Jonathan Bellamy spoke with Matilda MacAttram

Matilda MacAttram at 10 Downing Street

According to the Mental Health Foundation, people from minority ethnic groups living in the United Kingdom are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems; more likely to be diagnosed and admitted to hospital; more likely to experience a poor outcome from treatment and more likely to disengage with mainstream mental health services leading to social exclusion and a deterioration in their mental health. In response to these issues leading church figures have put their support behind a manifesto by the campaigns group Black Mental Health UK, calling for a change in the treatment of black patients who use mental health services. To find out more Jonathan Bellamy spoke with the Director Matilda MacAttram.

Jonathan: First of all what is Black Mental Health UK?

Matilda: Black Mental Health UK is a human rights campaigns group. We launched - it must have been four years ago at KICC. The reason we exist is really to get the issues of the least of these, the very least of these in society, those who most people have turned their backs on, on the agenda and on the radar, not only of the policy makers and politicians, but back on the church agenda as well.

Jonathan: What are your main concerns then relating to the mental health of African Caribbean communities?

Matilda: There's a raft of evidence to show that even though this group have similar rates of mental illness of any other ethnic group, detention rates are much higher. So the last census that was produced by the Care Quality Commission shows that black people are 44% more likely to be sectioned under the mental health than their white counterparts. Once in the system, their experience is also very different. They're more likely to be given a diagnosis of schizophrenia; and with that comes a care package which can be quite punitive. So they're more likely to be given high doses of anti psychotics; more likely to be placed in seclusion; more likely to be in the most cursive end of psychiatric services and the outcomes aren't too good. The unexplained death rate is at an eight year high and we want to see that come down. The use of police cells is retained for people from this community detained under the act. We want to see that phased out. Mortality rates are much higher amongst this group and they're likely to die ten years earlier for a raft of reasons. So it's just to get the concerns of those who aren't really thought about, on the agenda.

Jonathan: Now let's look at a specific thing here. According to the counselling directory, black men born in Britain are up to eighteen times more likely to be given a diagnosis of schizophrenia than the general population. Why do you think that is?

Matilda: Well there are many reasons and it's widely debated. There was a public enquiry into the death of an African Caribbean in psychiatric care. His name is David Bennett and he's considered to be the Stephen Lawrence of the mental health world. The enquiry report concluded; it was chaired by somebody called Sir John Blowfelt who was a retired high court judge, who was concerned about the discrimination faced by this group. So they're just perceived - they're viewed in a certain way, and they're treated a certain way. It's a concern not only because it's a human rights issue, and a social justice issue, but I think it should be a concern for those in the kingdom who are in church because we know for a fact that the church is quite a significant stakeholder group in all this and speaking out for those who can't speak for themselves, we know does lead to change.

Jonathan: Do you think there's much awareness of this as a problem?

Matilda: I really do welcome you touching on this subject because that's the thing - there isn't. The stigma is like a shroud behind which lots of stuff happens. The stigma is silencing people. It silences families. It silences communities. People aren't comfortable talking about this issue and because they're not, things that would probably not happen if there was more attention paid to what is going on in psychiatric units, is happening on an increasingly wide scale.

Jonathan: You've just raised this manifesto, calling for a change in the treatment of black patients who use mental health services. Can you tell us a little bit more of what's in the manifesto and who's supporting it?

Matilda: Yeah well the manifesto is basically based on - a lot of recommendations have come from many reports over the years. But what's in it is, we want to see detention rates come down. The government did have a five year programme, and committed twenty million a year on year from '05 to 2010 to address this but the detention rates didn't go down. So we want to see a new commitment to have detention rates go down. We want to see alternative places where people can go. We want to see like the use of police cells phased out because when somebody's having a psychotic episode, a police cell is not a place of safety; it becomes a place of trauma. We've been talking to the Met about this and they're not to happy about it either, because their officers aren't equipped to deal with people who are - have psychosis. It's just not a good thing. We want to see an improvement in the conditions of wards. Right now in urban areas, most of the wards have more patients than beds. So people are on locked wards where they can't leave, and they don't have a place to sleep. We want to see that come to an end. We want to see innocent people who use mental health services removed from the criminal DNA database. Because unfortunately when they get picked up by the police and they are processed like any other criminal, then they go into the mental health service. So, lots and lots of things that will take a real effort and consensus on the part of everyone working in the sector. But the fact that we have over twenty supporters, individual supporters as well as the Arch Deacon of Reigate, Bishop Llewellyn Graham from the Church of God of Prophecy, Dr Joe Aldred who's also a Bishop. We have church leaders who are speaking out about this issue because they recognise the importance of this.

Jonathan: Have you received a response from any politicians to your manifesto?

Matilda: We actually launched it at the largest hustings of the election and so all three parties - the deputies were there. George Osborne and Harriet Harman were handed a copy of this manifesto. We haven't had an official response and we have to pursue that.

Jonathan: It's a very interesting topic that you're raising here. If people listening want to do something to help is there anything they can do and where do they go to find information?

Matilda: If you want to get involved we recommend you go to www.blackmentalhealth.org.uk. I think your web users and you and I both know that prayer changes situations. If they really want to do something, we really do covet your prayer. We really do covet - because we're not wrestling against flesh and blood. This is actually a race issue; it's this group who are being treated badly. So your prayers coveted; bookmark our website to learn more; and speaking out makes a difference. Sometimes it's the silence; we don't realise our silence sometimes equals collusion. When we start to speak out it changes situations.