Mental health services fail in face of cultural diversity

ASSESSING the mental health of persons from other cultures can take three times longer than native assessments, mental health experts have warned.

Ahead of tomorrow’s World Mental Health Day, lobby group Mental Health Ireland (MHI) has criticised the Government for inadequate mental health policies when it comes to addressing the needs of immigrants and asylum seekers.

“Our concern is further heightened by the World Federation for Mental Health’s focus on the challenges which cultural diversity is posing globally, where it is estimated that one person in 35 is now an international migrant,” said MHI chief executive Brian Howard.

Mr Howard said increasing numbers of immigrants meant existing services “will be further strained to cope with the very specific needs of these new residents.”

“Even making our basic information and advisory literature available in a variety of languages is a task which so far is beyond the resources of a voluntary organisation such as MHI,” Mr Howard said.

Dr Siobhan Barry, spokesperson for the Irish Psychiatric Association (IPA), said psychiatrists were also faced with the challenge of getting hold of interpreters.

Dr Barry said her Dublin service deals with regular referrals from the Kilmacud reception centre for asylum seekers. Language difficulties and other cultural sensitivities means it can take three times longer to assess these patients.

“We see people on a particularly regular basis for whom we need interpreters and they come from so many diverse cultures we would have no experience or knowledge of their cultural sensitivities,” she said.

“We also see people from Eastern Europe and while their issues are not as profound as those from sub-Saharan Africa, they nonetheless need a service.”

She said Ireland was also facing a growing number of immigrants and asylum seekers joining the ranks of the homeless, having “fallen through” the cracks in our health service.

Both the IPA and MHI again criticised the Government and the Health Service Executive for lack of progress in implementing the blueprint for improving the mental health services, A Vision for Change, published in January 2006.

* The theme for World Mental Health Day is “Mental Health in a Changing World: the Impact of Culture and Diversity”.