An Oldham dentist is campaigning for mental health amongst Asian men through a podcast and coaching.

Mudasser Hussain, 36, was born and raised in the town and studied at the Hulme Grammar school before going onto study dentistry at the University of Manchester.

He said: “Oldham has changed significantly since my childhood. I remember the Oldham riots which happened over 20 years ago and since then things have progressively improved.

“I have always been interested in healthcare and helping people. Initially, I did have an interest in becoming a medical doctor but at the time the long working hours and working night-shifts didn’t appeal to me.”

He said working in one of the most deprived parts of Oldham has shown him the health inequalities in the Asian community. He is qualified as an ILM-7 accredited Executive Coach and provides mentoring to senior leaders which includes dentists, doctors, small business owners and managers.

He added: “Mental Health is a huge problem for everyone in all walks of life no matter what age, gender or background they come from. We all have different stresses and this alongside depression is often the root of mental health issues.

“In my view for Asians, there is a significant inequality when it comes to seeking help and identifying mental health issues.

Working as a dentist, he has seen first hand the impact of mental health challenges due to Covid and the cost of living crisis. He believes mental health impacts people’s personal lives, professional lives and ultimately a person’s physical health.

Mudasser added: “I have set up a podcast called the Diary of a Dental Coach.

"I invite diverse individuals including the UK’s chief dental officer Jason Wong. Guests have included famous cosmetic dentists from the UK and the US.

“I even had a famous psychologist from LA talking about masculinity and how our mental health has been impacted living in the modern world.

“I have also been invited on famous podcasts like Dentistry Unmasked where I talk about my own story and controversial issues within the profession.

After setting up his business and social media accounts his presence online has grown exponentially. He has also been on Islam TV and several radio shows.

“There is significant stigma around mental health in the Asian community. It is a taboo topic. I think the elder generation have a view that mental health is a private matter and that these things shouldn’t be discussed,” he said.

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50. 75 percent of all deaths by suicide are by men. Masculinity is something that is not discussed in the Asian community. Generally, women have better supportive networks which help them cope with stresses of life.

Mudasser believes men in the Asian community feel ashamed to talk about their worries and stresses because they don’t want to be judged or seen as weak. In his view, men often keep a lot of their emotional baggage to themselves and don’t feel comfortable talking to friends, colleagues and family.

He said coaching can significantly transform the outlook for people as it’s focussed on helping them achieve the results they want in life by unlocking potential and maximising performance.

He said: “My vision is to create a coaching culture where we empower and create strong leaders. We as an Asian community need to adopt an abundance mindset; the top leaders in all businesses don’t compete they work together collaboratively.

“There is enough in this world for us all to succeed and we need to move away from this negative mindset of criticising each other and instead unite.”

You can find out more about Mudasser's Podcast here

https://diaryofadentalcoach.buzzsprout.com/