Title: A critical review of mental health research in Mumbai and New York City

Authors: Simone Malekar; Shamira Malekar

Addresses: The University of Manchester, England ' Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York, New York City, USA

Abstract: Mental health (MH) is an essential part of wellbeing. The objective of this review is to evaluate recent MH research themes in Mumbai and New York City (NYC). These megacities were chosen for review due to their cultural and institutional differences. The attributes of comparison were research attention, social dynamics, and healthcare access. There is an asymmetry of data as MH research in Mumbai is comparatively uncommon due to perceived stigma and cultural factors. In NYC, immigration status and ethnicity were found to affect MH. Common themes include the investigation of minority MH and the role of social support in mitigating mental disorders. NYC mental and primary healthcare systems are integrated and separate in Mumbai. The NYC government enforced an MH initiative, ThriveNYC, with mixed outcomes. The implications of this critical review include the necessity of MH destigmatisation initiatives and the incorporation of MH services with primary healthcare.

Keywords: Mumbai; New York City; NYC; mental health; healthcare; wellbeing; stigma; social dynamics; social support; ethnicity; culture.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSS.2021.116372

International Journal of Society Systems Science, 2021 Vol.13 No.2, pp.140 - 150

Received: 26 Apr 2020
Accepted: 30 Oct 2020
Published online: 21 Jul 2021 *

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