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• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Devon - Interview 12 >> Devon believes people with mental health problems should support each other and help themselves.

Devon, 49, is married and was born in Jamaica; he came to the UK in 1965. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia aged 22 and depression aged 48. He is a founder member of the organization Sound Minds - www.soundminds.co.uk - a user-led music project.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Jay - Interview 27 >> Describes how her daughter's role as her carer began when she was 11 and has changed over the years.

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 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 >> Ugo - Interview 02 >> She says her brother helps with shopping and cleaning, and makes sure she goes to see her psychiatrist, but he also signed the section forms when she

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 30 - 39 >> Marlene - Interview 23 >> Marlene feels the only person she can talk to is her sister [see Interview 22]; she says she doesn't talk to her parents because they don't understand

Marlene, 38, was diagnosed with anxiety aged 24. Marlene's father is Pakistani, and her mother is white. Her sister, Shareen, was also interviewed.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 50 - 59 >> Lorenz - Interview 11 >> He says he was open with his wife from the start of their relationship; he told his psychiatrist that if his wife became concerned about him they shou

Lorenz is a 50 year old Black Afro-Caribbean man who has been in the UK since 1966. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia aged 20 and this is now controlled by the anti-psychotic Aripiprazole (10mg daily) enabling Lorenz to work as a social care assistant.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 50 - 59 >> Raj - Interview 19 >> He describes the effects on himself, his wife, and their relationship. (Audio in Punjabi, text in English).

Raj, 55, describes himself as British-Indian. He was born in India and came to the UK aged 13. He developed depression following a heart attack but says it took the doctor a long time to diagnose it. Raj's wife helps care for him.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 60 - 69 >> Anton - Interview 13 >> He says people don't understand depression and he didn't get the support he needed from family, friends or the church and this prompted him to attempt

Anton, 64, is an Asian man who came from Sri Lanka to the UK in 1962. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder aged 45 and was given various medicines but none worked. Now he is not receiving any treatment: he was told by doctors they had "given up" on him.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Reena - Interview 07 >> She received no help from her relatives when she needed them and there was no-one to look after her children; instead, she got support from nurses. (A

Reena, 42, describes herself as Bangladeshi, and came to the UK aged 9. She was diagnosed with depression in her early 30s.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> David - Interview 15 >> He says his wife helps with practical things and that trying to manage without her would be a "nightmare".

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 >> He says that being cared for at home by your family is best for young people, although he says his family had to physically restrain him when he was u

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 60 - 69 >> H. Y. Leung - Interview 29 >> She describes how her brother looked after her when she was unwell and asks other families to support people with mental health problems. (Audio in Ca

HY Leung, 60, was admitted to a London psychiatric hospital. She says her doctors don't understand what she's going through. She feels God accepts and understands her, which supports her to face the challenges of her illnesses and to carry on her life.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 30 - 39 >> Dolly - Interview 14 >> Dolly doesn't go to support groups any more because she found them too depressing.

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.