The Culture Gap

Dr. Jabr is a Palestinian psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and former Head of the Mental Health Unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Health. She's also the author of several books on mental health under occupation, including her latest, Radiance in Pain and Resilience: The Global Reverberation of Palestinian Historical Trauma.In this conversation, we talk about what it means to practice psychiatry under occupation. Dr. Jabr discusses the challenges of her work and the importance of bearing witness to collective trauma.

Yasmin grew up covering her vitiligo with makeup, terrified of being seen without it. In this episode, she opens up about camouflaging her condition for two decades, the cultural beliefs and societal pressures that shaped how she understood it, and the turning point that helped her to embrace her skin.

In 1947, patients in mental asylums across India and Pakistan were swapped between institutions when the border was redrawn. A historical event that most people have never heard of.Saadat Hasan Manto, one of the most celebrated Urdu writers of the time, wrote a short story based on this called "Toba Tek Singh," one of the most devastating tales to come out of Partition. In this episode, psychiatrist Dr. Tahir Jokinen joins us to unpack the story through the lens of mental illness.We also get into why frameworks like PTSD fall short of capturing what partition actually did to people, why the psychological literature on this took decades to appear, and what it means for a "madman" to be the only character in a story who makes sense of the madness around him.

What's the link between Vodou, black liberation psychology, and Haitian mental health?In this episode of The Culture Gap, recorded live from New York, we sit down with Dr. Evan Auguste, a Haitian-American forensic psychologist, assistant professor and author, to trace the hidden history connecting Haiti's revolutionary past to the mental health system we live with today.

Hello from New York! I'm a Londoner enjoying a week in NYC. I recorded a very exciting guest episode, but before we release it at the end of this month, we're doing a brief pitstop to ask ourselves - how do we manage our mental well-being in the world's busiest cities?

What does it take to de-radicalise violent extremism?In this episode, we sit down with Dr Fatima Akilu, renowned psychologist, author and the executive director of Neem Foundation, to explore one of the most extraordinary and controversial projects in modern counter-terrorism: de-radicalising members of Boko Haram.We focus on the practicalities of reintegrating former fighters into society as Dr Akilu breaks down how Neem Foundation is doing what many thought was impossible, and why she believes it's the only way to truly end the cycle of violence.

Code 302 was the diagnostic code used to classify homosexuality as a mental disorder. How did it get there, and what finally got it removed? This episode traces that story, with a brief appearance from the host's mother, Dr Mallika Sundaram, a retired consultant psychiatrist who trained in the aftermath of one of psychiatry's most controversial decisions.Hosted by Dr Vinitha Soundararajan. Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: HA2KV32RPOLH0PLR, YG3AT1QL8PSB4XU7

Are we over-diagnosing the spectrum of normal ways to feel, think and act? In this episode, we sit down with leading consultant neuropsychiatrist Dr Alastair Santhouse to discuss his eye-opening book, ‘No More Normal: Mental Health in an Age of Over-Diagnosis.’We tackle one of the most pressing questions of our time: as mental health talk enters the mainstream, where do we draw the line between a normal emotional response to a difficult world and a clinical disorder?Dr Santhouse shares deep insights from his decades of clinical experience to explain how modern culture, societal expectations, and the narrowing of normal into medical labels might actually be doing more harm than good. If you have ever wondered about the boom in mental health diagnoses, or if the "myth of normal" is making us miserable, this conversation is an absolute must-watch.Music: bensound.comLicense code: SRCRWKBD09FX3FGQArtist: : Benjamin Tissot

An introduction to a new podcast series exploring mental health and culture. Whether you're interested in the ripple effects of microcosms and sub-cultures, or the large waves of global and geopolitical issues, this is the space for you. Hosted by Dr Vinitha Soundararajan. First episode drops on 31st May 2026.