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Article Title:	Black Mental Health Injustice
Author of reported comment:	Catherine H
Comment Date:	14:30 on May 30 2010
Comment:	I am a mental health patient, and a mental health worker. So please hear where I am coming from. Unfortunately, some conditions have a genetic pre-disposition. People with dark eyes and dark hair are genetically pre-disposed to schizophrenia, just as people with white skin, blue eyes and black/dark brown hair are pre-disposed to bipolar disorder. Most will never develop a disorder, but if the person has encountered trauma or has used illegal substances, a door can be opened in the mind that releases a dormant condition. The Chief Medical Officer condemned every mental health service in the UK, saying, 'most are barbaric'. That's not just for ethnic minority patients, it's for all mental health patients. I've had clients who have been sexually abused, who have been jumped on by 4 male nurses, restrained and injected, simply because they tried to run out of the ward. They were not a danger to anyone or themself, they simply wanted space. They were re-abused by the people who were supposed to help them. As a patient, I was left on a waiting list for 2 years when I was classed as seriously mentally ill. In the 10 years I have been ill, I have had 2 years' of treatment. My current mental health social worker is useless. I take charge of my affairs and arrange everything myself, whether it's a change in medication or getting paperwork in order. The general public don't know about what is really going on because most people with mental health issues are not able to speak up for themselves, and are given very little help, and to be honest, the general public are very prejudiced against people with mental health conditions, and simply don't want to know. Thank you Cross Rhythms for giving space to talking about mental health issues.

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