LONDON, December 29, 2005
PTI
A well-known NRI psychiatrist in Britain is being
investigated by his employers on charges of plagiarism.
Raj Persaud, famous for his appearances on daytime
TV show 'This Morning', is being investigated by a
preview panel from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's
College and the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust
after two of his articles were retracted from different
publications.
The latest charge against the doctor relates to a
retraction published in last week's British Medical
Journal.
"King's College London has established formal
procedures to investigate the allegations brought.
We do not condone plagiarism and take these matters
very seriously.
The review panel has met and will continue to meet
over the coming months to examine the matter,"
a spokesman for the Institute of Psychiatry, King's
College London said.
NRI Guru: how
mental illness can be prevented, suffering from delusions,
brain function and emotional disorders
Dr Raj Persaud
Born in Reading, England, Dr Rajendra (Raj) Persaud
was one of the youngest doctors ever to be appointed
as a Consultant Psychiatrist at the prestigious Bethlem
Royal and Maudsley Hospitals in South London, a post
which he still holds.
After taking a First Class Honours degree in Psychology
from University College London, he went on to gain
his medical degree and along with a Masters degree
in statistics, to date he has eight degrees and diplomas.
Since then he has been recognised for his specialist
work with a number of distinguished international
academic awards including the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Research Prize and Medal in 1993 and the Morris Markowe
Prize for Public Education in 2005. He recently has
been honoured with being elected a Fellow of University
College London and a Fellow of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists. Click here for Dr Persaud's Curriculum
Vitae.
He has also treated patients and researched at the
famous Johns Hopkins medical school in Baltimore,
USA.
Areas of Interest
His medical research focuses on how mental illness
can be prevented. He has published the first comprehensive
review of the current science of resilience and the
prevention of psychological problems in the form of
the best-selling book "Staying Sane: How to make
your mind work for you" published by Bantam Books.
In March 2003 "From the Edge of the Couch"
revealed how medical science is still struggling to
fully understand the workings of the mind. His latest
book, "The Motivated Mind" which reached
No. 7 in the best seller list in 2005, provides a
fresh and inspiring approach to understanding motivation,
and addresses the scientific explanations of the keys
to success.
He has a special clinical interest in the stress
and psychological problems of doctors, having run
the sick doctors unit at The Maudsley Hospital, and
written a Stress Clinic series for doctors in the
journal Hospital Doctor. He regularly gives talks
on this subject to doctors and paramedical professionals.
He currently writes for the Health Service Journal,
on NHS management issues.
He is regularly asked to assist in mental health
and medical charities, either as a Patron (e.g. Depression
Alliance, The Phobics Society, The Retinoblastoma
Society), an Ambassador (e.g. The Samaritans) , a
Trustee (e.g. Childline), or as a special speaker
(e.g. MIND, Fight for Sight). He engages the public
in mental health and medical issues via the wide range
of publications he writes for, including Charity Finance,
and various nursing and psychiatric journals.
Dr Persaud is also active in education and educational
issues, particularly with regard to students. He believes
that the young should be trained at an early age with
coping strategies that will be beneficial for their
mental health all through life. He currently writes
a column in the Times Education Supplement.
He has also been invited abroad to assist governments
in drawing up mental health legislation. He contributes
to various parliamentary publications including House
Magazine and Ph7.
Contributions
Dr Persaud has published over one hundred research
papers in academic journals such as the British Medical
Journal, the Lancet and the British Journal of Psychiatry.
He has also published articles on the latest psychological
and psychiatric research in the national press, including
The Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New
Statesman, The Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Telegraph,
The New Statesman and Prospect.
He now writes regularly for The Independent, The
Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, New Scientist
and The Times Higher Education Supplement. He is the
presenter of 'All in the Mind' on BBC Radio 4, and
has written and presented several other series for
the BBC. Click here for details of Dr Persaud's work
in the media.
His aim in working with the media is to convey the
latest scientific information on mental health to
the general public and provide an alternative to the
unqualified media pundits who normally dominate the
media debate on psychological issues.
Dr Persaud is frequently invited to address senior
doctors and academics all over the world, including
recent invitations to lecture at the medical Royal
Colleges of Britain, and physicians in the USA. He
is also a referee for research submitted to academic
journals including Psychiatric Bulletin, The Journal
of the Royal Society of Medicine, British Medical
Journal, The British Journal of Medical Psychology,
The British Journal of Psychiatry and The Journal
of Medical Ethics. Dr Persaud is also a member of
the Editorial Board of journals such as the Postgraduate
Medical Journal.
