- Conference
- 2023 National Black Members’ Conference
- Date
- 30 September 2022
- Decision
- Carried
This Conference notes that Black communities continue to experience complex factors that significantly and adversely affect their mental health. The recent cost of living crisis is impacting significantly on Black members across the country.
Black communities are already more likely to experience distressing events that affect them adversely due to racism, discrimination and inequity affecting people’s psychological well-being.
Concerns about, and the real life impact of, increasing living costs increase a person’s risk of mental illness as some experiences may even be traumatising.
Black individuals often lack access to culturally competent care. In some Communities, mental health problems are rarely recognised, or spoken about, because they may be seen as shameful or embarrassing leading to mistreatment.
Conference calls on the National Black Members Committee (NBMC) to campaign for the Scottish Government to support the below actions:
1)To research how gaps in knowledge create and maintain inequalities in how Black members access and receive services;
2)To formulate an assessment tool which employers can take to identify Black people’s needs and support them with mental health;
3)Educate family and friends and colleagues about the unique challenges of mental illness within the Black Community.