A new study has found a big difference in the access that various ethnic groups have to mental health services. This worrying report shows that your mental wellness and well-being could be directly affected by which ethnic group you belong to.
A team from the University of Edinburgh looked at the data available for people who were admitted to hospitals suffering from mood, psychotic and psychiatric disorders. The team noted that there may be inequalities in the way that these types of services are accessed between various ethnic groups. As a result of their findings, the researchers have called for those in charge of mental health services in Scotland to take a closer look at the way they are operating and find out how to provide an equal service for all patients.
This study was conducted using data from 2001 – 2008 and it’s the first time that this kind of study has been carried out in Scotland . Disorders included psychiatric problems and mood disorders like depression as well as psychotic disorders including schizophrenia.
For most minority groups who went to the hospital, patients were far more likely to be treated under the mental health act. This seems to show that those minorities, and particularly those from South Asia and China, were likely to access services much later on in their illness, showing that things were far more serious before they sought help.
It is thought that this delay in seeking treatment may well be due to a level of social stigma in some minority groups surrounding mental illness. There may also be a lack of awareness in some minority groups, with people simply not being aware of what medical help is available, as well as a reluctance to seek the help that is available to them. Unfortunately, this means that early-stage treatment and preventative care that could guard against more serious mental health problems are often missed.
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