Church, Black Communities Call for Race Equality in Mental Health Sector

Parliament should take action against the excessive use of the Mental Health Act on people from African Caribbean communities through the 2006 Mental Health Bill which had its second reading in the House of Commons this week, Black Mental Health UK has said.

BMH UK is calling for race equality principles to be added to the face of the Bill in order to address the alleged "discriminatory way" mental health legislation is currently used.

The call has been backed by churches and black-led organisations from across the UK.

"We can see from the high rates of sectioning and treatment that people from our communities receive when they come into contact with the services that health and well being of communities is hinged to the legislation," said Lee Jasper, chair of the African Caribbean Mental Health Commission.

"There is a serious dereliction of duty when the concerns of black groups are not properly taken on board."

Rev Desmond Hall, chair of Christians Together in Brent said: "The Government needs to step back and consider the ramifications of the impact of what they are proposing in this Bill and how it will effect our young men who get caught up in this law.

"The proposals for compulsory treatment in the community flies in the face of the work we are doing to address the crisis in mental health services have caused in our community."

Shocking findings from the long awaited 'Count Me In Census' report, published last month, by the Mental Health Act Commission have exposed widespread failings in the Government's five year drive to tackle alleged "systemic racism within mental health services".

Findings from the 2006 Census report show that 50 per cent of inpatients in London are from BME communities, with 40 per cent being men from African Caribbean background who are likely to be in hospital for over a year. In addition, referral rates from the criminal justice system have risen from five per cent to 12 per cent for this group, BMH UK has reported.

"This report shows that compulsion and coercion is still the norm of black people using mental health services," a BMH UK statement has said.

Matilda MacAttram, director of BMH UK, said: "MPs should support calls for race equality principles on the face mental health law in order to address this.

"The 2006 Bill as it currently stands does nothing for the confidence of black community leaders, the patients or the families. There is thirty years of evidence to show that as the service currently works engagement with mental health services is effectively a prison sentence if you are black."

She concluded: "Without race equality principles on the face on of the law people from African Caribbean communities will not engage with the services because they feel that they will face discrimination."