Hello Friends!

Who am I?

ahh, quite a philosophical first question!

Firstly, welcome to my substack! My name is Ashwin, but you can call me Ash for short.

I’m a doctor working in England and I’m going to be specializing in Psychiatry in a year or two. Mental illness still has a massive taboo associated with it and as a result, the people who need help most are the ones most reluctant to seek it.

Having dealt with my own mental health issues in the past, especially during covid, I feel like I’m in a unique position to bridge the gap between how we perceive mental health today, and how it was practised in the past.

( A photo of me trying to keep it together after cycling)

What will I be writing about?

I’ll be writing weekly essays on how ancient civilizations perceived mental health & Illness & how we can apply some of their wisdom to the current day. Here are the civilizations I’ll be writing about for the next 4 weeks:

  1. Ancient Egypt

  2. Ancient China

  3. Ancient Greece

  4. Ancient India

I’ll be releasing the next list of civilizations in a month’s time! I hope to bring on some pretty cool people for podcast sessions too! Stay tuned!

Why am I writing about this?

They say life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and that which will be. We have so much to learn about mental illness we’ve barely scratched the surface.

By going back in time, and learning about “that which was” we can understand the ways in which mental health was perceived and developed. This insight is particularly important for minority and marginalized groups, who have historically been extremely reluctant to seek help on their mental health.

Exploring the past not only helps us gain a deeper understanding of current practices but allows us to broaden our minds in preparation for a brighter future. One where can dictate “that which will be”.

When will I be posting?

I will be posting personal essays every week! If you subscribe, the article will go straight to your email.

Where can you find my writing?

All my new essays and articles will be sent directly to your inbox once you sign up. Sign-up is completely free and there is no SPAM! Trust me, I hate spam as much you do.

The full archive of my essays is on the homepage.

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Thinking differently about mental illness using history