• Clip
• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Jay - Interview 27 >> After she became unwell in her new job, she made special arrangements with her manager. She also noticed that her colleagues' attitudes towards her ch

Jay, 42, describes herself as Black-British. She was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder aged 34 and now works in mental health. Jay's voices say mainly negative things, but two voices encourage her and give her tenacity and drive.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 20 - 29 >> Tariq - Interview 06 >> He thinks the Disability Discrimination Act is unhelpful for people with mental health problems; he says race discrimination is recognised, but mental

This 21 year old Asian student was diagnosed with manic depression and then schizophrenia. He disagrees that the mental health system is institutionally racist, saying that he encountered discrimination due to his mental health not his ethnicity.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> Shaukat - Interview 17 >> Shaukat believes he hasn't been promoted at work because of his mental health problems and says his workplace should make reasonable adjustments for h

Shaukat, 36, was born in Pakistan and came to the UK aged 9. He has been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder. He finds going to support groups and talking to other people with similar experiences supportive and helpful.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> Shaukat - Interview 17 >> Shaukat believes he hasn't been promoted at work because of his mental health problems and says his workplace should make reasonable adjustments for h

Shaukat, 36, was born in Pakistan and came to the UK aged 9. He has been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder. He finds going to support groups and talking to other people with similar experiences supportive and helpful.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Michael - Interview 31 >> Michael was keen to go to hospital and escape the abuse he was suffering in the community.

Michael, 49, describes himself as a European Ashkenazi Jew. He has been given a variety of diagnoses, including bipolar affective disorder, personality disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, learning disability, and severe mental impairment.

• Condition
• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences

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

Review date: November 2012

 

We interviewed 30 people from different Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds about their experiences of having mental health problems.

 

Interviews in other languages: Bengali (Interview 7); Cantonese (Interview 28, 29, 31); Punjabi (Interview 19). See ‘People's stories’ section for these numbered interviews.

 

See also... Mental health: ethnic minority carers’ experiences

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Jay - Interview 27 >> Jay says there was nothing for Black people at the day centre she attended.

Jay, 42, describes herself as Black-British. She was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder aged 34 and now works in mental health. Jay's voices say mainly negative things, but two voices encourage her and give her tenacity and drive.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Hanif - Interview 30 >> Hanif thinks sharing experiences of recovery gives people hope. He still experiences "highs" but is able to manage them.

Hanif, 49, describes himself as Indian and has lived in the UK for 25 years. Hanif experienced cannabis induced psychosis and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder aged 23. Hanif works in mental health, campaigning to reduce stigma.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> Dolly - Interview 14 >> Dolly was told she couldn't become a writer because of her mental health problems but has since published her life story. She hopes to work after she

Dolly, a 36 year old writer and author of The World is Full of Laughter, is of mixed ethnicity (White/Asian), and first experienced psychosis aged 14. She finds Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Buddhism and meditation very useful.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 50 - 59 >> Nelsy - Interview 21 >> The presence of her white English husband meant staff treated her better.

Nelsy, 56, was born in Colombia and has been in the UK for 19 years. Nelsy experienced a nervous breakdown. She believes that illnesses are caused by accumulated anger and "fear of the social pressures for an impossible social equality".

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> Sara - Interview 32 >> Sara thinks schizophrenia is more stigmatising than anorexia, which is perceived to be "a white middle class disease".

Sara, 34, describes herself as Indian and has a diagnosis of depression. Sara's food bingeing was interpreted as psychotic behaviour and she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. In her late twenties, however, a specialist diagnosed an eating disorder.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Jay - Interview 27 >> After she became unwell in her new job, she made special arrangements with her manager. She also noticed that her colleagues' attitudes towards her ch

Jay, 42, describes herself as Black-British. She was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder aged 34 and now works in mental health. Jay's voices say mainly negative things, but two voices encourage her and give her tenacity and drive.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> David - Interview 15 >> David had problems finding somewhere suitable to live and struggled to get the social security benefits he was entitled to.

David, 37, describes his ethnicity as mixed (White/North African). David was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder and severe depression, 29 years after he first saw a psychiatrist. David's wife is also his carer.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 20 - 29 >> Tariq - Interview 06 >> Tariq feels religion is hypocritical and he feels rejected by his faith because he has a mental health problem. (Played by an actor).

This 21 year old Asian student was diagnosed with manic depression and then schizophrenia. He disagrees that the mental health system is institutionally racist, saying that he encountered discrimination due to his mental health not his ethnicity.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Hanif - Interview 30 >> Hanif thinks people don't want to talk about mental health problems and unlike when someone has a physical illness, they don't visit or offer sympathy

Hanif, 49, describes himself as Indian and has lived in the UK for 25 years. Hanif experienced cannabis induced psychosis and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder aged 23. Hanif works in mental health, campaigning to reduce stigma.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> Ugo - Interview 02 >> Ugo says the police did not recognise that she had a mental health problem because she is Black; she was barred from her church when she was diagnosed

This Black-British woman became depressed in 1981 after 6 miscarriages, and losing her husband and home. She's also diagnosed with personality disorder (which she disagrees with) and lost custody of her child because of her mental health problems.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Terri - Interview 24 >> Many of her friends haven't spoken to her since she became unwell. (Played by an actor).

Terri, 41, describes herself as Black-British. She was diagnosed with depression in her early 30s. Terri says she now realises that she has an illness and has to take her medication or she will get into a deep depression.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 20 - 29 >> Tariq - Interview 06 >> Tariq says if his community found out about his mental health problems it might make it difficult for him to get married. (Played by an actor).

This 21 year old Asian student was diagnosed with manic depression and then schizophrenia. He disagrees that the mental health system is institutionally racist, saying that he encountered discrimination due to his mental health not his ethnicity.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 20 - 29 >> Tariq - Interview 06 >> He thinks the Disability Discrimination Act is unhelpful for people with mental health problems; he says race discrimination is recognised, but mental

This 21 year old Asian student was diagnosed with manic depression and then schizophrenia. He disagrees that the mental health system is institutionally racist, saying that he encountered discrimination due to his mental health not his ethnicity.

• Topic
• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Discrimination - mental health >> Discrimination - mental health

Discrimination - mental health