global health | The Pillbox

Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing.” – Voltaire

The covid-19 pandemic has claimed millions of lives, shut down economies, restricted movement and stretched our healthcare systems to the edge; but despite this time of destruction, Peer Med, a podcast dedicated to serving humanity was born! Established as a platform for creation, innovation and above all a platform for unity.

A student-led initiative of the Peer Medical Foundation, the Peer Med podcast intertwines medicine, an ever changing science of diagnosis and treatment, with conversations about issues in healthcare where lives are on the line. Due to the fashionable focus of medical education on biology, pathology and disease there has been a reduced emphasis on the social determinants of health. As such physicians lack an empathetic character understanding the human aspect of medicine and in this, fail to communicate effectively rendering patients dissatisfied with care.

Seeing the need for more fruitful discussions, the Peer Med Podcast provides listeners with a more nuanced interpretation encouraging health professionals to look beyond medicine and into the experiences, values and beliefs of patients to assure a successful therapeutic relationship. It serves as a reminder of the importance of self-determination, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice as medicine naturally exposes health professionals to the darker side of human existence. The podcast explores these themes by delving into the underbelly of life where homelessness, drug addiction, abuse, trauma, and death are brought to the surface of conversations. It takes the already prevalent cases of strokes, pneumonia, heart attacks, fractures, and miscarriages from the everyday scenarios in emergency rooms plaguing our species and encourages a more humane outlook amidst all conflict and chaos.

“Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing.”
– Voltaire

Founded on March 24th at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peer Med is dedicated to humanity and the millions of people worldwide without access to education, health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. The podcast aims to inspire, engage and promote action to solve challenges in global health, human rights and medicine. Acknowledging that the delivery of healthcare requires a team effort, the podcast invites everyone from clinicians, advocates, economists and even comedians to delve into the subjects of medicine. While peer-reviewed information is important, not all valuable work belongs in an academic journal. In order to strengthen health systems a multidisciplinary set of perspectives is required to teach and inspire people. Therefore, Peer Med encourages dialogue so that all listeners may raise their voices advocating for humanity.

Ensuring Peer Med is truly a global podcast is the goal but despite the best intentions to ensure inclusivity, barriers in terms of gender, language, and access prevent this from happening. To tackle the problem, Peer Med aspires to invite speakers from all corners of the world, not only to assure equitable representation but to also gain advice on how to empower those in low-and-middle-income-countries (LMIC) so that their voices may be heard. In serving humanity, Peer Med is completely free and available on a variety of platforms aiming to leave listeners refreshed, empowered and motivated to effect change. These can be heard from a mobile phone, shared via social media, or played for a friend. The conversations will leave listeners burning with a flame in their hearts to do their utmost on life’s quest to serve humanity.

It serves as a reminder of the importance of self-determination, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice as medicine naturally exposes health professionals to the darker side of human existence. The podcast explores these themes by delving into the underbelly of life where homelessness, drug addiction, abuse, trauma, and death are brought to the surface of conversations. It takes the already prevalent cases of strokes, pneumonia, heart attacks, fractures, and miscarriages from the everyday scenarios in emergency rooms plaguing our species and encourages a more humane outlook amidst all conflict and chaos.
Leah Sarah Peer

The support for the podcast has been humbling as love has poured in from around the globe. So many are keen on sharing their stories and this speaks volumes to the passion of the podcasts’ guests, their enthusiasm and commitment to mankind. Some have included a world renowned speaker and human rights champion, a Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, teacher and PhD candidate in Comparative Literature, a range of student initiatives – Meet the Need Montreal, Helping Hands, to Non-profit Organizations such as Med Supply Drive and so many more.

World-Renowned Humanitarian & Neuroscientist, Abhijit Naskar

If there is something the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it’s the power of community and compassionate care’s strength in uniting us across the world. Peer Med hopes to serve as a medium for inspiration, for reflection, and invites people from across the healthcare spectrum to come together committed and dedicated to serve humanity.

To listen to Peer Med, visit Spotify, Apple Podcasts. To read about the individual episodes visit the website for more.

‘We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.’
– Jimmy Carter

Western culture is taking over the world; from supermodels on television screens, to fashion accessories in shopping outlets around the world, to the movies made in Hollywood and disseminated worldwide online. Globalization has opened new doors. It has allowed us to build new relationships and learn about new cultures. It has opened our eyes to the worlds beyond our borders – to different languages, religions and beliefs. It has had an impact on every aspect of our lives, including medicine and healthcare.

The pathophysiology of most disease is similar throughout the globe. The diagnosis of a myocardial infarction will have similarities across different continents; an ECG that is normal in the UK will likely be deemed normal in the USA. But when it comes to our inner thoughts and our minds, a similar comparison cannot be made. The Western model of mental illness, of the divisions of neurosis, psychosis and personality disorders yields more than just mere categories. It also produces a set of values and beliefs – namely, that these thoughts and behaviours are outside the remit of social norms. Does a person with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder in the USA show the same symptoms as someone in South Africa? Does this diagnosis hold the same meaning on the other side of the continent? My answer: no, it does not.

Mental health problems go beyond human anatomy and pathophysiology, and treating them like they do not leads to inappropriate therapies. Culture and mental health have close ties that are not addressed when treatment involves only the prescription of a drug. Our mental health colors how we view the world around us; how we view ourselves, our failures and our successes. It defines our identity. In the West our society is based upon science and rational thought. Such a focus has placed a large emphasis on the ‘biomedical model,’ i.e. that symptoms can be clustered together into categories, leading to a diagnosis and a form of treatment. Yet in other countries the idea of being labeled with a ‘disease’ seems bizarre. In many cultures, mental distress is explained through a spiritual lens, based upon the power of one’s ancestors or a curse placed upon one’s family. Who are we to step into this other world and banish such beliefs in the name of the ‘superior’ Western thought?

