About Us
Alafia is a Yoruba, western Nigerian word for total wellbeing, being of sound mind and body. There is no health without mental health.
Create awareness about mental health difficulties in people of African Heritage
We want to help destigmatize mental health in people of black origin by promoting well-being in the community and by so doing create awareness. This lack of awareness, shame and guilt contribute to poor outcomes and delayed recovery.
There is stigma associated with any form of mental illness and it prevents people getting help, particularly in people of African heritage and communities, there is a serious stigma that having some form of mental health difficulties is a sign of weakness and should be kept hidden from others.
In this community, individuals are brought up to be tough, survive adversity, strong and not to show weakness, any sign of mental struggles may be viewed as a weakness.
There is a general lack of awareness in this community or acceptance that mental illness are health problems and require treatments, because it can be kept hidden for a long time and this lack of knowledge can reinforce the idea that mental illness is shameful and prevent early intervention which may lead to poor recovery and rehabilitation in the black community.
Help bridge health inequalities
In mental health provision, people of black origin were less likely to be referred by a GP for psychological and talking therapies than white patients.
In the UK, the NHS Race and Health Observatory found overwhelming evidence of poor outcomes for ethnic minority groups, and this include people of black origin. Some of the largest inequalities were found in mental health.
There is evidence that people of black heritage are more likely to be misdiagnosed when accessing help for their mental illness, offered less than suitable medication choice, leading to poor treatment outcomes. Which can contribute to members of this community being treated more involuntarily, more likely to be restrained in the prone position (face down) or put in seclusions on the wards.
By making sure that care provided is culturally appropriate and sensitive
Culturally appropriate care or sometimes known as culturally competent care is sensitive to people’s cultural identity or heritage. It means being alert and responsive to beliefs or conventions that might be determined by cultural heritage- www.cqc.org.uk.
To provide training to increase cultural awareness, knowledge and skills by using culture-specific attitudes and value to promote health and to help reduce health inequalities in some specific communities like the people of black heritage who are sometimes socio economically disadvantaged.
Cultural beliefs can reinforce the idea that mental illness is shameful and this can prevent early intervention which may lead to poor recovery and rehabilitation in the black community.
The stigma needs to be broken down, one such way is providing care that is culturally competent, through health promotion, provision of education and psychiatric care so that users of the mental health services who are of black origin can access and have support through their journey back to health and thereby changing the narrative shrouding mental illness amongst this community.