§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the Department for International Development regarding the rights of people suffering from mental health problems in the developing world. [144841]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 18 December 2003]: The Department of Health provides funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO) collaborating centre at the Institute for Psychiatry to work closely with the Department for International Development and a number of governments of low and middle income countries.
In addition, the United Kingdom national counterpart for mental health to the WHO, based at the National Institute for Mental Health in England, has been involved in the WHO global fellowship programme which aims to train senior policy makers in developing countries in mental health policy and service development and implementation.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the risk of developing a mental illness, broken down by(a) region and (b) socio-economic status. [146335]
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§ Ms Rosie WintertonInformation is available from independent longitudinal research about the relationship between risk factors and the likelihood of an individual within the population developing a mental illness.
The Department of Health does not assess this directly. However, the Office for National Statistics (www.statistics.gov.uk) collects information on a systematic basis about current correlates of mental illness, including age, gender, socio-economic status, physical health and other factors, and estimates mental illness prevalence rates.
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on(a) the findings of the national survey of ethnic minority psychiatric illness rates in the community and (b) the action he will take as a result. [144812]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe national survey of ethnic minority psychiatric illness rates in the community (EMPIRIC study) was a major survey of psychiatric illness rates in the community amongst ethnic minority adults aged 16–74 living in England. The survey was used to make comparisons with the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in the general population. The findings were released in May 2002.
The results of this survey allow, for the first time, detailed analysis of the mental health of ethnic minority groups and comparisons with a general white population. It contains data on common mental disorders, psychosis, social functioning, physical health, use of services and social support. The report identifies different rates of common mental disorders and psychotic illness between minority ethnic groups.
In order to combat the inequality experience by black and minority ethnic mental health service users, "Delivering Race Equality: Guidance for Services" was launched on 17 October for consultation. This marks the start of a major programme by the National Institute for Mental Health in England on black and minority ethnic mental health.