BMHUK Magazine | October/November 2011 www.blackmentalhealth.org.uk


Close to 40% of people in Europe have a mental illness


Over 38% of the population of the European Union, or 164.8 million people, suffer from a mental disorder each year, according to a report released by the European College of Neuropsychophar- macology.


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esearchers analysed data from more than 500 million people in 30 countries were


involved in a three year study which covered the entire E.U., along with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and included all age groups.


The study reveals a lack of treatment for mental disorders. Only 30-52% of European sufferers have any contact with a health professional and only 8-16% are in contact with a specialist. A tiny minority, 2-9%, “receive minimally adequate treatment”, principal investigator and joint first author Hans-Ulrich Wittchen said.


‘To address this challenge, we have to address two high priority issues. First, the immense treatment gap documented for mental disorders has to be closed. Because mental disorders frequently start early in life, they have a strong malignant impact on later life. We have to acknowledge that only early targeted treatment in the young will effectively prevent the risk of increasingly larger proportions of severely ill multimorbid patients in the future’ Wittchen added.


It found that anxiety disorders were the most common, followed by insomnia and depression. Alcoholism/drug addiction and dementia were also in the top 10. And the study noted “except for substance disorders and mental retardation no significant cultural or country variations were found.”


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The Effect of Mental Health through African History


In celebration of this year’s Black History month a half day workshop on the on mental health and African history was held on Saturday 15 October at the Open House, on Whitehorn Street in East London.


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have lost their lives in prisons, in or following police custody, immigration detention or when detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA).


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A call has put out to supporters to assemble at 12 noon at Trafalgar Square in Central London. The UFFC will then lead a silent procession of friends and family members along Whitehall, followed by a noisy protest outside Downing Street.


Organisers have asked those who will be attending on that day to wear black and bring banners and photos of those who people they would like to be remem- bered on this occasion. The disturbing death of Mark Duggan at the hands of police marksmen in August this year sparked of the most serious scenes of unrest around the country that has been seen in a genera- tion. Jacob Michael, Philip Hulmes and Dale Burns all lost their lives after being restrained or Tasered by the policed just weeks after Duggan’s death. The UFFC say that these cases alone makes it clear of the need for their work.


rganised by Creative Lifestyle CIC and Cafe Nia with the support of Tower Hamlets


and Mind in Tower Hamlets and Newham, this half day event will run from 2-7pm on Saturday 15 October 2011.


Speakers on the day included service users and practitioners in the field as well as Toyin Agbetu of Ligali and Matilda MacAttram of Black Mental Health UK.


This innovative half day event will focus on the place that African


UFFC 12th Annual Remembrance Procession


Saturday 30th October will mark the 12th Annual Remembrance Procession for family members and friends who have lost a loved one in custody.


The United Friends and Families Campaign (UFFC) have organised this year’s march to again highlight the growing concerns over the disturbing numbers of people who


Although the state has a special duty of care towards those in custody, which is enshrined in Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) many from the community are of the view that vulnerable groups and in particular black men are not protected by this law.


Figures from Inquest show that in January-August 2011 there have been 16 custody/contact deaths and 2 fatal shootings. There have also been two deaths involving Tasers and two by CS/PAVA spray. Of this eight of these have been the deaths of people from black and ethnic minority communities.


The UFFC believe that the failure to prosecute those responsible for deaths in custody sends the message that the State can act with impunity.


Campaigners say that in order to prevent such deaths in the future, it is imperative that we ensure that any lessons from the many tragedies we have seen are effectively shared across all custodial sectors and the demands set out by the UFFC are fully implemented. UFFC 12th Annual Remembrance Procession


Saturday 30th October 2010, meet at Trafalgar Square, Central London, assemble at 12.00noon .Nearest tube: Charing Cross


history has within the UK’s African Caribbean communities in relation to mental health and wellbeing. With an understanding of the isolation that this group face, Cafe Nia have an established track record of supporting black people who have used mental health services who are living in the community. Their collabora- tion with Creative Lifesyle CIC’s whose work focuses on bringing creativity back into the community through workshops in the creative arts offers service users and their families innovative ways of looking and dealing at the issue of mental health and well being.


This event was held at Open House, 13 Whitehorn Street, Bow, London E3 4PB.


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