I Have Issues - Psychology with Dr Mark

Episode 57 - HOW A COMFORT TEDDY HELPED MY ANXIETY: Interview With Sid Batty

I Have Issues - Psychology with Dr Mark

Show Notes

Send us Fan Mail You may have had a favourite teddy, blanket or toy as a child that helped you feel secure and safe. These are not just toys, we create relationships with them that are meaningful to us and give us a feeling of calm. We may think that these comfort teddy's are only needed when we are children, but that is not the case. In this episode, I talk to 24 year old Sid Batty, who has struggled with his mental health. Sid was a semi professional footballer whose career was cut sh...

More from I Have Issues - Psychology with Dr Mark

Oct 17, 2026

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of I Have Issues, Dr Mark Rackley is joined by mental health campaigner Ben West for a deeply personal conversation about grief, mental health and finding reasons to keep going. After losing his younger brother Sam to suicide, Ben became a passionate advocate for better mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Ben talks openly about Sam, the devastating impact of losing him, and how his own experience of grief has shaped the work he does today. Together...

Oct 1, 2026

Send us Fan Mail Panic attacks can feel terrifying — your heart races, your breathing changes, your body goes into alarm, and it can feel as though something is seriously wrong. In this episode, psychologist Dr Mark Rackley explains what is actually happening during a panic attack, why the body reacts so strongly, and why the experience can feel so overwhelming. He explores the cycle of panic, the role of fear and physical sensations, and how our thoughts can intensify what we are feeling. Mo...

Jan 24, 2026

Send us Fan Mail ADHD is not just about challenges to do with shifting attention or hyperactivity, there is so much more to it than that. In this episode I cover the A-Z of ADHD, talking about the major symptoms that occur when you are living with this and how they impact your life. This list of course is not exhaustive, rather its a starting point to understanding and normalising the way ADHD behaves so that people living with ADHD can feel seen and validated. I'm an adolescent a...

Dec 21, 2025

Send us Fan Mail Why is being a people-pleaser an issue? Why do people become people-pleasers? If you are a people-pleaser, what can you do about it? In this episode I tackle to issue of people-pleasing. Yes, it's nice to be nice and to do our best to make others happy, but this is not always good for our mental health. People-pleasing can leave you anxious, depressed and living a life that is making everyone else happy and the people-pleaser miserable. As ever, this podcast is all about hope...

Nov 15, 2025

Send us Fan Mail What is indoctrination? Why do some people get indoctrinated into ideas and communities that are harmful? How would you know you were indoctrinated and what can you do? We live in a world now where our mind is bombarded with information that is trying to get us to think a certain way. From religious, political and cultural ideas, our mind has the potential to be indoctrinated and it is a lot easier that you think for this to happen. Anyone of us can the potential to be ...

See all episodes →