Contagious Realities (2024) - Alice Dawkins, Natasha Mitchell, Sandersan Onie, Jean Twenge & Sonny Jane Wise

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

The increase in mental health and neurodivergent diagnoses in recent years indicates that we’re more aware of our brains than ever before.

Does improved social awareness, self-identification, representation and access mean we’ve reached a turning point in the way we acknowledge and treat mental health and neurodivergence in society? Or are we at risk of over-pathologising ourselves and the world around us?

Alice Dawkins is the Executive Director of Reset.Tech Australia, a policy organisation with a focus on regulating digital risks and online harms.

Sandersan Onie is an award-winning researcher at the Black Dog Institute and Harvard Medical School and is passionate about a mentally healthier world, especially how culture, AI, and tech can contribute to this vision.

Jean M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 180 scientific publications and seven books, including Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future and iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious.

Sonny Jane Wise is an Autistic Bipolar ADHDer, who offers a powerful and relatable voice in the neurodiversity space. Their books resources, workshops and talks have led to organisations and services adopting a neurodiversity affirming framework and embedding inclusion within their policies.

Chaired by journalist, radio presenter, and podcaster Natasha Mitchell.