Joanna Cheek

Contributor

Dr. Joanna Cheek, MD, FRCPC (she/her), is a Psychiatrist and Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia. She is the author of the upcoming book, It’s Not You, It’s the World: A Mental Health Survival Guide for Us All (Harper Collins, Feb 2026)

10 Contributions
by Joanna Cheek

What kind of freedom are we fighting for?

We doctors take an oath to honour the health of those we serve, prevent illness whenever we can and first do no harm. These values aren’t a political preference; they’re enduring, evidence-based principles of healthy systems.

by Joanna Cheek

Smiling to death: The hidden dangers of being ‘Nice’

Gabor Maté's new book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture, explores how pushing down our anger and prioritizing the needs of others before our own are leading causes of chronic illness.
by Joanna Cheek

‘Paradigm shift’ needed to deal with mental-health catastrophe

Provincial governments cover only half of treatments for mental-health conditions. It’s not that the public system can’t afford to cover such services. It’s that we can’t afford not to.
by Joanna Cheek

Home and horny? Sex during a pandemic

As the social restrictions of COVID-19 have stalled many sex lives, they’ve also sparked a sexual revolution for others by encouraging conversations about sex and pleasure.  
by Joanna Cheek

‘This is a fight worth fighting’: Pushing back against misinformation

We are not hyper-rational beings who make decisions based on facts. Instead, we too often fall prey to misinformation from innumerable cultural, social and psychological forces that shape the decisions we make. 
by Joanna Cheek

The pandemic paradox: The crisis of loneliness

With the second wave forcing more people into isolation, we are now facing another public health crisis with deadly consequences: loneliness. 

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