Mental Illness Among South Asian Americans

About the Book

“The authors are to be commended for a book which should be very helpful for mental health professionals taking care of South Asian patients. The book uses case histories to illustrate a range of issues, which may come up in the treatment of this ethno-cultural group. The cases cut across genders, age groups, socioeconomic groups, diagnostic categories, and other clinical matters pertaining to abuse and domestic violence among South Asians born in South Asia and in the United States. The cases illustrate issues related to immigration, acculturation, stigma, access to care, and familial and intergenerational problems. The cases make teaching points about the impact of culture on clinical presentation and treatment, focusing on how culture and religion can be both a hindrance and an asset. The authors describe how to use cultural understanding in diagnosis and treatment” (Iqbal Ahmed MD, FRCPsych, UK).

About the Author

Vani A. Rao, MD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is also the past president of the Indo-American Psychiatric Association (IAPA) and is currently member Board of Trustees of the IAPA. Nalini V. Juthani, MD, is a retired Professor of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is the past Chair, Board of Trustees, past-president of the Indian American Psychiatric Association and distinguished Life Fellow, of the American Psychiatric Association. Matthew E. Peters, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also a managing editor of The Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide.