[...]... 2003).Government ministers were asked by the inquiry panel and some leaders in the field of race and mental health to accept the finding of the panel that the 16 / WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH National Health Service (NHS) was institutionally racist This position was never adopted by the government though senior officials in the Department of Health had said, in response to the inquiry... chapter, culture is discussed and explored in society and in health and social care with the least emotion Culture is often used euphemistically for race but is weak in terms of its specificity The avoidance of focusing on race or minority ethnic groups takes attention off people and deals with culture, which is nebulous and intangible WHAT IS ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE ? / 21 Box 1.2 Exercise Imagine... solutions will be only partial and both service users and staff will remain unconvinced about the seriousness with which those in charge of services are seeking solutions Chapter 2 Why are Ethnicity, Race and Culture Important in Mental Health services? During a training session on race and mental health in 1993 a white community psychiatric nurse said that she did not ‘get into all that stuff ’ as it... disadvantage and, often, inferiority (Bhopal 1997) These inferences affect people whether they are from within or outside a minority ethnic group 18 / WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH ‘Minority ethnic groups’ is a term developed around the 1980s following on from its inaccurate predecessor ‘ethnic minority groups’ The problem with this earlier term is that it implies that ‘minority... understanding but people intend or hear different meanings This chapter sets out definitions of ethnicity, race and culture (ERC) The aim is to establish a common understanding between author and reader about the intended meanings for terms used in this book A lack of precision in understanding terms and concepts leads to confusion and poorer response to need For example, a focus on culture in a context... effectively Those in charge of organisations need to know and be convinced of the following: 28 / WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH · the causes, scale and implications of variations · the extent to which mental health services are able to make a difference · that they have a responsibility to do so There are some gross variations and inequalities in the experience and outcomes for... discusses all the main aspects of terms used in the field of mental health care in relation to a culturally and racially diverse population It then delves into practical matters – assessments, recovery focused care and 11 12 / WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH so on, providing clear practical guidance on implementation, illustrated by concrete examples from real life and many case... Upbringing Attitudes Choice Changeable (assimilation, acculturation) Sense of belonging Social pressures Ethnicity Psychological need Group identity (Fernando 1991, p.11) 13 Partially changeable 14 / WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH Cashmore and Troyna (1990) provide a useful glossary including definitions of less frequently used terms such as colonialism and social Darwinism... to understand the norm based on Limited Acquired Cultural Knowledge (LACK) (Sewell 2004) Responding to cultural needs therefore becomes fraught with problems from a practitioner point of view Not only is culture a nebulous concept; it is also barely reliably (or universally) defined by those within it 20 / WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH Culture is perceived as being less... by showing in detail the variations in socio-economic experience and outcome of different minority groups in Britain The study shows the differences in the disparities across ethnic groups in relation to such matters as housing, employment and education Effective practitioners in mental health will need to inform their assessment and practice with detailed information from the service user point of . WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH of related interest Advance Directives in Mental Health Theory, Practice and Ethics Jacqueline. heritage of people in mental health services (Hall 1996). 16 / WORKING WITH ETHNICITY, RACE AND CULTURE IN MENTAL HEALTH In mental health provision a failure