It can be argued that by placing people within a scientific category, one is filtering out a person’s lived experiences. Sure, a diagnosis may be appropriate in certain circumstances, allowing appropriate support and treatment to be offered to those who are in distress, but we must remember that the diagnoses written in the textbooks do not always correlate with the chaos that is human life.

What is it that makes someone ‘mentally unwell?’ More than anything else, it is a social judgment; it is based upon the idea that everyone over this line is unwell, while those of us who are able to follow the norms of our society are deemed ‘sane.’ Every society is different, and every society has its own ideas of what an illness is and is not. We can often be so determined to get out there and ‘save lives’, that it can be easy for us to forget that when it comes to mental health, it is they (the patients) who have the far superior knowledge of what they are going through. They are the ones who know what emotions they are feeling, what thoughts skip through their mind, what fears drench their hearts. They are the masters of their lives. What is needed is not a rush to produce pills, to prescribe, to diagnose and to medicalize – no, what is needed is humility. The appreciation of our own ignorance in a culture that is different from our own – an understanding that human beings are different. Only then can we begin to take that step to alleviate the distress of mental health problems worldwide.

If we were to take out our Diagnostic Statistical Manuals and set about drawing boxes in other countries, we would find that such a rigid classification system does not translate well to other cultures; a person who fits the criteria for Major Depressive Disorder in London, UK does not necessarily experience the same illness as someone in New Delhi, India. We need to go beyond the symptoms and think about the person’s suffering and pain; what is it that has led them to feel such despair? For some it may be the loss of a job, or status, or wealth. For others, it may be a fall within their social circle, the death of a spouse, or the belief that they are being cursed or punished. We need to be able to understand another person’s suffering if we want to help them. A setback within someone’s life needs to be seen within its context. This involves sitting with people, attempting to understand their lives, eating their food, conversing in their language and understanding what it means to be a citizen in their country. It is not a process that can be ticked through in a few minutes based on a checklist of symptoms. Such arbitrary methods do not capture the emotional and spiritual parts of mental distress, nor do they take into account the vastly different cultural contexts in which patients may live.

Remember that the labels we put on our patients are often value-laden. These criteria we use from our diagnostic manuals are often drawn from the concept of right and wrong – what each society chooses to accept and reject as the norm. When it comes to mental health, what is most important is not the structure of the neurons, nor the actions of their neurotransmitters; it is the effect on the individual, the person within, the person who breathes and feels and cries and laughs.

All of these issues can be illustrated with the worldwide response to the Tsunami in 2005. Following the disaster, many NGOs provided ‘mental health assistance’ by using the Western psychological models of distress, particularly to describe the response to trauma. Most of the workers were ignorant of the local cultural beliefs and traditions, which resulted in a set goals that were more in line with the charities than the victims.

“We are fishermen and we need space in our houses – not only to live but also to store our fishing equipment. After the tsunami we have been living in this camp, which is 12 kilometers away from the coast and in this place for reconstruction. When the international agency came and started building a housing scheme, we realized that they are building flats, which is not suitable to us. But when we try to explain this to the foreigners who are building this scheme, they looked at us as if we were aliens from another planet. What are we supposed to do?”
[..] We have lost our families, now we are having our homes stolen too.”
– Action Aid International 2006 (8)

Such interventions have raised questions as to whether this ‘external mental health aid’ is actually harmful, leading to a division between the ‘superior’ external workers with their Western knowledge, and the locals who have been left helpless and vulnerable.

I am not suggesting that we place a hold on Global Mental Health. I am not suggesting that we stop giving aid. What I am suggesting is that when it comes to mental health, we acknowledge the diversity of the human race. We accept that to be mentally unwell means more than to have an imbalance of chemicals. And by accepting that mental illness affects not just a brain but a person, an identity, a family and a society, we are able to put on our boots and trudge deep into the mud alongside those who we are hoping to help, and perhaps we may even help ourselves along the way.

References

Gilbert, J. 1999. Responding to mental distress: Cultural imperialism or the struggle for synthesis? Development in practice. 9:287-295
Aggarwal, N.K. 2013. From DSM-IV to DSM-5 an interim report from a cultural psychiatry perspective. British Journal of Psychiatry. 37:171-174
Alarcon, R.D. 2009. Culture, cultural factors and psychiatric diagnosis: review and projections. World Psychiatry. 8:131-139
Canino, G., Alegria, M. 2008. Psychiatric diagnosis – is it universal or relative to culture? The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 49: 237-250
Harpham, T. 1994. Urbanization and mental health in developing countries: A research role for social scientists, public health professionals and social psychiatrists. Social Science & Medicine. 39:233-245
Kirmayer, L.J. 1989. Cultural variations in the response to psychiatric disorders and emotional distress. Social Science & Medicine. 29: 327-339
Thakker, J., Ward, T., Strongman, K.T. 1999. Mental disorder and cross-cultural psychology: A constructivist perspective. Clinical Psychology Review. 19: 843-874
Gilbert, J. 2007. Mental Health: Culture, Language and Power. Global Health Watch 2.
Gilbert, J. 2007. What is it to be human? Finding meaning in a cultural context.
Gilbert, J. Cultural imperialism revisisted. Counselling and globalization. Critical Psychology.
Gilbert, J. 2006. Cultural imperialism revisited: Counselling and Globalisation. International Journal of Critical Psychology, Special Issue: Critical Psychology in Africa. 17:10-28
Gilbert, J. 2000. Crossing the Cultural Divide? The Health Exchange. April 15-16

Featured image:
Mental Health Conditions by amenclinicsphotos ac