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• 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

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• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Being sectioned under the Mental Health Act >> Being sectioned under the Mental Health Act

Being sectioned under the Mental Health Act

• Clip
• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Niabingi - Interview 01 >> Niabingi was concerned about losing her place in a hostel and appealed to a Mental Health Review Tribunal (played by an actor).

This 42 year old Black, British born woman was diagnosed at the age of 25 with paranoid schizophrenia but disagrees with the paranoid part. She believes that her mental distress was caused by the racism she experienced when growing up.

• Mental health >> Mental health: ethnic minority experiences >> Aged 40 - 49 >> Hanif - Interview 30 >> Hanif's father forced him to see a psychiatrist and he thinks it was probably for the best because his behaviour was putting him at risk and he wouldn

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 20 - 29 >> Tariq - Interview 06 >> Tariq says that he's glad he wasn't sectioned because he believes it could have damaged his career. (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 30 - 39 >> Sara - Interview 32 >> Sara recalls being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia instead of an eating disorder and says she thinks things might have been different had she be

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 30 - 39 >> Ugo - Interview 02 >> Ugo says knowing your rights when you're in hospital is important because she didn't know hers.

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 >> Michael - Interview 31 >> Michael was admitted for observation but says there was no need to section him.

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.

• 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 >> Dolly - Interview 14 >> Dolly was admitted as a voluntary patient but was threatened with a section when she tried to leave.

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 20 - 29 >> Tariq - Interview 06 >> Tariq says he wasn't sectioned because he was young, vulnerable and less risk to the public and support was available for him in the community. (Playe

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.