The stigma around mental health is slowly being broken down, but that doesn’t mean everyone is getting access to the help they need. A new documentary about mental health within the black community finds that there’s still a lot of work to be done, as black sufferers are finding themselves unfairly labelled, forced to take medication they’re not comfortable with, and treated aggressively by police and healthcare providers.
Behind The Locked Door spoke to a number of people who felt let down by mental health services, and their stories were chilling. These are some of the main issues raised by the 18-minute film, which we hope will bring fresh attention to this vital, but underreported issue.
This shocking statistic comes from the Mental Health Foundation. Whether that’s because people from the black community are simply more likely to develop schizophrenia, or because the complexities of their issues aren’t being properly assessed is something professionals aren’t sure on, but many of the participants in the film felt that a diagnosis had been reached too quickly. This led to them being mandated by law to take medications they felt might not be helping them.
They’re 44% more likely to be sectioned and 29% more likely to be restrained under the Mental Health Act
Tata Abuah suffered an abusive childhood, but she felt that she was “quickly labelled” as schizophrenic because she was black. She says the circumstances that may have led her to suffer with mental health issues weren’t discussed. Situations like Tata’s could be linked to the overrepresentation of black people when it comes to schizophrenia; if their background and circumstances aren’t being looked into, it might mean diagnoses are being reached too quickly.
Tata also thinks there’s a “wall of silence around mental health in the black community”. Peter Leigh, from the charity Key Changes, thinks one way to break this wall is to develop “culturally relevant” treatments, and look at other factors that may be affecting black people’s mental health, like poverty. Getting the black community talking openly about their mental health is an important first step, but it’s vital that healthcare providers start listening to them. As Lionel Biu from the charity Mind says: “There’s a racial bias and undertone to how we’re being diagnosed.”
Behind The Locked Door is available to view online, at http://www.brentmind.org.uk/campaigns/behind-locked-door/ upon donation of £2 which will be spent improving services for black people.
