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• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a sister or brother >> Sophie - Interview 09 >> Sophie discovered that her sister was on a very large 'cocktail of drugs' and wonders who is responsible.

Sophie has always had a caring role for her sister Angel. Angel is diognosed with Schizophrenia, but Sophie thinks this diagnosis is based on behaviour resulting from inappropriate medication of a mental disability and behavioral problems.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for other or more than one relative >> Guo - Interview 14 >> Gou was unprepared when his two sons developed bi-polar disorder partly related to drug use.

Guo has been caring for two sons with bi-polar disorder for over twenty years. He doesn't think the current services meet the needs of people with mental health problems.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Jane - Interview 22 >> Jane thought the early signs of her daughter's mental health problem were normal 'teenage stuff' (played by an actor).

For the last 20 years Jane and her husband has cared for their daughter Sarah, who has schizophrenia. She worries about what will happen to their daughter when they are not around anymore.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Nick - Interview 02 >> Nick was worried about his son's behaviour, but was told by doctors it was normal.

Nick and his wife have cared for their son with paranoid schizophrenia for almost 12 years. In the beginning Nick didn't feel heard by health professionals, but today he is a very involved.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for their husband, wife or partner >> Aiko - Interview 17 >> Aiko only learnt about her new husband's mental health problems after she moved to the UK.

Aiko has been caring for her husband who suffers from complex post traumatic stress syndrome, bi-polar disorder and severe depression for seven years. She believes mental health services should address the needs of the whole family.

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• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences

Publication date: 19^th June 2008         Last updated: November 2010

Review date: November 2012

 

We interviewed 32 carers from different minority ethnic communities about their experiences of caring for someone in their family with a mental health problem. Six of these carers didn’t want to have their story on the internet.

 

Interviews in other languages: Bengali (Interview 7); Chinese (Interview 28, 29, 31); Gujurati (Interview 26, 27); Punjabi (Interview 23). See ‘People's stories’ section for these numbered interviews.

 

See also... Mental health: ethnic minority experiences