Culture vs Mental Health

Bringing together BME cultural aspects into mental health treatment.

Black minority ethic groups have different rates and experiences of mental health problems faced on a daily basis. Reflecting on various online research shows shockingly 93 per cent of mental health experiences faced by BME communities also face discrimination due to this taboo subject.

 

In general, people from black and minority ethnic groups living in the UK are:

• more likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems
• more likely to be diagnosed and admitted to hospital
• more likely to experience a poor outcome from treatment
• more likely to disengage from mainstream mental health services, leading to social exclusion and a deterioration in their mental health.

These differences may be explained by a number of factors, including poverty and racism. They may also be because mainstream mental health services often fail to understand or provide services that are acceptable and accessible to non-white British communities and meet their particular cultural and other needs.

It is likely that mental health problems go unreported and untreated because people in some ethnic minority groups are reluctant to engage with mainstream health services. It is also likely that mental health problems are over-diagnosed in people whose first language is not English.

Generation Reform wants to tackle all the stigmas that BME communities face on a daily basis in order to beat the discrimination faced and also the lack of understanding of cultural aspects that organisations and services aren’t taking into account when facing with BME service users. Everyone is entitled to access services without facing discrimination and we believe in fighting for that right if it means working on each stigma at a time we will dedicate that time to do so.

 

 

 

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