"Anyone can experience mental health problems, but our chances of having good or poor mental health are far from equal."
For too long mental health research hasn't been representative of the diverse society that we live in. Black people have been underrepresented in medical and scientific studies, despite struggling with proportionally higher rates of mental illness.
MQ is working to change all that.
By actively championing voices from diverse backgrounds, investing in new talent, and by increasing the participation of under-represented groups and those with lived experience in the research process, MQ is working to transform mental health research.
In a recent MQ Open Mind webinar on Black mental health, we gathered experts on this vital subject from Diverse Cymru, Colourful Minds, as well as one of our MQ Ambassadors Andrea Corbett.
Suzanne Duval, BAME Mental Health Manager at Diverse Cymru, said:
"Anyone can experience mental health problems, but our chances of having good or poor mental health are far from equal. All of us have multiple layers of identity and belong to communities of geography, gender, ethnicity, social class and many more. And many of us experience forms of disadvantage resulting from poverty, homelessness, exclusion, discrimination or oppression. We have fewer choices, less of a voice, less power and fewer opportunities. The determinants of mental health interact with these inequalities in ways that put some people at a far higher risk of poor mental health than others." For example:
"Men and women from African-Caribbean communities in the UK have higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder and suicide risk and are more likely than average to be diagnosed with schizophrenia." (Source: Centre for Mental Health Commission for Equality January 2020)
MQ’s Participate platform connects the general public with researchers directly. Encouraging more people to take part in research and help further our understanding of mental health conditions.
