Ashraf Tannerah

1 Introduction: Cultural and Religious Context in Mental Health Systems Standard Western psychiatric frameworks can misfit ethnoculturally diverse populations when local beliefs, practices and idioms of distress do not align with diagnostic categories or service models [1, 2]. Improving equity therefore requires context-sensitive, community-informed care, rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

1 Background The Muslim population in Liverpool, UK, comprises 25,763 people, marking a 2% increase from 2011 [1], and they face distinct challenges exacerbated by racism, Islamophobia and lack of culturally sensitive care [2, 3]. Intertwined with their social, religious and cultural identities are challenges which complicate engagement with mental health services [4].