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• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> Dealing with hospitals >> Dealing with hospitals

Dealing with hospitals

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• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Leah - Interview 28 >> Leah was told to ring the police because no one was there to give her son his injection (recording in Chinese).

Leah has been caring for her son Albert with schizophrenia for 17 years.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Elaine - Interview 32 >> She thinks her father would have died in hospital had she not intervened using her skills as a nurse (played by an actor).

Elaine was the main carer for her father for the last four years of his life. He suffered from vascular dementia and Elaine feels both he as a patient and she as a carer were let down by the system.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Miriam - Interview 05 >> A friendly doctor took time to talk properly to Miriam and her son.

Miriam carers for her son who is in his late twenties. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia but she thinks what he has is drugs infused psychosis.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Leah - Interview 28 >> Leah is happy with her son's consultant and trusts her (recording in Chinese).

Leah has been caring for her son Albert with schizophrenia for 17 years.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for other or more than one relative >> Guo - Interview 14 >> In the USA Gou could go to weekly meetings at the hospital and talk to health professionals about his son.

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 >> Nick - Interview 02 >> Nick's son has had little psychotherapy; and he thinks there is a dearth of psychotherapy in mental health care.

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 a sister or brother >> Angela - Interview 15 >> Angela thinks people with mental health problems need a firm hand and spiritual care.

Angela cared for her brother with mental health problems for much of her adult life. Once her brother was cured, she was finally able to get married and have a family, the absence of which had been as source of great pain for her.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Elaine - Interview 32 >> Having been attacked herself, Elaine worried about her father when he was in hospital (played by an actor).

Elaine was the main carer for her father for the last four years of his life. He suffered from vascular dementia and Elaine feels both he as a patient and she as a carer were let down by the system.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a sister or brother >> Ramila - Interview 13 >> Ramila thinks people with mental health problems should be given the privacy of their own room.

Ramila has been caring for her brother who is diagnosed with schizophrenia for ten years. She thinks carers and service users deserve to be treated with more respect.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Leah - Interview 28 >> Her son complains about the nurses, but she is grateful to the medical staff (recording in Chinese).

Leah has been caring for her son Albert with schizophrenia for 17 years.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Elaine - Interview 32 >> Elaine's father was sectioned and moved from the general ward to the psychiatric ward against her will (played by an actor).

Elaine was the main carer for her father for the last four years of his life. He suffered from vascular dementia and Elaine feels both he as a patient and she as a carer were let down by the system.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Elaine - Interview 32 >> The psychiatric ward could not provide all the treatment her father needed and did not have notes about his physical condition (played by an actor).

Elaine was the main carer for her father for the last four years of his life. He suffered from vascular dementia and Elaine feels both he as a patient and she as a carer were let down by the system.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Elaine - Interview 32 >> She felt staff had given up on her father and so she intervened (played by an actor).

Elaine was the main carer for her father for the last four years of his life. He suffered from vascular dementia and Elaine feels both he as a patient and she as a carer were let down by the system.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Tina - Interview 18 >> Tina says the meals in hospitals don't suit a Hindu diet (played by an actor).

Tina cares for her son who suffers from mental health problems and she is also working as a carer for people with mental health problems at an Asian community centre.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Elaine - Interview 32 >> Elaine talks about how she felt when the social services wanted to section her father (played by an actor).

Elaine was the main carer for her father for the last four years of his life. He suffered from vascular dementia and Elaine feels both he as a patient and she as a carer were let down by the system.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for other or more than one relative >> Raye - Interview 30 >> Raye says her sister, like many other people from minority ethnic communities, has become institutionalised.

Raye grew up with mental health problems in the family. Today, she is the main carer for her father (paranoid schizophrenia), her sister (schizophrenia) and her brother (manic depression). She now feels she needs to let go of some of the responsibilities and focus on her own life.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a son or daughter >> Tina - Interview 18 >> She says the hospital wanted her to sign sectioning papers while 'bluffing' about what was actually going on, and not helping her with English transla

Tina cares for her son who suffers from mental health problems and she is also working as a carer for people with mental health problems at an Asian community centre.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Elaine - Interview 32 >> Elaine felt the psychiatrist questioned her mental health because she was a 'difficult relative' (played by an actor).

Elaine was the main carer for her father for the last four years of his life. He suffered from vascular dementia and Elaine feels both he as a patient and she as a carer were let down by the system.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for other or more than one relative >> Indira - Interview 08 >> Indira and her cousin decided to stick by their aunt when others gave up.

Indira has been caring for her aunt who has Alzheimer's disease for five years. She believes older people deserve to be treated with respect.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for other or more than one relative >> Raye - Interview 30 >> Raye feels she needs to set new boundaries both for her father and for the health and social services.

Raye grew up with mental health problems in the family. Today, she is the main carer for her father (paranoid schizophrenia), her sister (schizophrenia) and her brother (manic depression). She now feels she needs to let go of some of the responsibilities and focus on her own life.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for a parent >> Anton - Interview16 >> In some African societies, families can personally care for loved ones in hospital.

Anton cares for his 84 year old mother who suffers from dementia. His caring responsibilities together with his own health problems meant he had to take early retirement, but he is very involved in voluntary work.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences >> People caring for other or more than one relative >> Guo - Interview 14 >> In the USA Gou could go to weekly meetings at the hospital and talk to health professionals about his son's care.

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 >> Nick - Interview 02 >> Nick was unprepared for looking after his son when he was released to his care.

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 a son or daughter >> Agnes - Interview 29 >> Agnes was told she had to leave the hospital for her daughter's test, but was not told why.

Agnes has been caring for her daughter, who has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and depression, for four years.