Raj Persaud - Media Career

Media Career

Persaud regularly appeared on radio and TV programmes, as either interviewee or presenter, and was resident psychiatrist on the well-known daytime television programme This Morning. In addition to writing regularly for The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, Persaud also had columns in the Times Educational Supplement, Cosmopolitan and Canary Wharf CityLife magazine. He is a former presenter of the BBC Radio 4 psychology and psychiatry programme All in the Mind. He was a presenter for Travels of the Mind for BBC World Service.

Persaud has appeared on numerous talk-shows such as Richard & Judy and Anne & Nick promoting psychiatric treatments for mental health-related issues. With the GP Mark Porter, he co-presented the live medical-talk and phone-in TV programme Doctor, Doctor on Channel Five.

He has written several books, including his guide to romance, Simply Irresistible: The Psychology of Seduction – How to Catch and Keep your Perfect Partner. In 2007, he was the consulting editor of a book produced by The Royal College of Psychiatrists called The Mind: A user's guide.

Persaud's media work has earned him a mixed reception. Francis Wheen, then a Guardian columnist claimed he is "paid a lot of money for stating the obvious". The comedian, GP and columnist Dr Phil Hammond though, applauds Persaud for his populist appeal. Hammond believes he is a "good media communicator" for the psychiatric industry, albeit lacking the sophistication of the late Anthony Clare.

Persaud has worked extensively in the NGO sector. He is a patron of OCD-UK, a British charity for people affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Persaud also works with ActionAid, and recently visited Bangladesh with them. He visits other developing nations to promote a psycho-pharmacological approach to mental health.