If we don’t talk about complex mental health conditions, how can we expect things to change? Journalist, presenter, and producer Elfy Scott joins us to talk about her book The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About. This powerful piece of non-fiction draws from Elfy’s family’s experience with schizophrenia to ask big questions about vulnerability, justice and duty of care.
We chat about Elfy about her personal connection to this topic, her experiences researching and writing the book, and sharing lived experience authentically.
Show Notes
About The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About
The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About is an investigation into the failings of Australia’s mental healthcare system, grounded in a personal story of a mother–daughter relationship
Journalist Elfy Scott grew up in a household where her mother’s schizophrenia was rarely, if ever, spoken about. They navigated this silence outside the family home too; for many years, this complex mental health condition was treated as an open secret. Elfy came to realise there must be thousands of families who felt silenced in the same way – including people who were far more vulnerable.
Part memoir, part deep-dive investigation, The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About is filled with rage at how our nation’s public discourse, emergency services and healthcare systems continue to fail so many people. It is also a work of care, telling the little-heard stories of people who live with these conditions and work at the front lines of mental health.
Released 2023 with Pantera Press.
About the author
Elfy is a presenter, journalist, and author.
She started out her journalism career at BuzzFeed News as their first science reporter and her freelance journalism has featured in The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, SBS, Junkee, Pedestrian, and VICE.
Elfy also worked as the senior producer and host of the daily video news show, The Junkee Takeaway
She’s currently working as the editor of Mamamia. You may also know her from her previous work as the host of the Spotify exclusive podcast, Left Right Out or as host of the weekly environmental news podcast, The Green Canary.
Find Elfy via her website, Instagram or Twitter.
Elfy’s recommendations
- The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang
- Tell Me I’m Here by Anne Deveson
Relevant mental health resources
- Schizophrenia factsheet and guide (SANE)
- More information about stigma affecting people with complex mental health conditions – National Stigma Report Card
- What’s happening to reduce stigma in Australia? For an overview, check out the National Stigma Reduction Strategy
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