The Mental Health Trap

Mental health is often shunned and hidden away my many communities. But mental health is a subject that will affect 1 in 4 of us and in BME women the percentage is even steeper.

Many factors can contribute to mental health, poverty, racism, housing conditions, lack of opportunities, health issues and so on.

There is always talk of improving the lot of BME communities and activities are put into place and statistics gathered. But how can the statistics be improved if every day is a constant underlying battle to achieve equality in all areas. That is often the basis for a breakdown of good mental health and well-being. A plethora of organisations exists to deal with mental health issues but often the voice of the affected is not heard. Let us look more, listen more and act more according to those who have and who are dealing with mental health problems.

Let us recognise that anyone at any time can be affected and this recognition will help to alleviate the stigma of mental health. And let us always be aware that much of the root cause of mental health lies in the inequality of society and until those issues are tackled, mental health particularly in BME women and their communities will be a thorn in their minds. The government in recent years have gone some way to redressing the balance but they need to tackle the core issues that often beset mental health, because not to do so is a stain on their society and a humungous drain on their resources.

Poverty and BME Mental Health

Recession poverty risk for BME Women

Ethnic minority women are amongst the poorest and most socially excluded people in the UK, and may suffer most in the recession, according to a new report by Fawcett and Oxfam.

Poverty Pathways, published as part of Seeing Double, Fawcett's campaign on ethnic minority women, shows how the recession is on course to present two major risks if current policy approaches do not adapt:

• Ethnic minority women living in poverty will be locked into their destitution for the foreseeable future;

• Even more ethnic minority women will be made vulnerable to poverty.

The report outlines 7 key policy traps and the steps needed to get things right. It looks at household dynamics, moving beyond paid employment as a panacea for poverty, and how women's lives change over their lifetimes. It shows how ethnic minority women need to be brought back into the policy picture if their poverty is to be addressed.

The full report is available from Fawcett

Posted on 16 July 2009