ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR BLACK AND ETHNIC MINORITY PEOPLE

Early day motion 920, tabled 4 March 2002 by Ashok Kumar (Labour). Signed by 56 members.

That this House believes that access to good mental health services is one of the biggest hurdles black and ethnic minority service users have to overcome; acknowledges that the struggle of coping with a mental health problem is often compounded by the battle to have such problems recognised and identified as such; recognises the work of the Government in attempting to tackle the problem of access to services through measures such as the National Service Framework for Mental Health; but notes that there are major issues to be addressed surrounding minority ethnic mental illness, as highlighted by Department of Health statistics showing that Afro-Caribbeans are three to six times more likely to be diagnosed schizophrenic and women born in India and East Africa have a 40 per cent. higher suicide rate than those born in England and Wales; and calls on the Government to recognise and introduce measures to address better access to mental health services for black and minority people.

Signatures by party: Labour 38, Liberal Democrat 9, Labour/Co-operative 5, Plaid Cymru 3, UUP 1.