Mental Health and the Asian Communities: A Local Survey

The survey of people from the Asian communities in ‘Milltown’ included people who used mental health services, family members of service users, and members of the Asian general public. Personal and social stresses of the group were explored, as were their perceptions of the ‘causes’ of mental ill-health and appropriate responses. Although most people saw family and social stress as central, a religious dimension was also prominent, in terms both of causes and treatment of mental ill-health. There was no evidence of rejection of mainstream services because of a choice on the part of Asian families or communities to be self-servicing. A range of issues identified by respondents surrounded the cultural acceptability of services in ‘Milltown’ to Asian people. A lack of knowledge of service availability was also apparent, with a heavy reliance upon GP services for mental health care in the community. The findings of the survey are compared with similar studies, where available, which focus on indigenous white British service users. Some findings are common; other issues are specific to this Asian group.