Therapy culture? Attitudes towards emotional support in Britain 171

the possibilities of talk-based therapeutic intervention, while for many of those
in most need – especially in our poorer communities – the problem may still be
one of failing to address the structural adversities which produce such needs and
of excessive medication. In such circumstances, talk of the triumph of the
therapeutic has a particularly hollow ring.
Notes
1. Subjective mental well-being was measured using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental
Well Being Scale (WEMWBS), a recently developed and validated scale for
assessing positive mental health (mental well-being). WEMWBS is based on 14
positively worded items with five response categories and covers most aspects of
positive mental health (positive thoughts and feelings) currently in the literature,
including both hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives. The questions can be found
at www.natcen.ac.uk/bsaquestionnaires (see self-completion questionnaire version
C, Q.25a-n or version D, Q.29a-n).
2. This question included an interviewer instruction that read as follows
“INTERVIEWER - IF ASKED, ONLY INCLUDE MEDICATION PRESCRIBED
BY A DOCTOR OR OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. DO NOT INCLUDE
THINGS BOUGHT OVER THE COUNTER.”
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