People from the Black, South Asian and Muslim diasporas are three times more likely to suffer from mental health issues compared to the average population. Research shows how racism and Islamophobia increase feelings of depression and anxiety for Muslims worldwide[1], and on average, two thirds of Sikh children donning turbans are bullied[2]. However, social expectations and abuse are also a major source of trauma within communities. Because of the stigma attached to Mental Health in communities, it is hard to speak out and easy for victims to end up in a vicious circle.
There is an over-representation of people from South Asian and African backgrounds amongst mental health patients. In 2010, 23% of mental health patients in England and Wales were from ‘Black and minority ethnic groups’[3] while this group makes only 14% of the population in England and Wales[4]. Racism and discrimination are key triggers for mental health issues. Research finds that those who had experience verbal abuse or attacks are between 3 and 5 times more likely to suffer from depression or psychosis[5]. In post-9/11 America, researcher Mona Amer found that on a group of 611 Arab Americans, half had clinical symptoms of depression[6].
On the other end, Facebook and Instagram are a major source of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem for a large number of users[7]. Men and women are pushed to look like supermodels, have the best grades at school and become the richest while most cannot reach these unrealistic ideals. Bullying and abuse are direct consequences of unrealistic social expectations in a society where even religion becomes a mere marketing argument or a fashion statement[8].
93% Of people of Black or South Asian background experience more discrimination because of their mental health issues and 32% from their own family or community[9]. Because seeking help in formal mental health services is seen as shameful[10], the issues are often kept taboo or addressed inadequately. In the Muslim community for example, mental health problems are often perceived as a lack of religious practice or in some case, attributed to possession issues which have to be cured by an exorcist (Raki). IANWIB provides testimonies from people having benefited from formal therapy to overcome their issues, and thus legitimise the use of clinical counselling for people from diasporic background through their feedback.
[1] https://www.academia.edu/2239932/Perceived_islamophobia_Scale_development_and_validation%20
[2] http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/13/a-go-home-terroristasikhchildrenbulliedtwicenationalaverage.html
[3] Count Me In census 2010, Care Quality Commission, National Mental Health Development Unit, April 2011.
[4]http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/articles/religioninenglandandwales2011/2012-12-11
[5] Chakraborty, A., McKenzie, K. (2002). Does racial discrimination cause mental illness? The British Journal of Psychiatry Jun 2002, 180 (6) 475-477.
[6] Amer, Mona M., “Arab American mental health in the post September 11 era : acculturation, stress, and coping” (2005). Theses and Diss. no. 1403
[7] Beth Anderson, Patrick Fagan, Tom Woodnutt, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (2012) Facebook Psychology: Popular Questions Answered by Research. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 1, 23–37. And Kross E, Verduyn P, Demiralp E, Park J, Lee DS, et al. (2013) Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults. PLoS ONE 8(8): e69841.
[8] William Barylo (2016). Neo-Liberal Not-For-Profits: The Embracing of Corporate Culture in European Muslim Charities. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Volume 36, number 3, August 2016, pp 383-388.
[9] Owen, D. and Rehman, H. (2013). Mental Health Survey of Ethnic Minorities. Ethnos.
[10] Abu-Ras, W. (2003). Barriers to services for Arab immigrant battered women in a Detroit suburb. Social Work Research and Evaluation, 3(4), 49–66. Khan, Z. (2006). Attitudes toward counseling and alternative support among Muslims in Toledo, Ohio. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 1, 21-42.