now: tinyurl.com/NoSuchThingAsNor…
A scarlet book on a scarlet background, titled 'No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry' by Marieke Bigg. On the cover is a blister packet for six tablets. Five of the blisters are empty. The endorsement quote from Sarah Hughes says the book 'challenges us to think more broadly about the complexities of mental health'.

ALT A scarlet book on a scarlet background, titled 'No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry' by Marieke Bigg. On the cover is a blister packet for six tablets. Five of the blisters are empty. The endorsement quote from Sarah Hughes says the book 'challenges us to think more broadly about the complexities of mental health'.

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Giving this talk, at a time when compassion for people with additional needs is at an all time low. Come and join me on 1 June @ConwayHall to rethink mental healthcare. @ProfileBooks conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/e…
No Such Thing as Normal – Conway Hall

No Such Thing as Normal – Conway Hall

conwayhall.org.uk
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