Exploring the relationship between stigma and help‐seeking for mental illness in African‐descended faith communities in the UK

Abstract

BackgroundStigma related to mental illness affects all ethnic groups, contributing to the production and maintenance of mental illness and restricting access to care and support. However, stigma is especially prevalent in minority communities, thus potentially increasing ethnically based disparities. Little is known of the links between stigma and help‐seeking for mental illness in African‐descended populations in the UK.Objective and study designBuilding on the evidence that faith‐based organizations (FBOs) can aid the development of effective public health strategies, this qualitative study used semi‐structured interviews with faith groups to explore the complex ways in which stigma influences help‐seeking for mental illness in African‐descended communities. A thematic approach to data analysis was applied to the entire data set.Setting and participantsTwenty‐six men and women who had varying levels of involvement with Christian FBOs in south London were interviewed (e.g. six faith leaders, thirteen ‘active members’ and seven ‘regular attendees’).ResultsKey factors influencing help‐seeking behaviour were as follows: beliefs about the causes of mental illness; ‘silencing’ of mental illness resulting from heightened levels of ideological stigma; and stigma (re)production and maintenance at community level. Individuals with a diagnosis of mental illness were likely to experience a triple jeopardy in terms of stigma.Discussion and conclusion‘One‐size‐fits‐all’ approaches cannot effectively meet the needs of diverse populations. To ensure that services are more congruent with their needs, health and care organizations should enable service users, families and community members to become active creators of interventions to remove barriers to help‐seeking for mental illness.

Co‐production for service improvement: Developing a training programme for mental health professionals to enhance medication adherence in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Service Users

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“…Participants volunteered in response to posters advertised in the local Recovery College resulting in the sample size of 15. It should be noted that recruitment to research projects from BAME groups can be difficult; BAME people form part of those “hard to reach” groups due to several factors, not least, a history of mistrusting mental health services . p.375 …”

“…The complexity of spiritual beliefs, stigma and the need for improved co-produced work on service improvement was stressed. 18 The literature indicates over-representation of certain BAME ethnic groups within compulsory pathways into care. 12,14,15 Studies into the problem of poor medication adherence and service engagement for BAME SUs stress the need for more in-depth understanding of the perspectives of those involved.…”

Rehabilitation of Individuals With Schizophrenia: a Scoping Review Protocol of Evidence From Sub-saharan Africa

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Racism, White Privilege, and Diversity in Mental Health

“…l Dissuade the idea that someone seeking help for mental health issues is weak, and instead focus on this presentation as an act of strength. In the Black community, in particular, this is a theory that needs to be dismantled (Mantovani, Pizzolati, & Edge, 2016).…”