Mental Illness and Intervention for BAME Individuals

The Issue

Research has shown that Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals have a higher risk of developing mental illness compared to their white counterparts, especially since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic (Proto, E., & Quintana-Domeque, C., 2020). This vulnerability can be heightened further by carrying multiple marginalised identities such as being a sexual or gender minority in addition to belonging to an ethnic minority group (Rehman et al. 2021). This is known as intersectionality which both makes mental illness more likely due to layers of marginalisation and can also create more barriers to discussing mental health and accessing professional help. Unfortunately, there are several issues with mainstream mental healthcare services in terms of appropriately and effectively accommodating for BAME individuals. Research on NHS mental health services has shown that: 

Mainstream services often do not understand the nuances of BAME culture:

• For example, the pressures and expectations from family to succeed in education, stemming from cultural belief systems (Arday 2018). Awareness of these pressures is key to understanding and addressing some of the causal factors behind mental illness for BAME individuals.

Culture clashes between client and therapist:

Therapists are in a position of power and responsibility, which can often lead to a power relationship between client and therapist (Arday 2018). From this, discrimination, stereotyping and microaggressions towards the client become common, often done unconsciously. This can make the client feel belittled and neglected, often worsening their already fragile mental state. Cultural understandings of mental illness are also likely to make diagnosis difficult as some symptoms of mental illness may not be seen as such in non-western cultures. For example, in some African cultures, hallucinations are not a sign of mental illness and are often seen as positive spiritual experiences, whereas western diagnostic manuals see hallucinations as a symptom of schizophrenia. Differences like these can make diagnosis and intervention difficult. These factors have understandably led to a desire for a therapist or counsellor from the same ethnic background, language, and culture as there is evidently a lack of diversity in service providers, an issue that needs to be addressed.

The Wellbeing for Us Solution

• Our online care helps to reduce the power relationship experienced in services as it removes the practice environment can be intimidating and impersonal.
• We have a diverse group of advisors from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and languages who are educated on and experienced with BAME clients. We also offer the client a choice to be matched with an advisor from a similar background to themselves.
• The workshops and group support we offer creates a space where we can bring those from similar ethnic and cultural backgrounds together to discuss their mental health. Seeing another individual from a similar background who is willing to open up about their mental health can be very empowering and key in recovery, especially in cultures where discussion of mental health is not encouraged, and mental illness is stigmatised.

References:

Proto, E., & Quintana-Domeque, C. (2020). COVID-19 and Mental Health Deterioration among BAME Groups in the UK.

Rehman, Z., Jaspal, R., & Fish, J. (2021). Service Provider Perspectives of Minority Stress among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People in the UK. Journal of homosexuality, 68(14), 2551–2573. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2020.1804256

Arday, J. (2018). Understanding mental health: what are the issues for black and ethnic minority students at university?. Social Sciences, 7(10), 196.

For us, it has become evermore apparent that our future is linked with protecting, sustaining and aiding our natural environment. That is why we are honoured to have been invited to the UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021.

“What a privilege to be invited for our valid input in the future of remote working and remote therapy. It is truly an honour to be invited and to be a part of this global campaign”.

One of the key things that we can do to help the natural environment that surrounds us is to reduce our carbon footprint.

One of the key aspects of our company is that we not only help the environment by reducing our own carbon footprint but we also help our users’ footprints as well.

How do we reduce our carbon footprint?

Travel.

Environmentally speaking, travelling is generally regarded as one of the largest contributors to a person’s carbon footprint. This includes travelling to work, school, the gym and even to your therapy sessions.

One of the biggest environmental benefits of providing access to our services remotely is removing the need to travel in the first place!

By providing our multiple services digitally, not only can you access mental health advice and support at a time convenient to you but you are helping to reduce your own, others and our company’s carbon footprint.

Remote working employees.

Fun fact: Wellbeingforus does not have an office space. (This is another one of our biggest environmental benefits.)

As many of us will know, offices are not known for being environmentally focused. More often than we would like to admit, we waste a substantial amount of energy leaving our workspaces on and well lit, even when we have clocked out.

By working remotely, overall we are releasing less carbon emissions than if we had an office.

Also, we are reducing the need to travel too!

We were asked to work on this fantastic project throughout the UK working with many different organisations on the theme of Creating Hope.

Our personalised them-Finding Hope. Being in Nature. Finding Hope in Nature.

Our work and other organisations that participated in this fantastic project!

Check out our video that was chosen as a finalist to offer help and support in finding hope with The National Suicide Prevention Alliance.