by Farah M Shroff, PhD
I have a longstanding interest in mental well-being research. Examining individual well-being, I have carried out research on yoga, ayurveda, forest ‘bathing’ and other mind-body approaches to thriving on a mental level. From a social perspective I have carried out research that examines the importance of social safety nets, community building and relationship building on mental health. My research and experiences constantly remind me that we still live in a society where mental health imbalances are stigmatized and shortchanged. To make matters worse, our medical system continues to provide minimal funding to mental health services, despite robust evidence that mental health concerns have massive impacts on our families, workplaces, prisons, schools and other institutions.
One of my passions is global health. On trips to many parts of the Global South I have been struck by the lessons that we can learn from people who priorize relationships over materialism. (This is not to romanticize those who live in poverty or to support hierarchies that systematically marginalize some people.) My observations about people’s approach to life in many parts of the Global South where I have worked—Calabar Nigeria, Ayoja Mexico, Bangkok Thailand, San Juan La Laguna Guatemala and elsewhere—have led me to believe that families and communities are stronger in the South than in the North. Strong emotional and social bonds between people facilitate mental well-being.
When I lived in Nigeria, I was amazed to hear my friends in a village talking about a man whom they called ‘mad’ with such kind words and warmth. They told me that he was trying to build a bridge next to the one that construction workers were putting up in the village. They chuckled as they told the story about his attempts. Later on, he appeared at their house. The family greeted him kindly and he joined in on the evening meal and slept in the house that night. Very little stigma was attached to his mental health status. He was a welcome member of the village community. Much of my work in the area of indigenous knowledge thus centres on the lessons that the North has to learn from the South.
On April 8 I will be delivering a webinar about a study that I carried out: Seeking Mental Well-Being: a story of working class women in Northern England. I invite you to join me!
https://knowledgex.camh.net/researchers/areas/sami/webinars/current/Pages/04082014.aspx
Farah Shroff, Ph.D., teaches in the Department of Family Practice and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine; her research emphasizes visioning and developing Health for All. A researcher and educator she focuses on the areas of holistic health and spirituality, community development, and social justice, as well as health services policy research. As a consultant, Dr. Shroff has served many public and private clients; she drafted the Government of Nunavut’s Public Health Plan, evaluated the Dr Peter AIDS Centre, facilitated research workshops for a group of women with severe mental illnesses and more. She has also worked for governments in Canada and non-governmental organizations such as the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association in Vancouver.
Dr Shroff is also a teacher of yoga, dance, self defence and other movement practices. She enjoys walking and running in Vancouver’s forests and beaches as well as traveling with her family.