E174 - Erasing Stigma about Mental Health in the Middle East and Worldwide

What cultural perspectives may influence mental health stigma in the Middle East? What was your experience like creating the first transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) center in Kuwait? What advice do you have for clinicians who want to help reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health? In this episode, psychiatrist Dr. Mohammad Alsuwaidan address these questions and much more. Dr. Mohammad Alsuwaidan MD, MPH, FRCPC, DipABPN is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto in Canada. He is also the founder and clinical director of MindWell, a leading regional private mental health center based in Kuwait and the Chief Medical Officer of TMS NextGen a TMS training and operations management company based in Dubai. Dr. Alsuwaidan completed his psychiatry residency, mood & anxiety disorders fellowship and medical education fellowship at the University of Toronto. He also trained in mood disorders at the Stanford University bipolar clinic and the Tufts Medical Center mood disorders clinic. He completed a Masters of Public Health (MPH) at Johns Hopkins University. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. He was the host for the 2022 NEI Congress, and he is widely-sought internationally as a speaker, educator and anti-stigma advocate in mental health.