On Saturday 10th October 2020 in light of World Mental Health Day, we hosted Un-muted: A candid discussion about the mental health of black men. We wanted to highlight mental health issues and the nuances of how it affects black men, their access to mental health services and their experiences of mental health services in the UK. As doctors of Black British Caribbean heritage, working within the NHS, we recognise that there are some cultural and institutional factors that negatively impact how Black men are able to care for their mental health.
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/641434794
The aims of this webinar were to:
- Demystify mental health issues in particular surrounding anxiety and depression, suicide and suicidal ideation.
- Learn from the experiences of Black men who have experienced mental health issues or who may have accessed mental health services
- Identify some of the specific barriers that restrict Black men’s access to mental health services
- Sign-post to useful services and resources;
- Facilitate a dual-learning experience so that clinicians are able to gain greater insight into the nuances that impact Black men in the UK who are experiencing mental health issues.
- Our psychiatrists will focus their discussion with the audience on suicide including the range and complexity behind suicidal ideation. This will include some of the main underlying factors among men especially men from Black Caribbean & African communities in the UK;
This event was aimed at black men, members of the Caribbean and African community and stakeholders in mental health such as clinicians, allied healthcare professionals, community group leaders.
The event consisted of presentations from Adult and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, Community Group Leaders who work closely with Black men experiencing mental health issues, and men with the lived experience of managing mental health issues. This was follwed by a thought provoking panel discussion and Q&A.
The event was well attended with 85 registrations and good feedback from both attendees and panelists.