Mental Health Category
British Asians with mental illnesses are being failed: we all must do more to overcome stigma and redress inequalities
Posted on September 11, 2014 Leave a Comment
Mental illness is a growing challenge. One in four of us in the UK will suffer with a diagnosable mental illness. Like any community in Britain, Asians are not immune from mental health difficulties, but sadly individuals of South Asian origin suffering with mental illness are often invisible – not just in terms of failing […]
The mental health of British Muslim women
Posted on June 10, 2014 Leave a Comment
This is an edited version of a panel presentation that I gave to the Muslim Women’s Network (MWN), at their AGM on the 9th May 2014. In 2009 the CQC conducted a the sixth and last census of the ethnicity of inpatient NHS and independent mental health and learning disability patients. This census revealed that […]
Submission to Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
Posted on June 2, 2014 2 Comments
In April 2014, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, undertook a two week investigative mission to the United Kingdom to study the manifestations of violence perpetrated in the family and in the community. I had the opportunity to submit to her my recommendations on issues she should query the government on and include […]
Why are young Asian girls invisible when it comes to Eating Disorders?
Posted on March 1, 2014 1 Comment
When I think of an eating disorder, the first thing that comes to mind is the image of a young white girl who is painfully thin. The word anorexia has become synonymous with eating disorders as are the emaciated images of anorexic girls who are most likely to be white. Given the negative reporting around […]
The drugs can work
Posted on February 27, 2014 Leave a Comment
A friend of mine recently started taking anti-depressants. It wasn’t an easy decision for her, neither was it a decision that she took lightly. However, after battling with depression for many years, her doctor recommended a multi-pronged approach to treatment. Combining, a talking therapy, self-administered mindfulness and anti-depressants. After an initial struggle with the side […]
Akeela Ahmed MBE 