Welcome to the personal website of
Suman Fernando

Writer, academic, former psychiatrist

Currently, working with like-minded antiracism academics and other users of MH services. Joined with Hari Sewell & a international tream to produce a new website launched 20 September 2023....    

DECOLONISING PSYCHIATRY & CLINICAL  PSYCHOLOGY [WWW.DECOLPSYCH.COM]


I was a consultant psychiatrist in the British NHS for over 20 years unitl mid-1990s; have published extensively on transcultural psychiatry and institutional racism since the mid 1980s; and have lectured widely in both the global South and North. Unfortunately,the psychiatric / psychology establishments in the UK avoid facing up to instituional racism in their professional practices and structures by  clinging to colonial racist views by making tokenist appointments (e.g. Royal College of Psychiatrists has a  Black-skinned president of African heritage!) I am now convinced that fundamental decolonisation of both psychiatry and psychology is essential.

I chaired the National Standing Committee on Race & Culture of the Mental Health Commission for many years; and won a Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Kings Fund and MIND in March 2000. But when Tony Blair, the UK PM at the time,offered to put me up for an Order of the British Empire (OBE) I had to refuse, mainly because his government failed to deal with institutional racism in mental health services. In 2011, I accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award for Race, Culture and Mental Health given by the University of Toronto.

My work now involves teaching, writing and lobbying for change. Although over 90 years age, I still read widely on the issues that interest me most recenlty ways of decolonising he 'psy' professions. Most recent books:
Institutional Racism in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology (ground-breaking!) and Global Psychologies (the first of it's kind!)
If you want to read / own this or any other book I have published but find it too expensive to buy, email me with a request -- I can help!   

 
For list of 
appointments (click to see).



 .

See Videos Page for talks given and films of interest including MASTER CLASSES on a course on Mental Health, Race and Culture at London Metropolitan University in 2011 (PPTs below)
Class 1: Tradition of Mental Health and illness; what diversity means

Class 2:  Critical Psychiatry and Psychology: Transcultural Psychiatry, Cultural Psychiatry, Anti-racist Psychiatry
Class 3: Mental Health around the Globe: Different approaches to developing mental health in communities and individuals
Class 5: Class 5 Movement to reform psychiatry in UK: How to make effective changes

 Inquiry into 'Schizophrenia' (ISL) (CLICK) was an active website once the remnants of which remain - CLICK HERE to see Preliminary Findings
 CLICK HERE for article on Global Mental Health.
All publications by Suman Fernando and videos belonging to Suman Fernando on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Please note that permision for videos are for screening only for non-commercial purposes not for streaming or downloading. 


 
 Who am I ?

I used to be a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS and then at the European Cetnre for Migration & Social Care at University of Kent. Now, my main (honorary) attachment is: Emeritus Professor in Social Sciences at   London Metropolitan University. More...
A book that addresses 'global mental health  is:

Mental health, worldwide; culture, globalization and development

Click here to see details
Click here for a list of recent publications

I have some chapters in a new book (festchrift) edited by Roy Moodley and Martha Ocampo (of Toronto)

Critical Psychiatry and Mental Health 2014

click here for details

My first book (1988)  now considered a seminal publication has been re-issued as a classic Click here

                                 Home    Publications    News    Contact us    Videos    Useful links

NEW BOOKS

Institutional racism in psychiatry & Clinical Psychology

Global Psychologies; Mental Health in the Global South

Click here for Sri Lanka.
Cultural Diversity, Mental Health and Psychiatry: The Struggle Against Racism (2003)
Cultural diversity, mental health and psychiatry: The struggle against racism
Mental Health in a Multi-ethnic Society: A Multi-disciplinary Handbook (2009)

(click to see)
New edition now avaliable

Classic text completely re-written as third edition  2010:

link to Mental Health Race And Culture book on Amazon
 

 

      Home    Publications        News        Contact us         Videos        Useful links

Privacy policy