South Asian women in Britain: their mental health needs and views of services
| Pages | 30-38 |
| Published date | 01 March 2004 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17465729200400005 |
| Date | 01 March 2004 |
| Author | Nirmal Kumari |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
journal of mental health promotion •volume 3•issue 1 •march 2004 © Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd
South Asian women in Britain: their mental
health needs and views of services
ABSTRACT
This paper describes a survey carried out by a South Asian women’s voluntary organisation to identify the physical and mental health needs
of its users. The results confirm research findings that suggest a high proportion of South Asian women suffer from psychological and
somatic symptoms that are commonly associated with anxiety and depression. A considerable number had experienced racial discrimination
and several had suffered sexual discrimination. Problems reported by participants included eating disorders, marital difficulties and domestic
violence. The majority did not know where to seek help for mental health problems. Respondents wanted confidential talking and
complementary therapies to be provided in services run by South Asian staff, and for health education and health promotion to be provided
in their own ethnic language. The paper ends with a consideration of the implications of these findings for the delivery of mainstream mental
health services, from health promotion through primary care to specialist services.
Nirmal Kumari
Independent consultant clinical
psychologist
Research
There is now a growing body of research on the failure
of mainstream mental health services to adequately
meet the needs of black and minority ethnic (BME)
communities. In his foreword to the recently launched
strategy document Delivering Race Equality, John
Reid, secretary of state for health, wrote:
‘... there has been particular concern for a number of years
that adequate services and health outcomes have not been
delivered to people from black and minority ethnic
communities experiencing mental illness and distress. There
is clear evidence of the need to transform the services and
outcomes experienced by these users and their relatives and
carers. The current situation is unacceptable and
unsustainable since it contradicts the basic value of equity
that is a cornerstone of the NHS.’
(DoH, 2003a)
Two further policy documents make a strong case for
action to improve both the experience and outcomes of
BME people with mental health problems: Inside
Outside (NIMHE, 2003), which set the context for the
recommendations in Delivering Race Equality (DoH,
2003a), and Mainstreaming Gender and Women’s
Mental Health (DoH, 2003b), which addresses some of
the specific concerns of Asian women. Key issues
identified in Mainstreaming Gender include a
significantly raised risk of suicide and attempted suicide
among young women born in India/East Africa. There
is a higher incidence of self-harm and suicide in young
Asian women than in any other group of women. This
may be difficult to detect and address as many women
are reluctant to disclose their distress within their own
community (because of a perceived stigma attached to
any form of mental distress) and therefore may also be
hesitant to seek help from outside their immediate
community. For similar reasons, they may feel unable
to disclose experiences of violence and abuse that they
are recovering from or currently experiencing eg. in
their domestic lives (Soni Raleigh, 1996; Yazdani,
1998). In addition, South Asian people (in common
with African and African-Caribbean people) are at
increased risk of GPs not recognising mental health
problems or wrongly attributing their presenting
problem to mental illness (DoH, 2003a).
The National Centre for Social Research carried out
a study for the Department of Health on the mental
health of BME communities, which includes a
quantitative survey (EMPIRIC) of rates of mental
illness among different ethnic groups in England and a
qualitative study (EDCEPI) investigating ethnic and
cultural differences in the context, experience and
expression of mental distress. Together they provide the
most complete data available on the prevalence of
common mental disorders (anxiety and depression),
psychosis, social functioning, caring and support
networks, as well as analysis of idioms of mental
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