Press release: How to reduce mental health problems among minorities

12 November 2024

What we need to do to reduce mental health problems among minorities: new Gresham College lecture to explore possible solutions 

Dr Lade Smith to give free lecture on Thursday, 21 November, online and in central London 

One in four people in England will experience a mental health issue of some kind this year, while this figure is higher in minoritised and marginalised groups.  

Deprivation, poverty, being from a minority group – for example Black, South Asian or Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) or from an LGBTQ+ background – are all associated with an increased risk of mental illness.  

How social disadvantage and discrimination can explain the excess rates of mental illness over and above that expected from usual traditional risk factors is the subject for a new lecture from London’s Gresham College later this month.  

It will be given by Dr Lade Smith, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. 

In it, she will explore how societal factors play a significant role beyond genetic predisposition or biological influences, and why understanding these social determinants is crucial for effectively tackling mental health disparities. 

She said: “There is compelling evidence that poverty, discrimination and other inequalities engender mental illness but too often these issues are only noted rather than acted upon. 

“The Royal College of Psychiatrists has developed practical measurers to address this and enhance equity in mental healthcare for patients, carers and staff. Our Advancing Mental Health Equity Collaborative has delivered real improvements in care for marginalised groups.  

“We cannot modify the genetic and biological factors that increase the risk of mental illness, but we can modify social factors and discrimination that engender mental ill-health. It is clear that reducing social disadvantage and discrimination is better for individual health; is the right thing to do clinically, ethically and morally, but also the economic benefits of tackling inequality are enormous.” 

Dr Smith said that addressing social disadvantage and discrimination would help to prevent the excess rates of mental illness seen in marginalised and minoritised groups.  

The lecture will draw on her experiences and researches including her role on the core working group of the Independent Mental Health Act Review, chaired by Professor Sir Simon Wessely. In this, she was responsible for some of the key recommendations, including ones aimed at improving outcomes for Black people with mental health problems, which have now been taken up by the government.   

The lecture will be given at Gresham College’s base in Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn, London. 

Starting at 6pm on Thursday, 21 November, entry is free, and it is also broadcast live online. It will last an hour.  

In-person places can be booked online via Gresham College’s website, https://www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/inequality-mental-health 

ENDS 

Images available on request 

For more information about this story or to arrange an interview with a Gresham Professor please contact: Phil Creighton press@gresham.ac.uk  

About Gresham College  
Gresham College has been providing free, educational lectures - at the university level - since 1597 when Sir Thomas Gresham founded the college to bring Renaissance Learning to Londoners. Our history includes some of the luminaries of the scientific revolution including Robert Hooke and Sir Christopher Wren and connects us to the founding of the Royal Society.  

Today we carry on Sir Thomas's vision. The College aims to stimulate intellectual curiosity and to champion academic rigour, professional expertise and freedom of expression. www.gresham.ac.uk  

Gresham College is a registered charity number 1039962 and relies on donations to help us encourage people's love of learning for many years to come. For more details or to make a gift, visit our website.