Social Psychiatry in South Asia

Editors: S. M. Yasir Arafat, Amit Singh, and Sujita Kumar Kar
Book Series: South Asian Perspectives in Mental Health and Psychology
Publisher: Springer Nature Singapore
Publication Year: 2025
Edition: First Edition
Length: XX + 343 pages
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-96-8077-1
eBook ISBN: 978-981-96-8078-8
DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-8078-8
Language: English
Format: Hardcover, PDF, and EPUB

About the Book

Social Psychiatry in South Asia provides a comprehensive examination of the relationship between social conditions and mental health across the eight countries of South Asia. Adopting a biopsychosocial perspective, the book explores how culture, religion, family structures, social networks, economic conditions, political instability, health-care systems, and changing social norms influence the development, experience, and treatment of mental disorders.

The volume addresses the distinctive social and cultural contexts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It also examines regional issues such as the social determinants of mental health, culturally specific expressions of psychological distress, traditional approaches to mental illness, psychosocial interventions, marriage, religion, regional conflict, and mental-health policy.

By bringing together country-specific analyses and thematic discussions, the book identifies important gaps in the existing literature and offers recommendations for culturally appropriate mental-health interventions, services, and policies in South Asia. It is a valuable reference for psychiatrists, psychologists, mental-health professionals, social scientists, researchers, policymakers, and postgraduate students.

Main Areas Covered

  • Social psychiatry in the eight South Asian countries
  • Social determinants of mental health
  • Culture and culturally bound syndromes
  • Traditional approaches to mental illness
  • Psychosocial interventions
  • Marriage and mental health
  • Religion and mental health
  • Regional conflict and psychological well-being
  • Mental-health services, policies, and research priorities




 

Methodology and Research Methods

Original Persian Title: روش‌شناسی و روش تحقیق
English Title: Methodology and Research Methods
Authors: Seyed Hatem Mahdavi Noor, Alireza Ladan Moghadam, and Seyed Mohammad Mehdi Mahdavi Noor
Publishing Institution: Islamic Azad University Publishing Center
Publication Announcement: 2025
Language: Persian

About the Book

Methodology and Research Methods is an academic work intended to introduce readers to the conceptual foundations and practical procedures of scientific research. The book addresses the distinction between methodology—the philosophical and logical framework underlying a study—and research methods, which refer to the practical techniques used to collect, analyse, and interpret information.

The work provides readers with a structured understanding of the research process, including the formulation of research questions, the selection of an appropriate research design, the evaluation of scientific evidence, the collection and analysis of data, and the presentation of research findings. The hierarchy-of-evidence model presented on the book cover also reflects the book’s emphasis on evaluating different forms of scientific evidence, ranging from expert opinion and observational studies to controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.

Designed for university students, postgraduate researchers, instructors, and professionals, the book can serve as an introductory reference for developing research proposals, conducting academic studies, assessing the quality of evidence, and preparing scholarly reports, theses, and research articles.

The book and its three authors are listed in the official publication-review records of Islamic Azad University, and its publication has also been announced by the Psychosis Research Center of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Main Areas Covered

  • The meaning and foundations of research methodology
  • Differences between methodology and research methods
  • Scientific reasoning and research design
  • Formulation of research questions and objectives
  • Quantitative and qualitative research approaches
  • Data-collection and analysis procedures
  • Hierarchies and evaluation of scientific evidence
  • Interpretation and reporting of research findings
  • Preparation of research proposals, theses, and academic papers