PsychEd Episode 68: South Asian Mental Health with Dr. Farooq Naeem
Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode covers South Asian mental health with Dr. Farooq Naeem, a senior scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research and a psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He is also a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.Dr. Naeem pioneered techniques for culturally adapting CBT. These techniques have been used to adapt CBT in South Asia, North Africa, Middle East, Kenya and China. His research areas include CBT, psychosis, and culture, with an overall aim to improve access to CBT. He has also published on issues related to health services and quality improvement. He works with a team of IT experts and has developed a CBT-based therapy program — called eGuru — that can be delivered through web and smartphone apps.The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:By the end of this episode, you should be able to…Recognize the unique mental health challenges and barriers faced by South Asian communitiesUnderstand how cultural nuances shape mental health presentations and assessmentsDescribe culturally adapted CBT and its benefits for South Asian patientsIdentify initiatives and future directions in transcultural psychiatry for South AsiansGuest: Dr. Farooq NaeemHosts: Hira Ahmad, Gurvir Rai, Nikhita SinghalAudio editing by: Nikhita SinghalShow notes by: Nikhita SinghalResources:PsychEd Episode 29: Cultural Psychiatry with Dr. Eric JarvisCulturally Adapted Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Canadians of South Asian OriginSouth Asian Canadian Mental Health FoundationSociety for the Study of Psychiatry and CultureReferences:Gadalla, T.M. (2010). Ethnicity and seeking treatment for depression: a Canadian national study. Canadian Ethnic Studies 41(3), 233-245. https://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2010.0042Karasz, A., Gany, F., Escobar, J., Flores, C., Prasad, L., Inman, A., Kalasapudi, V., Kosi, R., Murthy, M., Leng, J., & Diwan, S. (2019). Mental health and stress among South Asians. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 21(S1), 7–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0790-4Kumar, A., & Nevid, J. S. (2010). Acculturation, enculturation, and perceptions of mental disorders in Asian Indian immigrants. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16(2), 274–283. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018352Lai, D. W. L., & Surood, S. (2008). Socio-cultural variations in depressive symptoms of ageing South Asian Canadians. Asian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 3(2), 84-91.Leung, P., Cheung, M., & Tsui, V. (2011). Asian Indians and depressive symptoms: Reframing mental health help -seeking behavior. International Social Work, 55(1), 53–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872810372801Masood, N., Okazaki, S., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2009). Gender, family, and community correlates of mental health in South Asian Americans. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(3), 265–274. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014301Vakil, K., Desse, T. A., Manias, E., Alzubaidi, H., Rasmussen, B., Holton, S., & McNamara, K. P. (2023). Patient-centered care experiences of first-generation, South Asian migrants with chronic diseases living in high-income, Western countries: systematic review. Patient Preference and Adherence, 17, 281–298. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S391340For more PsychEd, follow us on Instagram (@psyched.podcast), Facebook (PsychEd Podcast), X (@psychedpodcast), and Bluesky (@psychedpodcast.bsky.social). You can email us at
[email protected] and visit our website at psychedpodcast.org.
South Africa