Muzani Care Progrmamme
What is mental health?
Mental health is defined as the state of well being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stress of life and can work productively and is able to contribute to her or his community.
Mental ill health is defined by mental illness are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behaviour or a combination of these.
Many Mental illnesses are associated with distress and or problems with functioning in social, work or family activities.
Who does mental illness affect?
According to the National Health Service (2021) One in four adults and one in 10 children experience mental illness, and many more of us know and care for people who do.
Improving mental health and wellbeing is associated with a wide range of outcomes for people of all ages and backgrounds. Which may include the following:
*Better physical health and life expectancy
* Improved educational achievement
* A reduction in health risk behaviours such as smoking and alcohol misuse
* A reduction of risk of mental health problems and suicide
* Better employment rates and productivity
* Decrease in anti-social behaviour and criminality
* A highter levels of social interaction and participation.
What causes mental illness in UK?
Many factors can contribute to someone developing mental illness at anytime and any moment. Some of these include
* unemployment and welfare dependency
*isolation due to language barriers
* poverty including housing problems
* lack of useful networks within the Somali communities
Which Challenges do British Somalis with mental illness face within the community?
DisrespectingAccusation of being not good practising Muslims Labelling Isolated Which Barriers prevent from seeking help?
*Lack of mental health literacy and suitable information mental health and health services.
* a shortage of well-trained Somali professionals in the sector of mental health and autism (which is a learning disability and not mental illness).
* Fear and negative speculation about mainstream mental health services/systems and labelling.
* Language barriers Ways to improve the condition of mentally ill people?
* Through establishing a group for mental health within the community
* Offering programs by trained community representatives in the sector of mental health.
* Developing parenting programs that adequately take account of cultural and religious diversity.
* Utilising Islamic teachings as preventative factors of mental illness.
* Workshops to create awareness about mental health.
* Focus on elderly community programs on wellbeing and improving health equality
Is Autism a part of mental illness?
Autistic people may act in a different way to other people.
Autistic people may have a difficulty in:
*communicate and interact with other people
*to understand how other people think or feel
*find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events
*take longer to understand information
*do or think the same things over and over Being autistic does not mean the person has an illness or disease. But It means that the brain works in a different way from other people.
Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a “cure”. But some people need support to help them with certain things.
Some Somalis see autism as hyperactivity and it is a matter of time when it will disappear. Autism is widespread in the British Somali community and its lack of diagnose could be due to other issues — prolonged civil, immigration and resettlement traumas – as being used to interpret and understand behaviour. Many Somali British families do not seek help because they don’t understand and because of fear.
Some Somali British families do not trust the mainstream social services because of fear that their children will be removed or taken away by social workers.
Creating awareness is key.
Prepared by Ruweyda Hajji