The mental health needs of African and Caribbean men is an area for public concern. A substantial body of research shows that these groups are disproportionately represented in mental health statistics. Eradicating the disparities in mental health treatment and outcomes for Black people requires changes in how these communities are viewed. Making services more humane at the interpersonal level is deeply important. Mental health services should build positive working relationships with black men and engage with the ideals they have of themselves.
Analyzes the situation of English-speaking African-Caribbeans in Canada as they strive to attain upward social & economic mobility. Census data, 1981-2007, and qualitative data obtained during 2004-2007 interviews with 90 African-Caribbeans living in Halifax, Toronto, and Calgary are drawn on to explored their employment and education experiences, along with perceptions of racism and how it has impacted their opportunities, health, and well-being.
Visibly black people of African and African-Caribbean descent (black people) are 2-5 times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses than their counterparts from other ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom. However, the symptomology of psychotic illnesses and dissociative experiences are difficult to differentiate. Interestingly, black people detained under the Mental Health Act are more likely to give perceived racism as the cause of their emotional distress than their counterparts from other ethnic groups, but there is very little indication in the literature as to how perceived racism might exert its effect on black people's mental health.
