Conclusion and Recommendations

Summary

The discipline of cultural psychiatry is premised on the acknowledgement of white bias that has dogged the institution of psychiatry from its inception and, whilst this has led to the revision of ideas, objectives and practices, the implications for South Asian psychiatrists, of working within socially constructed white spaces has not been addressed. They have to contend with structural inequalities that may problematise their roles, in particular the power status within the therapeutic relationship – thereby increasing their challenges. They have to work harder to secure trust and cannot take for granted that they would be treated with the professionalism appropriate to their role. The conclusion addresses these issues, summarises the main points of the interviews and presents some recommendations for future research and practice.