Ethnic Groups
Ethnic Groups and Mental HealthThe prevalence of mental health problems varies between ethnic groups, reflecting a diversity of cultural and socio-economic experiences.
In general, people from minority ethnic groups living in the United Kingdom are:
- More likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems.
- More likely to be diagnosed and admitted to hospital.
- More likely to experience a poor outcome from treatment.
- More likely to disengage from mainstream mental health services, leading to social exclusion and a deterioration in their mental health.
These differences may be explained by a number of factors, including poverty and racism. They may also be due to the fact that mainstream mental health services often fail to understand or meet the needs of minority ethnic communities.
It is likely that some mental health problems in people from minority groups go unreported because of the reluctance of people from those groups to engage with traditional healthcare services. It is also likely that some forms of mental health problems are over-reported in people whose first language is not English.
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