Depression in the South Asian Community

Registration is recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.

Click here to register.

Registration confirmation and login (if applicable) will be sent from noreply@ebpl.events.mylibrary.digital. Please add this email to your safe contacts list.

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School students will discuss the importance of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) in depression screening and discuss its role in preventive care for both children and adults.

This workshop will recap their prior workshop on depression then discuss why early recognition is important, and explain how primary care providers use the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) as a screening tool. The students will also talk about how the PHQ-9 can help connect individuals and families to appropriate resources and address common myths and stigma surrounding mental health.

This community workshop will focus on South Asian mental health. As part of the research, pre- and post-workshop surveys will be administered by the students to evaluate the effectiveness of culturally tailored programs in improving mental health awareness and understanding among South Asian adults. Participation in the surveys is limited to individuals who are 18 years or older and identify as South Asian, though the workshop itself is open to all attendees regardless of background.

The session will last approximately one hour but the surveys will take less than ten minutes. The benefits of participating include gaining culturally relevant information and increased awareness about mental health within the South Asian community.

For inquiries related to the research study, please contact the principal investigator, Dr. Lakshmi Moorthy, at 732-235-8700 or at 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.

Presented by medical students from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.