Ideas for a better-examined life.
Practical thinking on mental health, burnout, resilience, leadership and self discovery, beyond the consulting room.
On YouTube
Dr Makan shares guidance and insights on burnout, resilience and leadership, bringing evidence-based psychiatry together with holistic common sense.
The Dr Ajay Makan Podcast
A podcast about mental health, leadership and self discovery.
Articles on Medium
Escaping Poison Paradise
Explains how a healthy relationship differs from a toxic one, which wears a person down with self-doubt, fear and shame. Dr Makan notes that toxic relationships can still hold good moments that keep people in them, and that culture or religion can hide them in plain sight. Violence, abuse or harassment are clear signs to seek help.
5 Life Truths for Teenagers
Five life lessons for young people, offered from the perspective of a specialist psychiatrist.
The Long Walk from Prison to Freedom
Life lessons drawn from the story of Nelson Mandela's cell mate, a tale of human triumph against all odds.
How To Not Care What People Think
Six steps towards self-improvement by developing confidence and resilience.
The Artist is Dead, Long Live the Artist!
A piece on moving from frustration to creating a landscape of abundance.
Hard Work Won't Make You Successful
Challenges the myth that hard work alone determines success, and points to what matters more.
Dr Makan also writes poetry for the restless at heart, including Set Yourself Free, Moonlight, My Lost Love and Lost A Piece of My Soul. All writing →
Speaking up for mental health.
On World Mental Health Day 2020, Dr Makan told South Africans amid the COVID-19 pandemic to reach out, because together we are stronger.